Places to start a campaign

[windweaver]

I read somewhere most DM's start their campaigns in a tavern but that's seems kind of boring. I was thinking about other places a campaign could start (I'm waaaaaaaaaay far away from ever being able to DM anything but I'm interested in story telling and so I was thinking about new places to start a campaign).

These were the ideas I had to start with.

1. The campaign begins at a party thrown by a town's richest occupant where one of the attractions are mock duels of various sorts. A group of young adventurers goes to check the place out and decide to get together on a quest to test themselves and one day achieve the levels of the people they encounter there.

2. The campaign begins with a monster attack. The young adventurers (perhaps a couple of them are friends who've known each other for years) start working together to defeat the monster and discover they work surprisingly well together and that they might have a chance of figuring out why there have been so many attacks lately.

3. The campaign begins at a sort of graduation ceremony. Several masters of various classes (perhaps an adventuring party themselves years ago) have been educating proteges for awhile and decide they're ready to strike out and so throw them together and send them out. (This one could be used as an excuse for a lot of internal strife staring out).

EDIT
Variation on 3. All the characters are in a large formal school for their various classes as opposed to being individually trained (Fighter College, Thief school, Wizard Magic Academy etc) and for their final year they have to go and adventure for a year successfully to graduate and they have to do it with people from the other adventurer colleges in the area. The problem is that these characters all know each other at least by reputation and aren't too fond of each other at first.

What do you think of these options and what are some other creative ways you guys can think of of starting a campaign?

(Also, forgive me if this is the wrong place for this post).

[LaughingRogue]

tl;dr tavern ---> sorry as first poster I had to do it, I hope for your success with this post.

[Morph Bark]

For 2 I would provide a valid reason for them suddenly starting to work together, even in a fight. Hence why I had my current campaign started with everyone enslaved on a pirate ship.

The third one is nice though.

[Morph Bark]

For 2 I would provide a valid reason for them suddenly starting to work together, even in a fight. Hence why I had my current campaign started with everyone enslaved on a pirate ship.

The third one is nice though.

[windweaver]

For 2 I would provide a valid reason for them suddenly starting to work together, even in a fight. Hence why I had my current campaign started with everyone enslaved on a pirate ship.

The third one is nice though.

Good point about 2. I saw it more of as they're fighting the same target and kind of see some things happen that work together and do a "That worked let's do it again!" type deal. Like oh for example, say a bard is there and singing to enhance his fighter friend's attack accuracy but the wizard in the group suddenly discovers her spells are more accurate or something because she's in the area of effect and realizes that it's the bard causing it or say a Wizard and a Sorcerer during the fight discover they're doing more damage by using an alternating hot and cold attack combo or something like that.

[ufis]

My first ever campaign as a player started with a lot of running and hiding.

Living in a small village a couple of kids (all the PC's) from the village went to the woods for a day out. On our return we found our village being overrun by trolls. Queue some running and hiding and having to fend of an animal or two before we were found by a NPC. From there the campaign grew.

Think about any situation where people come together, add some event to it that will spark an adventure, and Bob's your uncle.

[Xiander]

An important and wealthy noble has called all the players for an audience, to propose a job offer to them.

The players are all on a ship to a certain destination, when the ship goes down they wash up on the same shore, and must work together to find their way back to civilization.

The players have all been arrested and are to be hanged by sunrise. They must work together to escape.

In medias res. the player characters have been hunting a known villain together for a while know. In the opening scene they have finally cornered him. Then something unexpected happens.

Those are what i could come up with of the top of my head.

[windweaver]

In medias res. the player characters have been hunting a known villain together for a while know. In the opening scene they have finally cornered him. Then something unexpected happens.



I like this one. It could be that all of them were wronged in some way by this particular villain, hatred of a common enemy binding them together.

[Thelion]

I once let my players start the campaign in an enemy prison, with one of the PC's being an enemy soldier with moral objections, so he ended up in the same cell. Of course the prison was only guarded by level 1 warriors and their weapons weren't far from their prisoncell AND the rogue had a hidden dagger up his sleeve, but it worked out fine and gave the PC who was part of the enemy army a great opportunity to do some fine roleplaying.

[The Succubus]

If you want a really dramatic start, you could try this....

"The blindfold obscures your view, yet you a feel a sensation of wind around you. Your hands have been bound together and you feel a sharp prod in the middle of your back, speaking the universal language of "walk forward". As you step forward, the wooden floor beneath you seems to bend slightly. A further prod and another step has you falling foward with a roaring wind that whips the blindfold from your face to reveal......clouds all around you and the ground rushing towards you. Your party members are also in a similar position."

