Post/Author/DateTime	Post
smoker 12-07-05, 11:37 PM	For some reason, the classic place to start a D&D game is either in a bar or at an Inn. Neither is very original. And both are extremely LAME! So I am starting this thread for folks to suggest new places to start out their games. One idea is at a festival in a small town. Another is that characters decide to join an expedition to start a new town. There is nothing wrong with giving the PCs a firm start and giving them freedom after they are together. smoker
OctoberRaven 12-07-05, 11:46 PM	My current campaign started in a bar, and it worked fine. Maybe your DM just isn't trying hard enough.
MortalPlague 12-07-05, 11:50 PM	Starts are always a tricky thing to manage. You have to make sure the players have enough freedom to get comfortable in character while still providing a direction towards the plot hooks (and background stuff for them to interact with). One of the more original ones I used had the characters winding up at a broken-down wagon in the middle of a field in the woods with a large keg of ale still sealed atop it. That brought out some interesting character reactions. :)
Alekzandr 12-07-05, 11:54 PM	Do what I did: each of you are traveling in this caravan to the capitol city in the north (Why is not really important, just that they're there). You have traveled over hills and through forrests, untill you are at the last mountain pass. Suddenly an avalanche strikes and the caravan is burried under the snow. Of the 40-50 people traveling, only you three survive. The way north and south is blocked by the fallen snow, but a cravasse leads to the east... what do you do? I find that conflict brings people together. Place your players in an extreme situation where it is either sink or swim, such as in the avalanch mentioned above, or on a sinking ship being attacked by pirates, or in a town suddenly being overrun by an enemy army, the reason why they were there is unimportant so long as they are placed in the conflict.
mcmurphy510 12-08-05, 12:22 AM	Alekzandr, those are all good. One of my favorites is to have them start in the middle of a battle. Another memorable campaign start that I did is to not have the party start togeather at all. They all had lost their memories and were all in different parts of this town. News of other people with a similar plight would travel to them and they would have to seek each other out. I also like to give the PCs some commonality. Maybe they were all soldiers in the army, (note this does not mean figher types - they could be common folk who were conscripted) and are called togeather from their seperate units (due to their unique skills) to go on a special mission.
Pz.Az.04Maus 12-08-05, 12:47 AM	With my party that I was DM'ing, as I was new, I set them in an "Arena/Labyrinth" combination, against some undead creature (Boneclaw, CR 5, Monster Manual III), and had the Human combination Spellcaster/Grim Centurion (Level 4) (Homebrewed Necromancer on this here forum), who had only his pants, a dagger (Maybe), and a spellbook and Half-Dragon Rogue (Level 1) with a dagger, katana, and at least more than pants at one side of this Arena. I forgot to tell them that they were taken against their will and were forced to fight in this Desert-floored, stone walled Collisium, and that they could knock on the doors to go back (which would be ignored by the guards). While the Boneclaw was coming forward, but the players didn't know what he was, they set up a trap. As we didn't get the Grim Centurians spells, but we got how many he could do, I let him have any choice of spell that he could do (Like, as if they were all written in his spellbook already, but he didn't know how to still use some). He used an Illusion (Ghost sound, or something like Ventrilloquism), and tried to lure the Boneclaw over there, with an undead in tow (Vampire spawn found in the desert floorings of this accursed place (lots of dead things for the Grim Centurian to play with, I decided). The Rogue tried to move silently, but failed (boneclaw had +15 to listen) [Forgot to add the rules of that the Boneclaw couldn't hear as well through walls, and that the Grim Centurion wasn't doing a Move silently check as well, since I was going very fast and forgot to review the rules before the players came for their RP session, D'oh!], and knew they were there. He tried to move forward, and also made a move silently check (had the players move the figurine off the board, to freak them out a little, since they couldn't hear him no more.), and I was going to reason that he was about to go through the walls. I quickly chose a type of wall to suit what was happening here (chose Unworked Stone, DMG), and tried to let the boneclaw bash through it, scaring these guys a little as well. THey were doing well RP'ing and doing tactics, as they talked to each other with whispers about whether they should do the tactic of doing the ghost sound spell and having that Vampire spawn (Who was summoned, I think) as the bait, but I think I screwed up with what I threw against them ( I had their Party level as 4, since a 4th level Human and a 1st Level Human, Half-Dragon), and paid for it a little. As the Boneclaw was trying to go through the walls, he found that they were a little TOO thick, and that they were a little tough for his meaty hooks. I made him decide to just round the corner and attack the party, getting his gory prize and a ticket outta this place after my best concieved plans were dashed by my own disallowing the Boneclaw to just rip the walls to shreds, getting at the hiding party members. He went around the corner, stabbing and throwing the Vampire spawn to the wall with a gory finger stuck in his torso (forgot to add Strength rules, since the Boneclaw was lifting this vampire spawn to the top of these 12 ft walls, with his head propped on the ceiling), and was in full view of the players (after one of them accidently saw the page that I had the MM-III opened to behind the DM Screen, and that this smart Boneclaw's plans were being dashed on these damn walls. The Rogue was running and hacking at this guy, firing his breath weapon (Forgot to add the rules that this guy wasn't supposed to be able