2026-01-09: Session Zero¶

Session Zero establishes expectations, creates characters, and builds the foundation for the campaign. This document captures both the plan going in and the decisions made.

Campaign Expectations¶

Established Decisions¶

These have been discussed and agreed upon:

Tone and Style

Minimal action, maximal investigation/character interaction. Combat exists but is not the focus. The campaign centers on discovery, relationships, and navigating difficult choices.
Minimal PvP. The PCs generally have to get along. Tensions and disagreements are welcome; working against each other is not.
Strong player narrative authority. Players can establish facts about the world, fill in backstory details, and shape scenes. The GM is not the sole source of truth.

Secrets and Discovery

GM notes in setting documents are secrets from both players and characters. Discoveries should be genuine surprises.
The campaign involves world-changing revelations. The journey of discovery is central to the experience.

To Discuss¶

In-Character Betrayal

NPCs may betray the party — this is a feature, not a bug. But how do players feel about this? Should NPC betrayal be:

Foreshadowed so players can anticipate it?
A genuine surprise?
Minimized to avoid frustration?
David/Kai: As long as it is internally consistent, doesn't bother him.
James/Azure: Probably okay, as long as it isn't ubiquitous.
Rachel/Victoria: That should be reasonable.
Aly/Rin: Vibes with the rest.

Tone Boundaries

How dark can things get? The setting includes murder, discrimination, and existential threats. Are there limits?
Any topics or themes to avoid or handle with care? (Lines and veils)
James/Azure: Prefers a generally optimistic tone. Directly proportional to agency of characters to affect the events.
- Don't oversimplify human antagonists
Rachel/Victoria: Totally fine
- No character death
David/Kai: vibes with James
- Has some ambivalence; wants there to be stakes
Aly/Rin: I already know.
- No character death

Pacing and Duration

Scheduling handled session-by-session; each new session scheduled at the end of the current one.

Character Creation¶

System Summary¶

Characters are built with 4 lifepaths (see Mechanics):

16-30 skill points distributed among skills
45-50 resource points for Resources, Circles, and gear
Stat bonuses: +2 to one pool (Mental or Physical), or +1 to both
Talent rating: 2-4 (with the Prime trait, making Talent grey shade)

Character Sheets: Google Drive folder

Azure¶

Established:

Full telepath and empath (both receptive and projective in both disciplines)
Former Fleet, served with Splishy Splashy (saved the dolphin's life during a mission)
Present during a boarding incident that led to rehabilitation on Ceres
Went through Fleet Basic Training with Victoria McKinley and Kai Le Gerrac
Met Kai Le Gerrac at a concert before enlisting; they served together; Kai helped get them to Ceres rehab
Met Rin Jeong during Ceres rehabilitation

To Establish:

[✅] Name, pronouns, background (origin, family, culture)
Azure Armstrong (of Armstrong Warren), he/him, Loonie
Childhood relationship with Mike (Mycroft Holmes)
Fairly typical Loonie upbringing: one of 2-3 kids, lots of aunts/uncles/cousins, line marriage
[ ] Talent ratings (Empathy skill, Telepathy skill, Talent attribute)
Talent: G4 (Prime)
Skill ratings TBD on character sheet
[✅] What happened in the boarding incident? What went wrong?
See "Notes and Decisions" section below for full details
[✅] How did they save Splishy's life? What was the mission?
Luna-Ceres patrol on the UEF Vigilant; pirates boarded; Azure's Talent Explosion
[✅] Why leave Fleet for a university research vessel?
Recruited by Leonidas on the suggestion of Splishy-Splashy
[✅] Current mental/emotional state — recovered, healing, or still struggling?
Recovered, but it still impacts his experience around Talent
[ ] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3) — TBD with player
[✅] Key skills beyond Talent (piloting, navigation, combat, social, etc.)
Conversation: Bargaining, Conspicuous, Persuasion, Psychology, Trauma-Wise, Ugly Truth
Combat: Close Combat, Physical Training, Melee Combat, Small Firearms, Ship Weapons
Piloting: Shuttle Piloting, Capital Ship Piloting, Zero-G
Other: Deep Mind-Wise

