Astro Artificer- Introduction
- Why This System Works So Well
- How DMs Should Use the System
- 1. Before Session Zero: Send the Survey
- 2. Review the DM Dashboard
- 3. Select the Right Group
- 4. Shape the Campaign Around the Actual Players
- 5. Run a Tight, 25–45 Minute Live Session Zero
- How Players Should Answer the Survey
- Phase 1: Player Type Discovery
- What it’s really asking:
- How to answer:
- Phase 2: Preferences Constellation
- What it’s really asking:
- How to answer:
- Phase 3: Safety & Boundaries Nebula
- What it’s really asking:
- How to answer:
- Phase 4: Character Hooks & Destiny Threads
- What it’s really asking:
- How to answer:
- Phase 5: Logistics & Real-World Realities
- What it’s really asking:
- How to answer:
- Phase 6: Mechanical Preferences & System Comfort
- What it’s really asking:
- How to answer:
- Phase 7: The Star Ledger
- Final Thoughts (For DMs and Players)
To use the Session Zero Astrology tool, click here!
Introduction
Session Zeros are supposed to be the foundation of a great campaign… but most of the time, they don’t work the way we hope. They become long, meandering meetings, overflowing with side-discussions, unclear expectations, and unspoken conflicts. In other words, the classic “this could’ve been an email” problem. If you want to learn more about the philosophy behind the tool, please read my blog post here!
The Session Zero Astrology system fixes all of that by splitting the work into two clean parts:
- Asynchronous (handled by GPT): preferences, boundaries, playstyle, logistics, character vibes.
- Live Session Zero (handled by humans): chemistry checks, final adjustments, shared story foundations.
Below is your complete guide on how DMs should run it, how players should answer it, and what each part of the survey is actually asking for.
Why This System Works So Well
The philosophy is simple:
Do declarative work asynchronously. Do collaborative work in person.
This means all the slow, vulnerable, or logistical questions happen privately in the survey, where players answer honestly without social pressure. Then, when everyone meets, the group focuses only on what requires human chemistry: bonding, party cohesion, clarifying mismatches, and aligning on tone.
Most DMs try to do both at once, which is why Session Zero sucks. You're trying to gather data and build community and make decisions and handle logistics all in one meeting.
The result is a shorter, more focused Session Zero, and a DM who actually knows what players want before choosing the final group.
How DMs Should Use the System
Here’s the recommended workflow:
1. Before Session Zero: Send the Survey
Send the Session Zero Astrology link to ALL potential players, more than you intend to accept.
Each player completes the survey alone, without group influence.
This is important because, as the Session Zero essay points out, players often aren’t fully honest in group settings or don’t know how to articulate boundaries on the spot.
The AI will:
- Ask clarifying questions
- Detect contradictions
- Auto-format all answers
- Produce a clear, structured report for the DM
2. Review the DM Dashboard
After each player completes the survey, you’ll get a Star Ledger, a player profile that includes:
- Playstyle type constellation
- Tone preferences
- Safety boundaries (Lines & Veils)
- Character hooks
- Scheduling
- Mechanical comfort
- Compatibility indicators
- GM load indicators
This lets you immediately see:
- Who fits the tone of the campaign you want
- Who will clash with whom
- Who might require more support
- Who is aligned with your creative goals
3. Select the Right Group
This is where you make the hard but essential decisions.
As I’ve mentioned in Why 99% of Session Zeros Suck :
Session Zero only works if you’re willing to say no to players.
You choose the players who:
- Are emotionally & mechanically compatible
- Want the same tone
- Have boundaries you’re comfortable running
- Fit the energy of the campaign you want to build
4. Shape the Campaign Around the Actual Players
Using the results, you craft your campaign primer and setting tone.
This ensures the campaign is built on what players actually enjoy, not guesswork.