to fire it more than once, due to the limit of being able to fire his breath weapon on a number of times per day like a spellcaster), but to little avail, and the Grim Centurion looked a little, "Uh-oh..." to me. Then, I said, after ACTUALLY STARTING TO HAVE A PANIC ATTACK, that I was screwing up a little, that I think I screwed this party over (this was a test scene, designed to give the Grim Centurion's Player a taste of D&D, since I set the Half-Dragon Rogue after a Warforged before, in an open arena). The Player asked me what I set them up against, and I showed them. After a few rounds of flailing around, the Boneclaw was starting to not care about this Vampire Spawn, going after this annoyance of a Half-Dragon, and was doing quite well in beating the tar with a stick out of this guy. I was beginning to freak out, deciding to let the Grim Centurion Character to raise some dead. I quickly looked through both the MM and the MM-III, and any other books with creatures, including my tomes of Homebrewed Moonshine gleamed off the internet with Google and these forums, and chose a Flayed one (Unsure where this guy came from), to allow these ailing adventurers to survive. The Flayed one came from the ground in a swirl of dust (forgot to say that he came out of the ground with that dust), and, as a CR 5 Monster commanded by a Grim Centurion, Started to pound the tar out of my Boneclaw. Since I was starting to visibly get VERY freaked out, I decided to pull down the DM screen, and let these guys see what was under the hood of this, to show a little screaming Hampster on a wheel, and promptly let them see what the HP of the Boneclaw was (this Part wasn't pretty at all.) Because this 2nd session of DM Hell was rounding up, I tore loose the last remnaints of the D&D session, and almost had that Boneclaw finished, before we just said, "Screw it, this is taking too long, lets clean up." And that Was my FIRST REAL D&D session, and start of a campaign. It was going to be a test-shoot, but I think I'm going to start them off outside this Arena, and into a Desert town. Oohhh boy, this Won't be pretty if I screw up like this again. :( :weep: :( :eek: :eek:
Arak the mighty 12-08-05, 01:00 AM	Here's something that nobody ever tries, but seems obvious to me. The PC's already know each other. They're friends. They live close by each other.
Kuronue 12-08-05, 01:20 AM	my latest campaign has them all settlers on a ship
smoker 12-08-05, 01:35 AM	Here's something that nobody ever tries, but seems obvious to me. The PC's already know each other. They're friends. They live close by each other. That's how I start all my games now. This thread is more about interesting starts, rather than getting the party together. The idea is to share with the new guys on here unique ways to start their game. The bar and inn starts are pretty cliche. smoker
Rocketboy13 12-08-05, 02:11 AM	I ussually give the begining premise on a handout. If the players want detail, they need to give it to me before hand, otherwise I just shoehorn them into the first adventure to save time on them having to convince each other that they should work together. :rolleyes:
DraconsNighthawk 12-08-05, 02:38 AM	I hate doing the bar scene, so I try to make original ones. One of the recent ones was. "You wake up in a room that you share with your brother and sister. All three of you are adoubted, and are children" (that was the campagin where the players started as commoners, then apperentice class (the dual first level class they had in DMG 3.0, except their chosen class and commoner). then at level 3 they finally gained a full class. Another one I had was. "The nine of you wake up with no memories of what happened. You remember being on a boat, but everything went dark, your all in the same room blah blah blah" The first one I ever did was. The four of you wake up to the sounds of screams. As you race outside your home you see a giant great wryrm red dragon swooping down and sending fire down on your homes. You four are the only surviviors...."
FriendoftheDork 12-08-05, 03:21 AM	Starts are always a tricky thing to manage. You have to make sure the players have enough freedom to get comfortable in character while still providing a direction towards the plot hooks (and background stuff for them to interact with). One of the more original ones I used had the characters winding up at a broken-down wagon in the middle of a field in the woods with a large keg of ale still sealed atop it. That brought out some interesting character reactions. :) I for one didn't give them any freedom at all. Actually I took it away. The game started when a caravan where the PCs (not knowing eachother too well) were travelling with was brutally attacked in the night by unknown assailants, and the PCs all fell unconscious in the chaotic "battle". Next time they woke up they were in chains - taken by slavers. We've played two sessions now and they're still slaves, although they have been made slave soldiers instead of rotting in a mine or on a galley somewhere. You got to admit it's pretty original at least :)
Gailbraithe 12-08-05, 04:12 AM	Here's something that nobody ever tries, but seems obvious to me. The PC's already know each other. They're friends. They live close by each other. I've started about half my campaigns with the lines "You're a group of friends who grew up bored in a small farming village, and you've all decided to band together and head out for the big city. Make appropriate characters, go!" But my absolute favorite adventure start is this: "The [however many players] of you are shopping in a bustling open air market, each going about your own business, unaware of each other or your surroundings. Suddenly the air crackles around you, and everything flashes blue. As you reorient yourself, you realize you are in a dungeon of some sort, and a battle is raging around you. A gangly man with a short beard is standing behind you. Blood oozes from a deep wound in his stomach, and he looks near collapse. Before you is a band of orcs - several are wounded, but they are rushing forward to attack. The man behind you shouts "Defend me!" and you feel strangely compelled to comply....roll initiative everyone."