Victoria McKinley¶

Established:

Medical staff and linguistics specialist on the Sagan
Empath with psychometry
Called in by UEF to examine Tiamat remains; has limited clearance
Was serving on Ceres when called in — selected because she had the right expertise and was already on site
Carries heavy secrets from what she witnessed
Went through Fleet Basic Training with the Pilot PC and Kai Le Gerrac
University of Mare Serenitatis alumnus (attended before Fleet service)
Met Rin Jeong while serving on Ceres (acquaintances; would recognize each other)
Potential: May have returned to UMS Luna for a guest lecture post-Ceres — would have overlapped with Rin's coursework (clarify during Session Zero)

To Establish:

[ ] Background (origin, how she became a medical professional, linguistics training) — TBD with player
[✅] Her Ceres posting — what was her role there? How long was she stationed?
Medical and teaching medicine; ~2371-2373
[ ] Talent ratings (Empathy skill, Talent attribute) — TBD on character sheet
[✅] What exactly did she experience when examining Tiamat remains?
See Victoria's character sheet GM notes
[✅] How much does she know? (Enough to be burdened, not enough to understand)
Knows something profound happened; doesn't fully understand what
[✅] Her clearance situation — who called her in, what are her obligations now?
UEF called her in; signed NDA forbidding discussion "with anyone who does not already know about it"
[✅] How was she recruited to this mission?
Leonidas needed a medical officer; Victoria was a guest lecturer on medicine at UMS; natural for him to reach out
[✅] Connection to other crew members
Fleet Basic with Azure and Kai; close friends with Rin
[ ] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3) — TBD with player
[ ] Key skills beyond Talent (medicine, linguistics, research, social, etc.) — TBD on character sheet

Rin Jeong¶

Established:

Security Officer / Sensors on the Sagan
Belter, empath
Mispahk survivor
Native Belt modifications plus enhanced clotting and toxin tolerance
Met the Pilot PC and Kai during Ceres rehabilitation
Met Victoria McKinley on Ceres; became close friends during voyage to Luna
After rehab, took coursework at University of Mare Serenitatis on Luna (security focus with sensors minor); deepened friendship with Kai and may have had more contact with the Pilot during this time

To Establish:

[✅] Background that you want the other players to know (origin in the Belt, family, how they came to security work)
Above bullets cover this.
[✅] Talent ratings — Talent attribute G4; Empathy G3
[✅] Relationship with Azure — what kind of bond formed during rehab?
Close friends; Rin's maternal instincts helped bring Azure out of catatonia
The pudding story: Rin saw Azure staring into space with a food tray, sat down, stole his pudding, and talked at him until she got his attention (subtly applying empathic pressure)
[✅] Relationship with Kai — how do they relate?
Close friends; friendship deepened at Mare Serenitatis; Kai brought Rin to Mistpaw
[✅] Why join a university research vessel?
Studied at Mare Serenitatis after rehab; connection to the university
[✅] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3)
[✅] Key skills beyond Talent (security, sensors, combat, investigation, etc.)

Kai Le Gerrac¶

Established:

Chief Engineer on the Sagan (promoted to chief for this mission)
Enrolled as a child in a Venn Life Sciences longitudinal study
Unknowing kinetic — Talent manifested subtly during an electrical accident, deflecting a lethal discharge; he believes he was simply lucky
Engineering degree with a minor in archaeology
Met the Pilot PC at a concert before enlisting; served in Fleet together
Went through Fleet Basic Training with the Pilot PC and Victoria McKinley
Present during the boarding incident (not directly involved?)
Helped get the Pilot to Ceres rehabilitation, where they both met Rin

To Establish:

