Pre-Session 0 - Expectations

Rhia broke into a grin as she stepped through the doors of the coffee shop and spotted me at a back booth. I’d picked the spot because it was the perfect site for the organisational meeting of a D&D game - a board game cafe. I’d already ordered a couple of chocolate croissants and coffees since I knew how hungry college kids could be, and I was happy that Rhiannon had shown up on time.

“Hey, Snorey,” I said as I stood up and opened my arms.

“Hey, Lumpy,” Rhia grinned as she walked right into my hug. “I still don’t snore.”

“Says you,” I laughed as we separated and grabbed our seats. “So, how was second year? I haven’t seen you since your fall performance.”

“Good,” she said. “My program classes are way better than my general ones, and I get to do less of those next year and I’ll have a better chance at good roles for the performances.”

“What happened with the winter performance?” I asked, already knowing the answer from her Mom but wanting to show her my support without just coming out with it. “I didn’t get an invite.”

Rhia rolled her eyes and scoffed lightly. “I got shafted by politics,” she said. “I was supposed to be the understudy for the second lead, but this kiss-ass bitch made a huge deal about it being her final year and how she felt slighted and one of the Profs stepped in. I ended up on Stage Crew and didn’t invite anyone cause I could see the writing on the walls from the beginning. It was a shit show.”

“Ah, I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sure you would have gotten the ship sailing smoothly if you’d had a bit more control.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” she smiled, giving me a look that said she knew I was just boosting her ego. Rhiannon had the same long, brown hair as her mother. She was tall, almost six foot, which was often detrimental to an actress since it made male stars look smaller. Rhia was also blessed with an extremely sweet, youthful face that meant if we’d been located in California she likely would have been a Disney kid if her parents had been willing to put her through that - probably a secondary character, with her height, but still an in into the business. Instead, living in Michigan, she was a diamond in the rough just waiting to be discovered when she got the opportunity.

“So, let’s jump right into it,” I said. “You want to play a game.”

“Yes,” she said, breaking into a grin as she set down the croissant she’d been munching on and pressed her hands flat to the table. “And thank you so much for agreeing to DM. Dad thought you might be too busy.”

“Well, your Mother can be pretty convincing,” I said. “But how could I say no to you?”

She rolled her eyes again and shook her head. It had always been a little game since she’d been a kid, me blowing up her ego with ridiculous statements. The game had died off in her early teens as she’d been going through the harder years of puberty and needed actual encouragement, but she’d always reacted the same way to even my smallest compliments and encouragement.

“What kind of game are you looking for, and how many players?” I asked.

“Six players,” she said. “And they are all in my year or one year up in my Theatre program so we’re hoping for lots of roleplaying and improv practice. And I want a game in your world, not the published ones. I’ve always loved the stories Mom and Dad tell, and I love the way you set up the world. I could probably name off more spots on your map than Dad can.”

“That might be true,” I laughed. “Your father is awful at remembering the names of places or characters. Always has been.”

Rhia chuckled and nodded. “I know. Mom always has to correct him when they tell me what happened.”

“Alright, I can definitely do a game set on Firth,” I said. “Any other requests? Has anyone else played before?”

“Tori played before back in high school,” Rhia said. “So just me and her. The others are all new, but I think Tori is going to teach her roommate Elyse the basics. And I think probably just general fantasy stuff for the most part in terms of themes - everyone knows Lord of the Rings and the basics of that so no one should feel out of their depth.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “General fantasy, my setting, six players, two with some experience. It shouldn’t be too hard to get your friends up to speed. Anything I should be aware of going into this? Any of them dating, or heading in that direction?”

“Well, I mean, not to tell people’s secrets, but Elyse went on a few dates with Nate and I think they banged, but that was at the beginning of the year and they seem fine to be around each other,” Rhia said. “Other than that, I think Ian has a thing for Tori, but when you see Tori you’ll understand why - everyone has a thing for Tori. He just got out of a thing with another girl in our program though so I doubt he’ll make a move for at least a couple of months.”

“I just don’t want dating stuff to mess with the dynamics of the group,” I said. “People hooking up or breaking up can cause disruptions, and with a little under 4 months if we take a week or two off for people to cool down, that’s a lot of time lost.”

“Isn’t almost everyone in your and my parents’ group together because of your game?” Rhia smirked at me. “Well, everyone but you, He Who Sits Behind The Screen?”

“Yes and no,” I said, shaking my head at her use of the unofficial nickname my college friends had given me. “Jack and Veronica were dating already when we started back then, and Rachel and Aaron broke up and got back together almost six times before they got married and that was a problem a few of the times.”

“What about my parents?” Rhiannon asked. “The way they tell it, their characters fell in love and then they followed suit.”

“That’s true,” I chuckled. “But don’t bet on that happening with one of these guys, missy. Your Mom and Dad had their own hurdles along the way.” What I wasn’t going to tell her was that Rhiannon had been one of those hurdles - she was immensely loved, but she’d been an ‘oops.’ Things had turned out for the best in the end, and Dan and Melissa were extremely happy together, but they hadn’t actually been dating when it happened. The pregnancy, and their in-game romance, had blossomed into their actual romance and marriage.

Rhia quickly polished off the last of her croissant and licked her thumb as she smirked at me a little. “I’m not seriously interested in any of the guys we invited to be players, Shane,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Alright, Snorey,” I chuckled. “Anything else I should know?”

“Just that I love you and you’re my favourite,” she said with a sweet little smile.

I rolled my eyes and pushed my croissant across the table to her. “Little gremlin,” I muttered.

She scrunched up her nose and picked up the pastry, taking a big bite. “Fank-oo,” she said around her full mouth.

“College students,” I replied. “Always hungry. House rule number one for the game - you guys are bringing the snacks!”

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