Papa_duval 12-08-05, 05:18 AM	Some good starts here I started my latest campaign with the party all travelling (not together) on the same Airship (eberron campaign) During the middle of the night, the airship is attacked by a powerful and almost overwhelming force of dark robed, tattoed men. During all this, a titanic storm is battering both airships, making everything slippery with both water and blood. When the heroes act (generally after grabbing their gear) they find dead bodies all over the place, and can hear the sounds of the crew battling the attackers. There is also the sound of someone screaming constantly from the front of the airship. The attacking airship has rammed the first one, but something went slightly wrong, and now they are stuck together - the two elemental rings powering each ship are touching, and the elementals are battling for supremacy. As the heroes battle to the front of the ship, the elemental rings are torn free from the ships, and the two airships start a long plummet to the forest floor way below. Oh, and the storm wasn't just there for atmosphere, it was there for a very very specific reason that the heroes have yet to figure out. Was a very well received start, and all of my players said they really enjoyed it (some even told their spouses, who expressed jealousy at not being involved) I'm loving the campaign so far.
Tharin G'tal 12-08-05, 07:13 AM	My current campaign started with all the pc's, who didn't know each other and lived far apart, having the same re-occuring dream of an amulet and a women calling the pc's name. After a week the pc's all see a flash of blinding light and are magically transported to an area of counryside with a smal town in the distance and a group of npc adventurers being attacked by hobgoblins a few hundred feet away. They chased off the hobgoblins and were told to go to the town by the last dieing npc, they introduced themselves on the way to the town where they got a quest of finding an amulet from a female wizard, to stop the towns curse. The npc's were the last adventurers selected for the task.
FriendoftheDork 12-08-05, 07:17 AM	Some good starts here I started my latest campaign with the party all travelling (not together) on the same Airship (eberron campaign) During the middle of the night, the airship is attacked by a powerful and almost overwhelming force of dark robed, tattoed men. During all this, a titanic storm is battering both airships, making everything slippery with both water and blood. When the heroes act (generally after grabbing their gear) they find dead bodies all over the place, and can hear the sounds of the crew battling the attackers. There is also the sound of someone screaming constantly from the front of the airship. The attacking airship has rammed the first one, but something went slightly wrong, and now they are stuck together - the two elemental rings powering each ship are touching, and the elementals are battling for supremacy. As the heroes battle to the front of the ship, the elemental rings are torn free from the ships, and the two airships start a long plummet to the forest floor way below. Oh, and the storm wasn't just there for atmosphere, it was there for a very very specific reason that the heroes have yet to figure out. Was a very well received start, and all of my players said they really enjoyed it (some even told their spouses, who expressed jealousy at not being involved) I'm loving the campaign so far. A very good start. Doesen't guarantee that the PCs will not split up when they get off the airship, but if the PCs all wants to be adventurerers and don't hate eachother why not.
Papa_duval 12-08-05, 07:28 AM	A very good start. Doesen't guarantee that the PCs will not split up when they get off the airship, but if the PCs all wants to be adventurerers and don't hate eachother why not. True, and i did take that into account - though the airship crashed in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles away from the nearest city. I also asked the players to make characters that would do the right thing if they had to. (and also put in an npc who is the focus of the campaign, a child who was the target for the attack, and who's guardians were killed in the attack. The PC's saved her from the attackers and the crash, and are now lumped with an 11 yr girl in shock that they don't quite know what to do with.
Varia 12-08-05, 07:39 AM	The current campaign I'm running started with the players all students in a special military academy that trained adventurer groups as special ops forces for the kingdoms war with the humanoid tribes, so they started off aquainted for several years, very well trained (tactics, knowledge of local lowbie monsters etc), and with good party cohesion, having had any adverse tendencies... discussed... with them by large and unsympathetic men during boot camp. The previous campaign I ran started with a near shipwreck on the shores of a lost and acursed island during a storm after a long enough sea voyage for the the characters to have become aquainted, and then relied on Big Red Button Syndrome to do the rest, which of course it did. :) *Hugs* Varia
FriendoftheDork 12-08-05, 07:47 AM	True, and i did take that into account - though the airship crashed in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles away from the nearest city. I also asked the players to make characters that would do the right thing if they had to. (and also put in an npc who is the focus of the campaign, a child who was the target for the attack, and who's guardians were killed in the attack. The PC's saved her from the attackers and the crash, and are now lumped with an 11 yr girl in shock that they don't quite know what to do with. Not bad. As long as the PC just has to save the child, or stop the evil madman, and before they know it they are adventurers... tricky :) Gotta try that approach some time.
jasper 12-08-05, 08:43 AM	very simple. BOOM you are a group of adventures in search of Spock um the Unknown, um left hand monkey wrench. It takes a good DM and GOOD players to roleplay out "the gathering of heroes" scenes. If you get one player who balks and wants the king to kiss his nose and maidens offering to marry him if he goes on the adventure then you will have major problems. To me I want to start on the adventure not wait around while Fixxer, and Diaglo, etc see how many hoops they can make the DM jump thru so their pc is interested in taking up the quest. It a game guys and gals, here is the plot hooks of evening either take one or not. If not I going to go pop popcorn and watch my shows while yall roleplay with each other.