[✅] Background (origin, family, how his hybrid heritage shaped his life) — Luna-raised, parents are quartermasters often away, neighbors' kids Andrik and Zora were childhood friends
[✅] Talent ratings — Talent attribute G3; Kinesis skill TBD (noting he doesn't know he has Talent)
[✅] The electrical accident — what happened? How close did he come to death?
Working in engineering on the Vigilant, repairing a fault in power distribution
Faulty breaker caused an electric arc; Kai instinctively redirected it into surrounding circuitry
Would have been fatal; Kai believes it was a "close miss"
(Made the repair more difficult, incidentally)
[✅] His relationship with Venn Life Sciences — how does he feel about the study?
Neutral-positive; it paid for part of his engineering education; was a fact of life growing up
He's never deeply inspected it
[✅] Relationship with Azure — how has it evolved since the boarding incident?
Remained close friends; Kai was first on scene and helped get Azure to Ceres
[✅] Relationship with Rin — met on Ceres during Azure's rehab, friendship deepened when Rin came to Luna for coursework, Kai brought Rin to Mistpaw
[✅] Why leave Fleet for a university research vessel? — Professor Leonidas recruited him; archaeology minor reflects his interests
[✅] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3)
[✅] Key skills beyond (unknown) Talent
Archaeology, Conspicuous, Fusion Dynamics, Melee Combat, Athletics, Infiltration, Engineering, Ship-Wise, Streetwise, First Aid, Advanced Mathematics

Relationship Mapping¶

The crew has pre-existing connections that shape the mission dynamic.

Established Relationships¶

Connection	Nature	Notes
Azure ↔ Splishy-Splashy	Life-debt bond	Azure saved Splishy during the boarding incident; Splishy connected him with Silence and recommended him for the Sagan
Azure ↔ Kai Le Gerrac	Close friends	Met at a concert, served together on the Vigilant, Kai was first on scene after the incident and helped Azure reach Ceres rehab
Azure ↔ Victoria	Fleet Basic cohort	Went through Fleet Basic Training together
Azure ↔ Rin Jeong	Friends	Met during Ceres rehabilitation, both working through trauma
Kai ↔ Victoria	Fleet Basic cohort	Went through Fleet Basic Training together
Kai ↔ Rin Jeong	Close friends	Met on Ceres; friendship deepened when Rin studied at Mare Serenitatis
Victoria ↔ Rin Jeong	Friends	Met on Ceres; became close during voyage to Luna when Victoria's term ended and Rin went for coursework; Victoria knows the real story of Mispahk

What have I missed/forgotten?

To Establish¶

[✅] What is Kai and Rin's relationship like? (Close friends — met on Ceres, deepened during Rin's coursework at Mare Serenitatis)
[✅] Does Victoria have prior connections to anyone aboard? (Yes — Fleet Basic with Azure and Kai; close friends with Rin)
[✅] How long has Azure known each of these people? (Rough timeline)
Kai: ~4 years (met at concert before Basic in 2371)
Victoria: ~4 years (Fleet Basic 2371)
Rin: ~3 years (Ceres rehab 2372)
[ ] Any tension points in these relationships? — To emerge in play

Timeline Questions¶

[✅] When was the boarding incident? How long ago was rehabilitation?
Boarding incident: 2372 (1 year post-Basic)
Rehabilitation on Ceres: 2372-2373
Goetic technique development at UMS: 2373-2375
Campaign start: 2375 (3 years after the incident)
[✅] When did Victoria examine the Tiamat remains? How recently?
During her Ceres posting (sometime 2371-2373)
[✅] How long has each PC been aboard the Sagan?
Session Zero was the initial mission briefing; Session One (departure) is their first day aboard
The Sagan itself is a new ship, commissioned ~2373-2374
[✅] Mars is the first mission for this crew configuration — but have any of them worked together before?
Azure and Kai served together on the Vigilant
Captain Iyer and Splishy-Splashy have worked together before
Otherwise, first time for this configuration

Talent and Society¶

Where do the PCs stand on the political questions of the era?

