So I've been thinking of alternate ways to start a game and bind groups together other than the standards of "you all are already fast companions" or "you all just met in a bar or prison". I want to run a scenario by you guys, and you tell me if this would be OK for a player.
You all, for one reason or another, found yourself lost in the cannibal mists. Be this because you were running from authorities and knew they would not follow, a drunken night out, trying to find treasure, scavenging, or just cluelessness. Whatever. You each are attacked by and partially maimed by said cannibals during your travels. Fortunately, an old man carrying a pickaxe stumbled upon each of you in your most dire time. He proceeds to dispatch whatever cannibals are currently eating you, and takes your half conscious form to a small settlement that exists within the mists. He purchases cybernetics to replace whatever limbs you have had eaten, and explains to you all that you are free to leave as soon as you've paid him back, and offers to allow you to join him on his errands to earn some pay. He also explains that you could sneak off with the cybernetics, but you would most likely be eaten, so you should probably stick around until he's shown you the basics.
Now, I plan on getting this through with dialogue, with the players talking to the man back and forth, but that is the gist of it. Players rescued by asshole martial artist old man, outfitted with debt, and stuck in a city of outcasts and runaways in the cannibal mists.
I like it. Nice and original without being too complicated 7.5/10
Mason Clark
An Oceans 11 style gathering of a team for a heist is something I want to try out someday. I wonder if you could theme character creation around it even.
At least one of these assholes is going to try and make a break for it without paying their debt; and when their stupid ass eventually gets eaten by zombies they're going to blame you for railroading and taking away their fun. So, y'know, prepare for that.
Unless you already have a group without one of these fucking self-masturbatory, edgelord, cry-baby, lone-wolf-wannabee assholes. In which case, y'know, it actually sounds like a fun premise and could lead to an interesting game.
Blake Perry
Sounds like a Powered by the apocalypse game. The History section of character creation would cover how the crew came together and they actual game would be planning and executing the heist.
Ian Richardson
Immediately throwing the party through some scripted ass beating only to be saved by some badass NPC might be perceived as DM-wank even if that isn't the intent. Also the "you are maimed and in dept" would leave a bad taste in my mouth personally. Some other ideas. >shipwreck with the PCs being among the few/most competent survivors. >some minor noble has a small problem or is funding some sort of expedition and sent out a recruiter to find some fresh adventurer types. >they are all going about their day-to-day life, maybe attending a festival or something when catastrophe strikes while they all happen to be relatively close at by.
Adrian Morgan
>superhero setting Millionaire in his 50's is looking to hire superheroes to form a team, since he is too old to be a hero himself Party answers a call for help every session.
Jacob Ortiz
Why don't you have the party determine why they're together?
If they can't pick and write down motivations to adventure and stay together, they legitimately do not deserve to play.