Caemin Pah 12-08-05, 08:52 AM	I started one of my campaigns in a bar. Individually. Then had the bouncer (huge half-orc fighter) get into a bad mood and start a fight with each of them deliberately. Then of course the city watch would show up, arrest the character and put them in 'jail'. Then about an hour later, I would bring in the other player and do the same to them....eventually, they would all end up in the same cell. Then they had to work together to escape, when the city watchman walked along to check on the prisoners and started with the comments.... "Yuze gonna take da drop in da mornin... canno wait ta see dat. OH, ya, luv ta see dem mischif makerz swinnin like a leaf in da breeze....." Which of course got them all freaked out (since I have them thinking I like killing characters off, though they usually get THEMSELVES killed off....) So they work out plans to escape, get their equipment and end up starting campaign the campaign running from the law.... Worked out great, because one of the BBEGs was actually a high level ranger who was hunting them for the bounty... I allowed them to usually stay one step ahead of the law...which kept them moving and much easier for me to set up the next adventure in a different part of the world...
wolfram_stout 12-08-05, 08:53 AM	My best campaign so far, started the players out as Squires/apprentises to a seasoned group of adventureres. The first two adventures were them watching camp as there bosses went into the dungeon. I made sure they had enough action, and at the end of the second season, the bosses retired and that left the group on its on at 2nd level. There were given minor magics and some options on future quest/adventures. It worked to keep them on the same page, and it gave them people to turn to for training, information, and other sundries. wolfram stout
Illion the Red 12-08-05, 08:57 AM	In the past I have used some different openings with varrying results. Here are some of the ones that worked: 1. The Characters are about to be hanged as they fit the description of a group of murdering bandits plaguing the area. Escape and prove your innocence...or just escape. 2. The Characters are the sole survivors of a "natural" disaster, raided caravan, defeated army, etc. 3. The Characters have been "pursueded" to respond to a help wanted poster by their various mentors, masters, organizations, etc.
Balor von Balorvitch 12-08-05, 09:03 AM	Ok my most orginal opener had to be.... Party: 3 humans: fighter NE (was more greedy than evil) wizard TN samurai LG The Fighter were brothers IRL so i told them they were brothers and the Samurai was on a diplomatic mission and the brothers were out to the market of a nearby city they found it burning and pillaged by orcs. A test of skills along with alignment They entered the city and the Samurai fought bravely and fought a Werewolf. The brothers ran to the armor smith and asked to borrow some armor to defend the city then when they dawned it the fighter ran away and the wiz cast forget. Later on they hid in hay bails and surprized many orcs as they rode by. All the Pcs were happy even though the city fell. The Samurai showed his bravery and defeated a Werewolf, the fighter got plate mail, and the wizard was happy on how his magic gave the smith the shaft. They were more than happy to become a adventuring group then and every new character and many other npcs were brothers of Raven family.
olshanski_home 12-08-05, 09:28 AM	For some reason, the classic place to start a D&D game is either in a bar or at an Inn. Neither is very original. And both are extremely LAME!There are very few lame stories, but a lot of lame DMs and players. I've started many exiting games at inns and taverns. As a player, perhaps the worst game I was ever in started with all of the PCs as members of a military force... This doesn't mean that it was a lame beginning, it means that the DM was bad. I've had adventures start with 1st level teenage characters (unequipped) getting kidnapped and waking up on a slave ship together. I've had adventures start with the players as average townsfolk looking to leave thier small town and go for adventure. I've had adventures start with the players as average townsfolk as thier villiage is attacked. Most often though, the players like to have thier own interesting and varied backgrounds. In order to give the players thier own freedom to be creative with thier backgrounds, I'll have them meet at a bar, tavern, bulletin board, or other common ground where adventuring types might show up... then, as the campaign develops, I work in the players individual backgrounds.
Chobemaster 12-08-05, 09:57 AM	Of course the classic is unoriginal, that's axiomatic. Bars/inns have several attributes that make them perfect starting points for a game: 1. The general concept of a tavern is familiar to all players, it's easy to visualize, fewer of us have actually been in a tomb or cavern complex. 2. Taverns present geographic boundaries to focus the action...there are walls. 3. Taverns present a logical opportunity for social interaction...they are one of if not THE MOST common place for strangers to address one another. 4. Taverns are a logical place to see a wide disparity of individuals in one locale. 5. Tavern behavior standards allows wide breadth of actions and interactions which are already familiar to players...get a drink or food, talk to others, listen to music, etc....you don't need to use class features immediately. All of that said, yes, it's cliche...BECAUSE of these attributes. I always advocate that during the "generate characters" session, the PLAYERS be tasked with deciding how they all met...the direction might be "determine why each of you is in Shina, a small mining town, and why you are talking to each other."
sculior 12-08-05, 10:27 AM	All of that said, yes, it's cliche...BECAUSE of these attributes. I always advocate that during the "generate characters" session, the PLAYERS be tasked with deciding how they all met...the direction might be "determine why each of you is in Shina, a small mining town, and why you are talking to each other." I think it should be the responsibility of the DM to decide how they meet. It is a lot to ask of the characters to just come up with good backgrounds, why make it more difficult. Besides it is much better if the DM can tie the meeting in with the rest of the campaign. That said, the bar seen can be done well, but you have to be willing to play out all that social interaction before they finally decide to get up and do something. I usually have the PCs meet up during some event, which they are sometimes specifically called for, concerning the plot at large. I've gotten mixed results, but it usually works if you have a players that genuinly like each other. I should also mention the importance of weaving in the characters background as motivation for the meeting. I have always gotten the party to stick together, but it hasn't always been a celebrated scene.