Registration and Disclosure¶

Are the PCs registered? Disclosed? Hiding anything about their abilities?
What are their opinions on mandatory registration?
Have they experienced discrimination? How has it shaped them?
David/Kai:
- Unaware of Talent not registered.
- Dubious about registration. Suspicious of the power it provides to people with access to registration information.
James/Azure:
- Publicly Telepathic, due to publishing a paper
- Loonie: Nobody should be forced to be on a list because of how they were born.
Rachel/Victoria:
- Unsure. Terran so may be from a jurisdiction that requires registration.
- Unsure of an opinion
Aly/Rin:
- Rin is not registered.
- Anti-registration.

The Push for Organization¶

Do they support a unifying Talented organization?
Guild, union, advocacy group — which appeals to them, if any?
Are they involved in any Talented community or isolated from it?
James/Azure:
- Slippery slope, don't speedrun it.
- Sympathetic to the idea; deeply distrustful of the implementation
David/Kai:
- Advocacy group would be good.
- Wary of implementation, hopeful/optimistic
Rachel/Victoria:
- Unknown
Aly/Rin:
- Doesn't know enough to answer in an informed way

Personal Stakes¶

What do they each want out of this mission, beyond the job?
What would make this mission a personal success or failure for them?
Are they aware that discovering alien artifacts could change their lives forever?
Rachel/Victoria: REDACTED
- "I have questions, I'm hoping to find answers."
David/Kai:
- Alien artifacts would be a momentous discovery, not expecting anything big. Underestimates the significance.
- Wants experience, both in archaeology and engineering
- A new place, outside of "Those who hold earth."
James/Azure:
- Success is ship & crew return safe
- Finding ancient artifacts would be really cool
- "Why are we finding only artifacts?"
- "What killed them? Why aren't they here any more?"
Aly/Rin:
- Thinks she was brought on board because of the Mispahk
- Believes you need a colony to achieve the archaeology
- "This is going to be good work, I want in."

Beliefs and Instincts¶

Beliefs drive character action and earn Artha. Instincts are automatic behaviors that can help or complicate situations.

Belief Guidelines¶

A good Belief is:

Actionable — it pushes you to do something
Stakeable — pursuing it has real consequences
Challengeable — circumstances can test it

Beliefs can be about the mission, relationships, values, or personal goals. They will evolve during play.

Instinct Guidelines¶

An Instinct is an automatic behavior:

"Always check the exits when entering a room"
"Never leave a crewmate behind"
"When stressed, reach out empathically"

Instincts can help (the GM may say "your instinct means you already did that") or hinder (triggering when it would be better not to).

Draft Beliefs¶

Azure Armstrong: TBD with player

Victoria McKinley: TBD with player

Rin Jeong:

I will make sure no Corporate screws over one of mine again.
My job is to prevent trouble before it happens and developing my Talent will be key to succeeding at that.
By contributing to this mission's success, I am contributing to my family's success.

Kai Le Gerrac:

My greatest work is to strive for improvement. From shaping my body and mind to discover my best self to creating innovations in the fields of space engineering, I will make every effort to test the boundaries of what is possible.
Talents are a great unknown. I will protect Talents from being abused, and help those in my close circle to learn as much as possible about their abilities, and their origin.
Both mission objectives are vital. We must know if there is something beyond earthbound species AND provide fertile land for humanity to continue to find sanctuary outside the rigors of space. Not having the chance to visit Earth, I dream of being able to run through forests on Mars.

Draft Instincts¶

Azure Armstrong: TBD with player

Victoria McKinley: TBD with player

Rin Jeong:

I always do a head count before moving on.
I always carry two backup weapons, one being a nonmetal knife.
I'm always wearing a harness with a minimum of five tethers stored on it.

Kai Le Gerrac:

I always keep my lucky wrench at my side. It was my first tool as I took up my engineering degree.
I always check on a crewmate if they seem to be having a rough time.
I am patient with repairs.

Crew Dynamics¶

The PCs are joining an established ship with its own culture and tensions.