5. Run a Tight, 25–45 Minute Live Session Zero
This meeting is only for:
- Group chemistry
- Backstory interconnections
- Party dynamics
- Final tone confirmation
- Mechanical alignment
- Clever narrative sparks
Everything else was handled already.
How Players Should Answer the Survey
The entire system is designed to help players express their true preferences and to help the DM build a campaign they will actually enjoy.
Here’s how to answer each section:
Phase 1: Player Type Discovery
What it’s really asking:
Who are you at the table?
This phase uses small adventure scenarios to reveal your instinctive playstyle. It identifies which of the 8 Player Constellations you belong to:
- Actor
- Explorer
- Fighter
- Instigator
- Optimizer
- Problem Solver
- Storyteller
- Socializer
How to answer:
Respond naturally. Don’t answer the way you think you should. Answer the way you naturally play.
Example:
If your first instinct in a new room is to check for lore? You’re signaling Explorer energy.
If your instinct is “I knock over the weird lever”? That’s Instigator energy.
Be honest, this is your playstyle fingerprint.
Phase 2: Preferences Constellation
What it’s really asking:
What vibes do you love in a campaign? What vibes do you hate?
This includes:
- Tone (e.g., cozy adventure, dark fantasy, epic myth)
- Emotional flavor
- Themes you want
- Themes you absolutely don’t want
- Quest types you love
- Pacing preferences
- Table pet peeves
How to answer:
Think about movies, anime, or novels you love.
Describe the energy you want the campaign to have.
Call out your deal-breakers clearly.
This is where misaligned campaigns get avoided entirely.
Phase 3: Safety & Boundaries Nebula
What it’s really asking:
What should never appear at your table? What should be handled gently? How should the table treat you?
Players often avoid this conversation in a live group. This section gives you privacy to be fully honest.
It covers:
- Lines (hard nos)
- Veils (fade-to-black topics)
- Emotional safety
- Check-in triggers
- Player and character interaction boundaries
- Accessibility needs
How to answer:
You can be brief, blunt, personal, or general, whatever feels right.
This is your safety net.
Phase 4: Character Hooks & Destiny Threads
What it’s really asking:
What kind of character do you want to play, even before knowing the campaign?
This section is flexible. You're not committing to anything. You're giving the DM:
- Your archetype vibe
- Your preferred party role
- Emotional motivations
- Desired dynamics
- Avoided dynamics
- Backstory seeds
- Aesthetic flavor
How to answer:
Give vibes, feelings, and concepts, not rigid details.
Think of this as atmospheric scaffolding for future character creation.
Phase 5: Logistics & Real-World Realities
What it’s really asking:
When can you actually play? How often? For how long? How reliable is your schedule?
This helps the DM design a campaign that realistically fits the group.
How to answer:
Be honest, even if your answer is “my schedule is chaotic.”
Phase 6: Mechanical Preferences & System Comfort
What it’s really asking:
What level of crunch (the math) do you enjoy? How do you feel about combat difficulty? Do you like optimizing? What do you avoid?
This helps the DM tailor the experience to your mechanical comfort zone.
How to answer:
Don’t worry about sounding “too casual” or “too crunchy.”
All styles are valid, this just prevents table mismatch.
Phase 7: The Star Ledger
This is the final AI-generated DM report that synthesizes EVERYTHING you said into:
- Player type constellation
- Tone constellation
- Safety boundaries
- Character hooks
- Logistics
- Mechanical preferences
- Compatibility notes
- DM guidance
At this point players, please copy and paste the results, and send it to your DM to look into.
DMs use this to build the right group and the right campaign.
Final Thoughts (For DMs and Players)
Session Zero Astrology is free to use. You can send the survey to your players right now and have comprehensive reports back within a day or two. It won't solve every problem. No system can. But it will solve the biggest one: the gap between what you're building and what your players actually want.
Because the best campaign isn't the one with the most elaborate world-building or the most intricate plot. It's the one where everyone showed up to play the same game.
—Astro Artificer —