What is the best way to start a campaign? In a generic fantasy setting?
Would you start things off with a standard hook by saying that everyone has been hired to work together in order to do something, or that their caravan was attacked? Or maybe give them an elaborate backstory beforehand with distinct motivations to keep everyone working together?
Other urls found in this thread:
youtube.com
youtube.com
youtube.com
twitter.com
Yes, that's exactly how I'd start the game. And then robots from outer space would blow up the planet and trap the PCs in cyberspace.
>Party members are all part of the same army, marching towards enemy city, after they've won a fight against the enemy force.
>suddenly demon invasion all over the world
>it's GoW-style campaign
Do a session zero together, link up the characters backstories a bit and figure out why there's together now. Get a few NPCs for future use.
Then session 1 start in medias res. Whatever the campaign is going to be all about, start with something that drips with that concept. Middle of a heated negotiation, a boss fight, an heist, whatever
In media res and during something drastic. Let the players figure out and tell you the how and why they're there.
The players will be drawn to work together through circumstance.
>caravans and bandits
This is my least favorite to start a D&D game; I'd like some actual dungeons and dragons in my games.
My preferred start is in media res, kicking in the door of the dungeon.
It's a quirk of my GMing style, but how I start a campaign almost entirely depends on my players.
I'll go through each of their backstories, using the elements they bring to the table to build up the plot and add to the world, as well as trying to tie them all to one another in interesting ways.
The session will start in a place that's logical for them all to be, where they all have their own goal to pursue along with reasons to work together and cooperate in achieving them.
Don't forget, they have to escape from prison together.
>Generic fantasy setting
You meet in a tavern.
Hired? The PCs were coerced into assisting a quest to fulfill a favour or wipe a debt. Bonus points if one of the PCs is an actual underling of their employer.
Taverns are a great way to anchor a campaign, see West Marches; probably the best way to start "You meet in a tavern" is to use it as a rumor mill and give the party their choice of 2-3 nearby points-of-interest.
>as they open the door to leave, the party enters another tavern
>little do they know they have entered the Tavernverse, a plane consisting entirely of taverns
I always try to start players off as members of the same organization, whether that organization is a guild, service to the same lord, mercenary band, ect.
Having all the players be members of the same organization means they'll usually be invested in the goals of the organization itself, meaning the players instantly have reason to trust eachother and work together, instead of being expected to trust some random weirdos they met in a bar. Furthermore it allows for easy beginning plothooks, as the organization can make a good "quest-giver" until the more personalized individually-focused plothooks start dropping.
I always wanted to start a game where I gave everyone high level characters very similar to what they made then at the end where they meet their big bad, the guy has an orb which when approached by the party, explodes. They all wake up the next day lv1, with no memories of what happened and already half way through a quest. I dunno how well it would actually play out but it might be pretty interesting.
Just because I'm a stickler for tradition I just can't bring myself to ever not start a game in a tavern. Either the PCs are old friends meeting for drinks, they've been called there for a mysterious benefactor, or they're total strangers just enjoying a quiet meal when all of a sudden something dramatic happens like a band of thieves attacking the town or something.
To me it's just not DnD unless the first scene isn't in a tavern. My greatest wish is that the next time someone tries to do a live action DnD movie the story starts with the main characters meeting in a bar.
>barfight campaign
I dig it
> The party falls off of a dragons back and into a lake.
> The dmpc is already dieing and can only say something along the lines of "Fuck that fucking lizard, go kill it."
I like to put them into an intimidate situation where they have to cooperate and fight together.
A few moments together in a warm, cozy roadside inn while a storm rages outside before a sudden attack by vicious marauders or monsters can set the scene and give the player characters an immediate reason to work together. Even a selfish dick will fight to keep themselves safe and establish a relationship with the others by fighting together.
This works together short term, but what happens after the storm passes and the chaotic-evil That Guy is like "I don't really have any reason to stick around, bye."
He fucks off into the storm alone, never learns why the monsters were attacking them, and is no longer part of the story.
I don't use alignments in my games or force people to play on rails.. but if you walk away into the sunset don't expect the story to follow you.
Then That Guy can just leave and be careful not to let the door hit his ass on the way out.
Trying to work with characters who "Don't have a reason to stay" or "Don't like working with people" is a lost cause right off the bat.
Realistically, If you give them any kind of reason to say with each other or at least don't give them any real reason to split and they still decide to ditch the group at the first opportunity then they already have shown a complete unwillingness to cooperate with the GM or the other PCs and shouldn't bother coming back next week.
You handle it out of character like an adult. Nut up, buttercup.
>what is the best way to start a novel?
there is no one best way, OP. the question is silly.
Just tell them the starting premise, and have them make characters would fit in the world. If the story starts in a university, tell them to make students or faculty. If the police chief finds the Maguffin first, tell them to make people who would know the chief. Pretty simple
You're all together in a tavern. The tavern is on fire.
I love it when a campaign starts with a prequel or origin session.
>You are all in the elite guard of the King
>As the enemies are about to break the last resistance of the friendly forces in the fort you appear on the brow of the hills
>the King commands you all to charge
>the enemy cavalry turns around and counter-charges
>roll for initiative
>What is the best way to start a campaign?
By forcefully ejaculating hot semen directly onto her quivering cervix. This is the only correct answer.
Border war with hundreds or thousands of conscripted soldiers about to charge to the death, with the PCs being the partially trained in their respective classes.
It begins with the opening salvo of arrows flying overhead and killing many of those nearby.
>>what is the best way to start a novel?
>there is no one best way, OP. the question is silly.
Oh really
That's just one of many story archetypes.
Although I will admit that it's probably the most relevant when discussing fantasy, especially in regards to Veeky Forums which is all about playing heroes.
i've tried "getting everyone together" organically in game. it's a pain in the ass and having people actively resisting "being made to play DnD" is a little annoying.
best way i've found is to start em in a tavern, throw a monster into the window. zombies, rust monster, elf on k2, whatever you like. party survives the encounter, and when they're pumped up from winning the battle, then throw the generic quest giver at them to get the ball rolling.
hey, it's how most videogames start off these days.
I usually tell my player's a quick blurb about who is hiring them, or what situation they are going to be in soon.
Then I tell them to "Take 10 min and work it out yourselves how you know each other."
A: this takes the onus off you, and puts it in the player's hands.
B: Prevents futures interplayer fights- yes it really does. It encourages players to spill their secrets from the get go and the others usually play off their backstories.
C: You actually get interesting interconnected backgrounds, that they don't need to spend half a night before writing up.
Well. Ideally. A and B work, for certain, but I've yet to really get C to hit off, but I think that's mostly due to the age of the player's I normally DM.
Still think it's one of the best ways to go.
>ask each player to write their character into a situation they can't get out of
>think of a way to connect these stories
>make it so the players have to help each other to get out alive