Chobemaster 12-08-05, 10:42 AM	I think it should be the responsibility of the DM to decide how they meet. It is a lot to ask of the characters to just come up with good backgrounds, why make it more difficult. Besides it is much better if the DM can tie the meeting in with the rest of the campaign. That said, the bar seen can be done well, but you have to be willing to play out all that social interaction before they finally decide to get up and do something. I usually have the PCs meet up during some event, which they are sometimes specifically called for, concerning the plot at large. I've gotten mixed results, but it usually works if you have a players that genuinly like each other. I should also mention the importance of weaving in the characters background as motivation for the meeting. I have always gotten the party to stick together, but it hasn't always been a celebrated scene. I've found from experience that players tend to "buy" what the DM comes up with partly for metagame reasons, then ignore it going forward...if they construct it themselves, it establishes more personal history between the characters that can inform a richer interaction going forward, and lead to more plot hooks...whatever conflict or circumstance that led to character A and character B meeting can echo in the future. It will also be more creative if you have decent players; 4 imaginations are better than 1.
Edrick_Malichi 12-08-05, 10:58 AM	In several campaigns I have made 3 to 4 starting points to the first adventure. The nature of the adventure (or adventures) doesn't matter - just make multiple ways to get into them and start off with those points in your introduction. Have them be rumor or hearsay. Of course, this only works as long as you adopt the "You Guys are Friends" start to a campaign (which I think everyone should do, personally). Choose a robust city for the players to start in. Unless you are doing something very specific this will always work for you. Worst-case senario is that they leave to goto a town closer to the action right away. Large cities are great for starting adventures, even if the action doesn't occur in them.
High Octane 12-08-05, 11:29 AM	Sometimes you need only put a slight twist on an old idea to improve it vastly. DM: "Okay to start, you are all in the Red Dragon Tavern...." Players: *yawn* DM: "...which is on fire." Players: ! DM: "What do you do?"
tarsia 12-08-05, 11:32 AM	In my last campaign, the PCs all went to an 'adventurer's finishing school' of sorts - I figure it was a place where they learned the basics of adventurer knowledge after coming level one in whatever class they were. As a bonus, I let them choose one skill that was normally cross-classed that they could have as a class skill which repersented something that they studied at the finishing school. Then a retired adventurer (now a land-holder) sponsered the party to kick off their adventuring career, and gives them jobs every once in a while.
Arak the mighty 12-08-05, 11:34 AM	Some time ago, I was a PC in a friend's campaign. The start was 3 PCs in a town. They didn't know each other at all. (In an already somewhat established campaign world) It's a mid-summer festival deal, with the central part of the town all cleared out and a huge marketplace/bazzar (sp?) is setup. The DM's girlfriend is a paladin who's hot on the trail of this band of thieves (though unaware of the size of the band). Another guy is a local sorcerer who entertains kids with sleight of hand tricks (actually cantrips, if you will) who's trying to keep his budding powers a secret. I'm playing a rogue. Just a back alley-pickpocket-get by however he can type of guy who lives in the town. Mostly plies his trade on out-of-towners, so he's not really bothered by the law. And as I'm told by the DM at the start of the first session "You MAY have killed a person or 2....." :P Well, all are present at the bazar, (one entertaining, one searching, and one pickpocketing) when this rather large band of goblin and human thieves and robbers busts in on the joint. Mass confusion, yada yada yada (they were actually a diversion for someone else who was doing something a bit more important) and the 3 PCs are given a series of individual one on one fights with goblins and whatnot. As order is somewhat restored, the paly, sorc, and rogue somewhat stand out (we started at level 2 FWIW) So the paly is going to pursue this band of thieves. She's prideful, but knows she can't take them down alone. She asks the rogue and sorc for help. The sorc, eager to use his powers away from the confines of the town (and eager to help anyways) says yes. The rogue, upset that "out-of-towners" are ruining his trade, says yes. Along the way, they uncover a much larger plot (of course!) and there you have it. I thought it was a pretty good start, anyways!
sculior 12-08-05, 05:38 PM	I've found from experience that players tend to "buy" what the DM comes up with partly for metagame reasons, then ignore it going forward...if they construct it themselves, it establishes more personal history between the characters that can inform a richer interaction going forward, and lead to more plot hooks...whatever conflict or circumstance that led to character A and character B meeting can echo in the future. It will also be more creative if you have decent players; 4 imaginations are better than 1. I stand corrected. It sounds good, but you still need good players willing to come up with more (and more creative) backstory. Sounds good, but with so many other things, it should be taken on a case by case bases. I will keep this in mind for the future.
