Replace session zero

I said not that long ago, the following:

I favored a so-called "session zero" before play actually started; we'd get together like for a session, but the main goal would be to create characters and get them primed and ready to go; if we actually played very much at that session zero, that would be a bonus.

I suppose if I was playing D&D as written, I might still have [that preference], but most of them are no longer necessary in my current context, and since it's not the most exciting way to kick off a campaign and my stripped down rules-lite game doesn't require nearly as much of an investment in time to get ready to play, I no longer favor the session zero at all. The "session zero" will take forty-five minutes to an hour—and that's if the players are chatty and unfocused, but realistically they probably will be—and then we're ready to play. My habit has always been 4-5 hour sessions.

Professor Dungeon Master addresses this as well, and his take is very similar to mine. There are a few interesting details; his questions vs. my player connectedness exercise, although I think many of his questions are unlikely to ever come up, and I think they focus on individuals thinking about their characters in isolation, which I'd rather not. I think I still like my system better.

I also like his idea of creating a back-up character, and having the backup character level up in synch with your main character. That's a great idea, and makes the concept of creating higher player lethality much more palatable.