Burden Session Zero
Before setting off on an adventure through the shifting lands, it is important to prepare.
Session Zero serves as the introduction for every Burden campaign. During Session Zero, the guide and players will discuss their expectations for the campaign, they will work together to create and discover the characters that form the party, and they will set the scene for the adventure to come.
Discussing expectations
Burden is a Table-Top Role Playing Game (TTRPG).
Like all TTRPGs, it's part rules-based game, part cooperative storytelling, part social experience.
Session Zero can be a good moment to discuss the rules, but it isn't necessary at this time. The guide should know the rules beforehand, and will be able to help the players understand the relevant rules throughout the campaign. Session Zero doesn't use any of the rules that will be used later, and it has other, more important things to discuss for now.
Primarily, Session Zero serves to lay out the expectations for the campaign. For the game to be enjoyable, it's important that the story be engaging for everyone, and that every player be respected and listened to.
Content rules
Burden's setting contains themes that can be difficult or distressing to some. The universe is falling apart. Death, scarcity, forced displacement, ecological collapse and natural disasters are consequences of the fabric of reality fraying at the edges. While these ideas are somewhat central to the concept of Burden, they do not need to be discussed at length at the table, and it is important to do so with care and compassion.
Note also that nothing is absolutely essential to Burden's setting. You can decide how much you want to engage with its themes, how to approach them, and how you want to use (or ignore) any of the stories and rules.
Rule Zero (X-Card)
Rule Zero of Burden (and of any other TTRPG, in my opinion), is that no subject is ever more important than the safety and comfort of the people around the table.
If anyone at the table is uncomfortable with the subject being discussed, it is immediately dropped, the scene is skipped, no questions asked.
Rule Zero cannot be superseded by any other rule, explicit or implicit. When in doubt: Rule Zero applies, drop the subject, move on.
Some players implement this rule using the X-Card system. It's literally just a card, or piece of paper, with a big X drawn on it. If anyone touches the card or picks it up, the scene ends and the subject is dropped.
Set the rules for your table
On top of Rule Zero, take some time to discuss the rules and tools you can use to make sure everyone is comfortable, engaged, and safe.
As the guide, you know your players better than anyone else. If they're friends you've played other TTRPGs with, you may already have some tools in place, but perhaps now is a good time to review them. On the other hand, if your players are new to you, new to TTRPGs, or you've not played TTRPGs together much before, it's important to discuss these rules together.
An excellent resource to find solutions that work for your table is Golden Lasso Games' article on Safety Tools.
Discuss these early and often, and make it clear that it is always possible to come back and make changes.
Set the tone
Finally, set the tone of your campaign.
The rules and setting of Burden can be difficult, sometimes brutally so. The rules are designed to put pressure on the party and their resources, to force them to make hard choices and painful compromises. The setting itself describes a universe that is crumbling under its own weight, coming to an end.
However, the rules provide ways to relieve built up pressure, and allow for powerful, strong, resourceful characters. Similarly, the setting also contains generous and caring people, in a universe full of marvels and beauty.
No two parties follow the same path, no two stories are ever alike. Some parties will face grueling challenges and sustain life-changing injuries on a cold, miserable, uncaring path. Others will make friends, learn from wondrous cultures, and find meaning in their travels.
Discuss with your party what kind of campaign to expect. It isn't necessary to set an single tone, but consider the range you'd like to cover.
It can be useful to reference other stories or media while discussing tone. Defining tone with movie ratings is also a great way to find the right tone for your table.