Esgay 12-08-05, 08:14 PM	I wish our campaign had started in a tavern, all of us were completely new to D&D even the DM, after having a battle royale to familiarize us with combat we started the campaign... "You are standing in front of a dungeon..." Q:Where have we come from? A:... ummm... Smee. The village of Smee. Q:why are we here? A:uhhh... Because someone said there is treasure in the dungeon. Q: How do we all know each other. A:Oh you just do :rolleyes: Twas still good fun and then I took over as DM and ran them through the sunless citadel and good times were had by all. :D
Mobius 12-09-05, 03:37 PM	I've run or been in a lot of the "classic" starts: an inn, caravan guards, relatives, prisoners, answering a help-wanted poster Here's a different start idea that I haven't used yet. The party wakes up in a field with all of their equipment. They can remember nothing except how to use their skills/feats/spells/abilities. They have no idea who they are, how they got there, or whether they knew each other before (total amnesia). They can name themselves whatever they want, since they can't remember their real names. The party could then start adventuring together since they have no other option, and they might together be able to figure out what happened. The campaign would have an onging plot arc about who the characters are and how they ended up together. Every now and then, an NPC would recognize one or more of them from before they lost their memory. It leaves lots of room for twists and turns. - Mobius
Kalithor 12-09-05, 03:44 PM	I started my most recent one at the docks district of Waterdeep. The PCs didn't know each other, and they all had different reasons for being there. But, the were all basically trying to travel to other cities along the coast, so they ended up on the same boat. Then they HAD to deal with each other. It was kinda entrapment, but it was more original than the tavern. Another approach is to start at the town hall.. A few of the PC's come to the town hall when they get there to find out if there are any strange laws they need to know while they stay there. In the meantime, the more unruely PC is being brought in and detained for breaking one of those laws he didnt' know about. This will add a humorous comrodery (sp?) among the group from the start.
boatmanj 12-09-05, 03:51 PM	I did a thing once where there was a big tournament and the players, being adventurers all attended. In the tournament the participants were all placed in "randomly drawn" teams. Consequently the players were all drawn into the same team. The plot just thickened from there and the players stuck together. Another good one, start the players off as children all in the same orphanage. This could give them some background, and as children, they don't really have a choice. Then they're childhood friends already and could just grow up and adventure together, or something tragic can happen at the orphange that forces them to adventure together. Just some random ideas.
Lincoln Hills 12-09-05, 03:56 PM	One campaign I was running kicked off in a fair-sized city. Each of the PCs observed some suspicious activity which led them to believe that an assassination attempt was being made on the local lord. There was a great deal of cut-scening until they finally started encountering each other as a natural result of their investigations. (When you're casing a suspected Evil Lair and you see another guy already in the best stake-out position, you tend to become curious about that person.) Another involved all of the PCs being passengers on a sailing ship that had been hit by raiders. The action opened after the departure of the enemies, with the discovery of what the raiders had stolen. A third actually put the PCs through an adventure as children of schooling age, who were attending the same boarding school - sort of an homage to the Hardy Boys / Leave it to Chance / Scooby Doo mystery genre. The PCs picked their subsequent classes after the events of the adventure, and met up again years later.
wrecan 12-09-05, 05:01 PM	My next campaign will have an ancient Sumer feel to it. The local king of the only good-aligned city-state in the campaign area will put out a call for brave heroes willing to bring light to a dark world. The players have to come up with characters who would answer such a call. Over my thirty years of DMing, I've had to come up with a lot of campaign starts (as "you meet in a tavern" got old quickly): 1) "The Purple Pimpernel": The characters happen to match a description in a Very Important Prophecy. 2) "Family": The characters are all members of a gypsy-style caravan. 3) "Family Circus": The characters are the sole surviving members of a travelling circus that was attacked and mostly devoured by a dragon 4) "Spellbound": (2nd edition) The 1st level characters are randomly brought together as the victim of a Summon Monster III spell, and must subsequently work together to clear the name when they are seen murdering a wedding party while under the compulsion of said spell. 5) "Skull & Bones": The characters are the newest members of a secret society. 6) "Anastasia Romanov": The characters are the only surviving members of a good-aligned royal family overthrown in an evil coup. 7) "Shipwrecked": You are the only survivors of a shipwreck... of a ship that was transporting hardened criminals. 8) "Charlie Company": You are young recruits in the Kingsguard, selected for a special mission. And I've done some fun "one-shot" adventures with interesting openings. 1) The characters awaken naked in an unusual chamber, with no idea who they are, but with full knowledge of their abilities, spells, etc. (they are, in fact, simulacra of other heroes, and something odd happened to the enchantment) 2) The characters are self-willed intelligent constructs of a kindly lonely wizard who mysteriously vanishes. 3) The characters are tenured professors in an academy who learn their positions are not merely scholastic... they are tied to an ancient covenant. 4) The characters find themselves resurrected after between 50 and 200 years of death. They were all the victims of a mysterious killer that strikes once every 20 years. A myth says that the creature can only be killed by its victims, which nobody understood until the cleric NPC thought of resurrecting the prior victims.
DmMagnus 12-09-05, 05:39 PM	The campaign I am running at the moment started with the player characters who where taking the same diligence to town (It was the last one for the day..) they where robbed, got to know each other. They found out that they wanted to adventure togather.. I think the Cliche "So you are all coming in to a tavern and it is only one free table to sit at *all characters sit down at table* and old man comes in to the tavern and heads to your table..." Works just fine... I tend to like it really! But that is just a matter of taste... Well mu suggestion was as noted: "They all meet at the last diligence/ship/zeppelin/spaceship because they are all going to this destination because they have earends here"
da beast 12-09-05, 07:46 PM	I'm starting my upcoming campaign in a cave. I'm taking an idia from the HoH here and they have no memory of the last 2 weeks, who each other are, or why the villagers are staring and whispering menacingly at them...
