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Avonar
2017-10-08, 12:50 PM
So I was curious as to what things DMs tell the players before a campaign starts. Themes, goals, home rules etc.

A couple of examples from me:

I am running a 1 year+ 13th Age campaign, at the beginning of that I told the players that I would be messing with their characters and backstories to make some interesting plots. I think this helped, and meant the surprises I sprung on some characters went down well.

Alternatively, I am also running a group through the Yawning Portal dungeons. As a result of this I mentioned explicitly ahead of time that each of them would lose AT LEAST one character. By the end of Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan I have been proved right. I was surprised to find that the players still kept putting time and effort into making interesting and unique characters that they roleplayed in different ways. Which kinda worked since it then hit harder when those characters inevitably die.

So what do you guys like to tell players before startinga campaign, either to avoid future issues or to enhance something in some way?

lunaticfringe
2017-10-08, 01:22 PM
I am not your Parent. If you have a problem with another player you should politely address it with them or the group first. If you would like a mediator or impartial 3rd party I'm happy to assist you in that capacity. Do not approach me first or go behind someone's back.

The world is not aware that you are Protagonists. This is not a video game where things stop when you aren't nearby, things keep moving right along.

NRSASD
2017-10-09, 09:27 AM
I tell everyone any house rules we'll be using ahead of time. I also ask what kind of campaign people are interested in playing, because I frequently have several ideas percolating around. Based on the campaign, I give my players the following info:

Very brief rundown of the setting as it pertains to the players immediately. I'll tell them what town they start in, what/if there's a larger political structure like a kingdom or empire, and anything of immediate importance, like if sorcery is illegal.

The starting scene. Everyone meets in a tavern/marketplace/cage/battlefield/lake/whale's belly/etc. Once they know the starting scene, I ask them why their character is there and how did they arrive here.

Example from the game I'm currently running:
You are all members of a recently founded organization known as the Troubleshooter's Guild in the Merovian city of Raetium. The city of Raetium is known as a hotspot for problems of all kinds, and has a massive, poorly regulated mage presence. The Merovians are a Renaissance Italian-ish empire, but Raetium is a big naval city with tons of diversity.

You've been either hired (promises of high pay) or recruited (instead of serving jail time) and are about to go on your first mission. This organization is not affiliated with the government, but the government frequently hires Troubleshooters to solve problems that require higher casualties than the government is willing to take, plausible deniability, or where conventional tactics have proven inadequate.

If you manage to raise 5000 gp, you are released from the Guild with that money and a full pardon, which is the goal of this campaign. Tell me why your character is in the Troubleshooters and what their ambition is once they get out.

Nifft
2017-10-09, 09:17 PM
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN NUTS

This is also the disclaimer on the Internet.

Blue Duke
2017-10-10, 12:33 AM
what i actually do: give them a run down of what i plan to run and what special rules there are with regards to character creation

what i wish i could do: tell them i expect serious characters not ones that will run into my seting wearing jester hats, humiliateing my NPC's for their own enjoyment and makeing me feel like a moron for trying to go for a serious tone when they clearly want to make me uncomfertable or make me grow to dislike DMing.......but i cant do that because it would be rude and they are my friends......so i just 'lose the notes' or 'dont feel up to running X' at the moment.

Darth Ultron
2017-10-10, 02:01 AM
Well, my house house rules (no smoking in my house, ever)
My social game rules (you must call and say you can't make a game)
And my game house rules (------)

I will also tell them what kind of DM I am up front, and be very, very, very clear and blunt. This covers a lot of things like ''I'm a Killer DM'', I don't do ''Do overs'' or ''take backs", "I'm a Railroad DM" and I'm a ''three strikes and your gone DM".

Often I will do something like put my model General Lee dodge charger on the table and use the trunk as a dice holder. Amazingly such a simple thing can keep away gamers I won't get along with.