What's a good way for characters to meet each other in the first session that isn't 'You're in the middle of a battle'...

What's a good way for characters to meet each other in the first session that isn't 'You're in the middle of a battle' or 'you're in a tavern, now make talky-talky'?

Meeting at a crossroads and realizing you are traveling to the same place. Works best for low-level folks who will slow down their mounts to keep pace with the people on foot. Safety in numbers, and those pre-modern roads are frightfully hazardous.

Just make sure you actually force them to talk to each other. Don't let them simply fast travel to the destination. Too many DMs and players miss out on RP opportunity by fast traveling. The road/a boat/train is the best place for relationships to form between the party, since there is nothing to do but talk.

The trip over eachother at the gay orgy in the woods.

Who honestly gives a shit how the party met?

They were all hired to do a job before hand, so they should all have the same motivation for completing the first session, ei payment.

Chained together on a slaver ship.

You decide to join in an orgy and drink and fuck with and alongside 50 other people.

You wake up hungover, robbed and naked with only the rest of your party (strangers) for company and in a different city from the one you remember being in.

You need to find out what the fuck is going on, where you are and who robbed you.

As your memories from last night come back, you remember some of the things you did with, to and sometimes using the other members of the party.

They would make a whore of 20 years experience blush to the tips of her toes.

It is very, very awkward.

You've all been hired by some dude to do whatever is always a good simple one. Even if the job is not the main storyline and can be done in a single session it gets the first "how did they meet" out of the way.

I've really wanted to do something like "Quick, the building is on fire and you're trapped in the middle of it. Work together to get out or die!" kind of thing.

Really, it's a great idea for players to make their characters far in advance so that the GM can weave some things together and brief everyone on what's going on.

Jails another classic

I prefer things along the line of "You each got to know each other in previous parts of your careers, or are being vouched for by someone who has their trust"

>What's a good way for characters to meet each other in the first session that isn't 'You're in the middle of a battle' or 'you're in a tavern, now make talky-talky'?

You're level 3 and part of a band of monster hunters, recently hired to take on the troubles of the town over yonder...

... You've been called to a meeting with the town elders, for what you cannot say, though their faces seem grim...

... You're each carrying 50k in platinum pieces out of a burning house with the body of a dead imperial administrator. This is not your fault...

... You're all attending the funeral of a man who helped you in one shape or form over the course of your life, each character must give a eulogy.

In a dungeon/prision. It's the best way for characters to learn and get used to working together.

You don't, they knew each other beforehand. Meeting up is the stuff of backstories.

Alternatively, they were all on the road on their own when a storm hit. They had to find shelter in a place off the road which is the first dungeon.

Townhall meeting about the upcoming harvest festival.

You wake up into a prison, an orc comes and say you will be working in the salt mines.

One character finds the other's wallet and tries to give it back to him but the other one doesn't recognize it

I played a game once where the GM had everyone's character start off alone and had individual chores/quests that eventually brought them together over the first 3 sessions, after everyone was broken into their characters and had an idea of skillsets they each wanted to pursue.

One of the better games I've played, really.

Prison

>... You're each carrying 50k in platinum pieces out of a burning house with the body of a dead imperial administrator. This is not your fault...
That Guy: But can it really be my fault?

You're all guards for a caravan.

>Boss fight, each character tumbles into the room at the bottom of the dungeon via a different secret passage to find their target/pathway to the treasure room blocked by the eldritch wizard and his minions.

>Any means of communal mass transport - on a boat, a plane, a bus, a wagon.

Always have at least some of the party members know each other, prevents most of the awkwardness.

I just bought GURPS 4th ed, and i think im goin to steal you're "start in the heat of the moment" idea.
But like literally throw them in a burning inn and then they have to work to escape. Thanks, man.

any tips on RPing travel effectively while still allowing for random encounters?

>start the game in a tavern
>one of the players starts gambling with the other patrons
>wins a ton of money
>challenges the owner
>ends up winning the tavern
>pull a GM fiat, send in some town guards to get them out of the fucking bar so we can start the campaign
>they fight off the guards
>set the tavern up like a fortress
>sorcerer uses astral projection and scrying to interact with the outside world
>they want to turn the tavern into a guild base
>eventually just give up and let them play the entire campaign from inside the tavern

Sounds like a great start to me user.

Build a random encounter table of social challenges/interactions.

huh, never thought of that. thanks user

And share it with us.

Btw, I've seen some user post a pdf with travelling-related stuff like that, if someone has it I would greatly appreciate it.

hah yesss. although i would hate this too if i was dming.

>You're all guards for a caravan.

This is what I usually do, and am going to do soon in an upcoming 3.5

Works well enough, and gives your players a chance to forge some early game NPC friendships/contacts.

>astral projection and scrying

That's decently high level start. I'd personally start in dungeon or finishing up an adventure if the PCs were already that established.