JRROGERS 12-10-05, 09:46 AM	What makes a good beginning is a unique location/situation that the characters can latch onto right away. Back in July, I started our campaign in a tiny independent Pelorite theocracy, in the capital city, the evening before the big spring religious holiday. Now, they did start in a bar, but I tried to make it interesting and have a lot going on. The bard was singing at the inn, the sorcerer was eating and drinking there, and the elf had just come in from the wild. They all sort of met up because the inn was sponsoring their annual boxing tourney. The elf and the sorcerer got involved, and the bard sang about it, so they met up. Lots of RP interactions, lots of NPCs to meet (a young paladin who requested a particular song, a depressed half-elf barkeep, etc...a few little kids watching the boxing matches). The town was packed to the gills the whole week, and so there was lots of time even in that one evening for the characters to know each other and see each other at their best, feasting and drinking. The next day, they all attended the spring religious ceremony together where a woman teleported in, stole the town's most sacred relic out of the high priest's hands, and poisoned him! The characters managed to chase and detain her, and that's where their adventures really began... John
twad 12-10-05, 02:30 PM	My next campaign will have an ancient Sumer feel to it. The local king of the only good-aligned city-state in the campaign area will put out a call for brave heroes willing to bring light to a dark world. The players have to come up with characters who would answer such a call. Over my thirty years of DMing, I've had to come up with a lot of campaign starts (as "you meet in a tavern" got old quickly): 1) "The Purple Pimpernel": The characters happen to match a description in a Very Important Prophecy. 2) "Family": The characters are all members of a gypsy-style caravan. 3) "Family Circus": The characters are the sole surviving members of a travelling circus that was attacked and mostly devoured by a dragon 4) "Spellbound": (2nd edition) The 1st level characters are randomly brought together as the victim of a Summon Monster III spell, and must subsequently work together to clear the name when they are seen murdering a wedding party while under the compulsion of said spell. 5) "Skull & Bones": The characters are the newest members of a secret society. 6) "Anastasia Romanov": The characters are the only surviving members of a good-aligned royal family overthrown in an evil coup. 7) "Shipwrecked": You are the only survivors of a shipwreck... of a ship that was transporting hardened criminals. 8) "Charlie Company": You are young recruits in the Kingsguard, selected for a special mission. And I've done some fun "one-shot" adventures with interesting openings. 1) The characters awaken naked in an unusual chamber, with no idea who they are, but with full knowledge of their abilities, spells, etc. (they are, in fact, simulacra of other heroes, and something odd happened to the enchantment) 2) The characters are self-willed intelligent constructs of a kindly lonely wizard who mysteriously vanishes. 3) The characters are tenured professors in an academy who learn their positions are not merely scholastic... they are tied to an ancient covenant. 4) The characters find themselves resurrected after between 50 and 200 years of death. They were all the victims of a mysterious killer that strikes once every 20 years. A myth says that the creature can only be killed by its victims, which nobody understood until the cleric NPC thought of resurrecting the prior victims. Most of those are great!
wrecan 12-10-05, 02:50 PM	Thanks! :blush:
seret 12-10-05, 05:22 PM	My pcs meet each other in the prison. they were all set up buy my bbeg and that worked great
MSW 12-10-05, 05:51 PM	Alekzandr, those are all good. One of my favorites is to have them start in the middle of a battle.In fact, you'll find this tactic used in nearly every action adventure movie you can think of. Boom! get the viewer's attention hooked from the very beginning. I doubt there is a James Bond film out there that doesn't start off in the middle of some big encounter.
ASAP 12-10-05, 07:12 PM	I did this once: Kill them all. Once they are dead it stands to reason that they are all resurected in the same place and most likely want revenge for their death and/or the death of those around them (which may include their family/loved one(s)). This also provides for some interesting RP right off the bat. I had one player decide that his char thought it "unnatural" to be brought back. He ended up changing the char's outlook on life and took it down a road he rarely plays. That and its really satisifying to see the looks on the players faces when you kill the entire party in the first 15 min of a game...
Banedir 12-11-05, 02:56 AM	Starting in the middle of the action is always good - grabs the attention, sets up focus for what should happen next, and starts things off on the right footing. Personally though, I'm a big fan of the "start on a ship" option. It has a lot of useful elements to it - an interesting, contained environment to explore, inherent potential for danger, status as an authentic meeting point, varied options for the players to explain their character's presence, the promise of a shared destination, and the presence of an authority that it isn't useful to overpower. Prisons have smilar merits.