[Thelion]

If you want a really dramatic start, you could try this....

"The blindfold obscures your view, yet you a feel a sensation of wind around you. Your hands have been bound together and you feel a sharp prod in the middle of your back, speaking the universal language of "walk forward". As you step forward, the wooden floor beneath you seems to bend slightly. A further prod and another step has you falling foward with a roaring wind that whips the blindfold from your face to reveal......clouds all around you and the ground rushing towards you. Your party members are also in a similar position."

That could turn out to be a pretty short campaign :smallwink:

[The Succubus]

That could turn out to be a pretty short campaign :smallwink:

Possibly. :smallwink:

But I see a whole range of different options to make it work. Being made to walk the plank off a Sky Pirate's "ship" means he's looking to get rid of you for a reason? A personal grudge, or working on behalf of someone? Did the party do something to annoy a person in a position of power? Perhaps they could have received an item (a ring of Slow Fall for example) from an unknown benefactor....

Either that, or really, really hope the wizard prepared "Fly" or "Feather Fall" that day. :smalltongue:

[Immonen]

In my present campaign, the PCs started as a caravan guard, and were told by the leader to go investigate the obvious plot hook uncharted, worn-down road to see if there was a town worth stopping in.

[Morph Bark]

That could turn out to be a pretty short campaign :smallwink:

Depends on how long the fall is. :smallwink:

[Xiander]

Depends on how long the fall is. :smallwink:

Is there a random encounter table appropriate for a looooong falling campaign?

[The Succubus]

Depends on how long the fall is. :smallwink:

"A farmer is busy watering his crops in a field. He pauses for a moment and glances around, hearing voices from somewhere....

"I'm not being a wizard in this campaign, I always play the damn wizard!"

"But guys, I've got this totally awesome idea for a halfling monk and I'm going to stick with it!"

"I refuse to play anything other than a healer!"

"Grok want play fighter."

The farmer is startled by four loud thumping sounds and walks towards the large impact craters, muttering about starting the campaign in a damn tavern next time."

[Morph Bark]

Is there a random encounter table appropriate for a looooong falling campaign?

The Plane of Air has a random encounter table, that could be used. Of course, the campaign should not take place in the Plane of Air, because you cannot fall there.


"A farmer is busy watering his crops in a field. He pauses for a moment and glances around, hearing voices from somewhere....

"I'm not being a wizard in this campaign, I always play the damn wizard!"

"But guys, I've got this totally awesome idea for a halfling monk and I'm going to stick with it!"

"I refuse to play anything other than a healer!"

"Grok want play fighter."

The farmer is startled by four loud thumping sounds and walks towards the large impact craters, muttering about starting the campaign in a damn tavern next time."

If only the Healer was level 17, he could have casted gate right underneath them. :smallamused:

[magic9mushroom]

I used 2, having the town the PCs were staying in be overrun completely by kobolds.

It doubled as a way to introduce the PCs' patron.

[maestrodesigns]

I always kinda like 'slow starts', where the players start out as 'commoners' and slowly grow into their more heroic roles. It forges a connection between the players that is not entirely linked to their class and/or party role.

Next to that I still would love to run a game sometime where 2 players have to play an ettin together. Each controlling one of the 2 heads and coöperating / struggling for control of the rest of his body. :smallbiggrin:

[maximus25]

Recently I started my party walking through a forest, not together, but they all were going on a largely traveled road.

[Andorax]

Most unusual campaign start I've ever cooked up:


"The surroundings are bleak. A blackened wasteland through which winds a dark, foul river...and you are standing upon its bank. In your hand, you see a cup, a few drops of the same brackish liquid that flows through the river sitting in the bottom. To either side, several other individuals who look equally perplexed and also hold similar cups."

"Your immediate attention, however, is rivited upon the massive demonic figure that stands on the opposite bank. Wreathed in flame, towering a full 20 feet in height, it looks upon you all with a wide, tooth-filled grin. With a single gesture, you feel yourself hurled backwards...through some sort of portal or gate...."

"And now, you find yourselves standing in a forest glade, near a worn cart track...and it suddenly hits you. You have no idea who these other people beside you are...you have no idea who YOU are."


Yes, folks...that was the River Styx. Who are our bold adventurers? What brought them into the lower planes, to strike a bargain with a pit fiend (or perhaps a balor)? What will they make of the odd possessions they carry, the strange letter sitting in the top of their packs, or the occasional individual who makes contact with them...knowing them better than they know themselves?