Start of Session Rituals, what's yours?

[Tinkerer]

I was wondering how different people start their sessions. I tend to have a fairly established ritual which I use at the start to give everyone a chance to truly settle in and be good to go.

I set up about 15 minutes before we are due to start and field any questions which the players have regarding the previous session or their characters in general (such as leveling up). This is usually a time taken up by small chat and what not as people come in and catch up.

Then when it hits the start time I... leave to go for a smoke. This allows the players a chance to discuss things without me there, possibly coming up with a plan for whatever predicament I left them in at the end of last session. Additionally if anyone has something about their character which they don't want to discuss with the group this is the best time to catch me on my own. I know it sounds weird to not either a) start at that time or b) set the start time for when I start to set up but I swear this method has gotten me the best results for player punctuality.

When I come back from my smoke I start playing a song which has been chosen to be relevant to the campaign. This is the last warning for people to wrap up preparations, ask the final questions, and be good to game. At about 10-15 minutes after the start time the song is finished and I greet everyone with a "Welcome back to the world of _____" (I know it's cliche but it's a good cliche dammit) and we launch into the recap.

I prefer having a rotating party member recap the events from their characters perspective in about 2-4 minutes for a small experience bonus. In the event that the party member isn't able to due to forgetting the details or just doesn't want to the job normally falls to the group chronicler, who recounts the session from a neutral perspective. If it's a group which doesn't have a chronicler then the job falls to me. If I notice that they left out something crucial I will usually add it after the party member is finished. I've quite enjoyed this style of recap since it gives us insight into what each character finds important in the campaign at the moment.

Finally I usually begin the session with the last sentence uttered at the conclusion of the previous session (sometimes the last two sentances). Unless I really flubbed the last line, then I just roll with it.

So do you have any start of session rituals? Getting your game off to a good start helps set a good tone, what have you found that works?

[Drakevarg]

I light a thousand black candles, don the severed head of a goat, and anoint each player in blood in tribute to Shub-Niggurath. Then we may consult the bones.

...or, more likely, we chatter aimlessly for about three hours while the party wanders in one at a time until we manage to get everyone seated and shut up long enough to start narrating.

[Tinkerer]

I light a thousand black candles, don the severed head of a goat, and anoint each player in blood in tribute to Shub-Niggurath. Then we may consult the bones.

...or, more likely, we chatter aimlessly for about three hours while the party wanders in one at a time until we manage to get everyone seated and shut up long enough to start narrating.

Haha, fair enough. In my youth I often found that to be the case but as I get older I find that people have more respect for each others time. When we bring a young player in we often have to break them of that habit. Or if it's a free day we do lounge around for hours and chit chat about the game and life but at 15 minutes to the hour I start the set up and we start to get serious.

[Blackhawk748]

I light a thousand black candles, don the severed head of a goat, and anoint each player in blood in tribute to Shub-Niggurath. Then we may consult the bones.

...or, more likely, we chatter aimlessly for about three hours while the party wanders in one at a time until we manage to get everyone seated and shut up long enough to start narrating.

Pretty much this. We sit around and BS for a few hours before we actually get to gaming.

[JNAProductions]

Mini corn dogs.

[Potatomade]

Start the day with an hour of random discussion to get all our stupid tangents out of the way, then start an audio recording (helps me be a better DM if I can listen to how I screwed up before). We used to start the recording first, and ah... that was a bad idea.

[Sinewmire]

Well, after Jeff has arrived and has eaten his kebab (or pizza, as it may be), I intone the sacred words: "Has everyone got their character sheets to hand?"

The congregation commences fumbling and shuffling, and usually, hunting.

The congregation disperses for the sacred smoke break.

Upon resumption of the Service, I intone the sacred words once more: "When last we left our (semi-intrepid/intrepid/trepid) heroes/d-bags (and you guys)..."

I sum up the last session and remind people where there mindset at the end of last week's session.

I close the opening psalm with "Ok. Go."


I also knock on the table to ask for initiative rolls, or just say "knock knock" thanks to Haley's Roland Itiative joke with Crystal.

[Anonymouswizard]

It somewhat depends on the group, in my university one it went along the lines of:

Wait for A and S. We know that if S wasn't with him we'd be waiting longer.

Find a room we can play in and won't disturb anyone. This normally involve climbing to the top floor of a building most of us can only get into pre-6.

Get the books, dice, character sheets, and Jaffa Cakes out. If we have a metagame currency give people mints for them.

Try to remember what happened last session.

Forget to put the kettle on.


In my current group it's generally a bunch of 'okay, who's connected to voice chat? Natter for a bit until the GM is ready'.

[Pelle]

We cook dinner, always soup, and eat before we start the session.

[Joe the Rat]

We play online, so there are some odd nuances.

First, at 5 minutes 'til, I get set up in the map system, for last-minute spot checks.
At time, I enter chat. Eeyore is already there.
Sometime over the next half hour, everyone else rolls in. We discuss the week's events, what's new in life, recent trades/acquisitions (two of our players are collectors), etc.
I announce I am getting my drink (the exact nature of which varies), and we will start play when I get back.
...eventually.
Play starts with these words: "Alright, who remembers where we were?" I will have players recap what the know - usually one person doing the bulk narrative, the rest adding details. I will then fill in lost points (or not...), and go from there.

[Bohandas]

Chat so much we never get around to actually playing the game

[AtticSpace]

Most of my players eventually wander in 10-15 minutes late, and with food. I wait a few more minutes to give them some time to eat while we all talk about whatever. We do a short recap, then start the game.

This is all interspersed with reminders for the X-hundredth time to please remove their food and garbage from the floor where the dog can get it. It always seems to be news to them.

[Phoenixguard09]

LD starts us off with a variation of, "You lost The Game."

I blame that for our dwindling readership....

[ImNotTrevor]

Eeyore is already there.

Are... are you Christopher Robin?


Usually I just yell at everyone to gather up for my in-person games. (I play with a couple family members, so it follows Sunday Family Lunch but with extra people.) For my online games I send out regular reminders and start bugging people 45 minutes before, open Roll20, and turn on some smooth jazz. Because for some reason my players have decides that should be a running theme. So I guess it is.

[sengmeng]

A round of shots.

[Tinkerer]

A round of shots.

That's our mid-session pick me up Well actually we just pass the bottle around.

[sengmeng]

That's our mid-session pick me up Well actually we just pass the bottle around.

Lol, I give xp for each shot equal to 100 x level for standard liquor, up to 200 x level for everclear. Basically you're never more than ten shots from leveling up. We drink at the start of the session, every battle, and every time some one drinks in character. I even had a mission where they needed protection from mind flayers' mind blasts, and it came in the form of a "potion" that was a double shout of tequila.

[Chijinda]

I take all my dice and have a "roll off". The dice thay rolls the highest are my primary dice for the evening.