Key NPC Relationships¶

To be established during play. Existing connections:

Splishy-Splashy: Azure's close bond (life-debt); has worked with Captain Iyer before
Professor Leonidas: Recruited Kai, Victoria, and (via Splishy) Azure

Other NPC relationships (Iyer, Noor, research team) will develop naturally.

Potential Friction Points¶

These may come up during play:

Scientific discovery vs. practical mission objectives
Risk tolerance — how far should the crew push?
Secrets — how do the PCs feel about keeping or revealing information?
Talent — are they open about their abilities with the crew?

Session Zero Checklist¶

[✅] Discuss campaign expectations and boundaries
[~] Complete Azure Armstrong character creation — background done; Beliefs/Instincts TBD
[~] Complete Victoria McKinley character creation — role/connections done; background/Beliefs/Instincts TBD
[✅] Complete Rin Jeong character creation
[✅] Complete Kai Le Gerrac character creation
[✅] Map relationships and establish timeline
[~] Draft Beliefs and Instincts for all PCs — Rin and Kai done; Azure and Victoria TBD
[✅] Discuss Talent and society positioning
[✅] NPC relationships — existing connections noted; others to develop in play
[✅] Answer open questions from this document
[✅] Session schedule — handled session-by-session

---``

Notes and Decisions¶

Kai, Victoria, and Azure were at Basic together.
Victoria's UEF service was a posting to Ceres to serve as Medical and also teach medicine.
Boarding incident is 1 year post Basic
One year later Victoria -> Luna to be guest lecturer
- At same time Rin went to Luna for education; on ship together
- Victoria knows the "real story" of Mispahk
Boarding party on ship where Azure served with Kai (UEF Vigilant)
- Pirates wanted to seize a beta-class Fleet ship for outer system piracy
- Cut off the cockpit from the cetacean habitat
- Tried to attack the cockpit
- This was Azure's Talent Explosion — latent Prime-level abilities manifesting under combat stress
- Azure's telepathy let him read the first attacker's intentions, allowing him to prevail
- But he had established a deep link — experienced the pirate's death alongside him
- Then amplified and projected that experience with overwhelming force, killing most remaining pirates
- Part of his trauma was Talent Burnout (though he didn't know that at the time)
- Kai first on scene
- Encountered Rin, Victoria at Ceres Medical Center
- Azure: catatonic on arrival, freshly awakened
Azure develops Goetic technique at UMS
Has to be 3 years since the stabby-stabby Splishy-Splashy therapy.

Callsign Culture: Assigned by peers, but not denigrating. Usually positive or deed-related, sometimes cutesy. Often it goes: cutesy initially, then changes when you do something awesome to reflect that event.

Pre-Launch Montage¶

The session zero montage established the following:

Crew Introduction: Professor Leonidas introduced the crew to each other
Mission Briefing: The team was briefed on mission objectives and the target location (Jezero Crater)
Kai's Promotion: Kai Le Gerrac was informed of his promotion to Chief Engineer for this mission
Celebration: The four PCs went out together to celebrate Kai's promotion
Azure's Warning: During the celebration, Azure telepathically contacted Rin and Kai (his closer friends): "There's more going on here than we're being told, and it might come back to bite us if we're not careful." Rin suggested bringing Victoria into the loop, given their friendship.

Session One will begin with the Sagan departing Lunar orbit.

Rin and Leonidas (Pre-Session One)¶

Shortly after signing on, Rin asked Leonidas directly if he recruited her because of the Mispahk incident — specifically the "rumor" of the alien artifact. Leonidas was unusually open: he recruited her for her skillset but was happy she had additional context. He shared that he had "a feeling" about this mission and asked her to keep a close eye out, though he couldn't articulate what she should watch for.

He also revealed what he actually discovered: not just old probe data, but a photo of a probe sample from the early Expansion Era — a piece of metal with regular "scratches" dismissed as random damage. To Leonidas, it looked like worked metal with intentional markings.

Rin confirmed the scratches matched the lettering on the Tiamat cylinder.

This establishes a direct connection between Mars and Tiamat. Both Leonidas and Rin know it; neither has shared this with the rest of the crew yet.