WolfHati 12-11-05, 03:48 AM	As a player I strongly dislike games that start out with bouts of amnesia or something major as far as character history goes, I'd rather that I decided the personality and nature of the character I'm playing as opposed to the DM. If you've got a good gaming group and a good degree of preparedness, then you can make a start based on the individual histories of each character, of course that means you have to come up with character histories beforehand. That tends to be why "boring" starts are used so much- they have the most possibility inherent in them.
eagleye 12-22-05, 04:52 AM	Well making them to work together is a good way to start. I had them start out in a 10' x 10' cell with nothing but some rags. The characters didn't know eachother, and they don't remember how they go there. So with nothing but eachother's aid, they had to make their way out of a wererat-infested dungeon. By the time they reached dwarven-inhabitant caves, they had a rough idea of eachother's personality and the characters had their likes and dislikes.
Ash the blackcowl 12-22-05, 07:41 AM	My last campaigns started on a ship being attacked by shauaguin at night. The party loved it. The one before that began as the party arrived at an inn infested with wererats. I always find that a unique, combative start helps get the party warmed up and moving. One of the best motivators are action/adventure movies, especially the Bond series. They always begin with a good chase scene to get the audiance fired up.
JD 12-22-05, 08:22 AM	The next campaign I'm in has us beginning on a ship headed to a certain city, and that's all the DM is telling us. All the characters have come up with their reasons to head to the city, and I'm excited to see how the DM ties it all together. I'm quite a fan of the Final Fantasy method of party building: through a series of short adventures, the characters meet each other at various points in the story. This is particularly good if (as I do) your fellow players have various commitments and can't always make it to the sessions. Let's have a random example: The city of Halaph has a wide network of organised crime, run by the feared Boss Celet. Our first PC, a rogue named Ort, has been 'convinced' by Celet to steal an artifact of Pelor from a stronghold in the city. In return, the syndicate will forget about Ort's considerable gambling debts. At the last moment Celet decides that Ort needs some magical support, and pairs him up with Strand (PC#2), a nervous young wizard whose tuition fees are coming out of Celet's own pocket. Because they do so well on this mission (or alternately, as a last chance to redeem themselves for bungling it), Celes sets them the task of infiltrating the apartment of a street gang leader and assassinating him. As back-up, he sends his barbarian bodyguard (PC#3) Ress. That was just a basic idea I came up with while making this post, but I think it could work well if fleshed out a little more. In fact, I should probably write it down...
grandaustino 12-22-05, 08:49 AM	My current campaign began with the players being two political prisoners, two prisoners of war, and one criminal, who were forced together into a gladiatorial team. This approach has the advantage of giving a plausible reason for the group to get together, and allows for plenty of bonding time and experience. True it is a bit railroading but I think it lead to a more cohesive and grandiose begining than a guy walks into a bar. Not that I have a problem with that.
Caemin Pah 12-22-05, 08:57 AM	I havent read all the replies, but I have thought of another good way to begin an adventure.... Do an one-on-one with each player before the REAL campaign begins. Have each player begin by his/her going around town gathering up adventuring gear with the intent of making his/her way in the world. however, about 3 or 4 miles out of town, the PC gets ambushed, (this gives a good combat start) but have them captured and taking to a 'holding' area for slavers. Then start the next player after that....doing the same thing for each player (this could take a while with large groups)...but give them at first no chance of escape...for a good reason. Each PC is then "packaged and sent' to the 'staging' area, a port city, an ungerground area, whatever....This is how they would meet. Then let them start 'playing'. They would need to find a way to escape ONLY by working together regardless of who plans the escape or so forth. The Cleric would be needed for some of his 'boost' spells, the fighters would take the brunt of the fighting, the Rogue would be obviously needed for picking the locks with impromptu lockpicks, the wizard would be needed once they have escaped and regained equipment (on well placed Grease spell and watch the Three Stooges reinactment).
wolfram_stout 12-22-05, 09:13 AM	Ok years and years ago our worst DM in the group started a session DM: You are walking down a corridor Me: Why, and who are these other people DM: You guys have been together before and you are in the Dungeon of <whatever>. Me: hmm ok Another time. One of the guys in the group made a comment to one of our better DMs Player: I want to play a 15th level Wizard. DM:Sure if I can drop you naked into hell. Player: Yeah sure. 2 weeks later he ran it. The player was stunned when the PC's from various backgrounds and histories actually found themselves buck naked on some level of the abyss. As a one-shot, it was really fun. We had each been ambushed in a character specific way and drugged by a demon lord and his minions to do some missions for him. Wolfram
starfire311 12-22-05, 09:41 AM	one of my favorite campaigns that I ran, all the players decided to play different races, so i amde them all nobles of the different races, and since the were all young I decided that they were all being sent to an academy together. The land was very divided among the races, so this was the leaders idea to try and encourage racial understanding. So anyway they all end up in the capital at this academy, and the start learning, and they solved a few problems, Rash of kidnappings, some farm animals that weer disappearing, resolved a situation with a druid protecting her forest from the King that wanted to build a road through it. Then one day there perfect little world was detroyed, invaders from accross the sea launched a massive attack and in about a 1 month time there racial homelands were destroyed, and the capital was undersiege, well teh fought valiantly, but they were not able to stop the invaders from over runing the capital, and taking the entire kingdom. So, they fled. they tried to find refugees, and set up a refugee camp in the mountains to the south, where they started to plan on retaking their rightful kingdom. The rest of the game the spent travelling the world to find artifacts of power and allies, to help in defeating the Immortal Emporer. Apparently their kingdom was not the 1st he had conquered, and there were still places he hadn't conquered yet.