When to Start the Story

[Wednesday Boy]

I've always thought "Roll initiative." would be a great first two words of a campaign.

One of my GMs started his campaign with everyone except for my PC chained in a dungeon. Then my PC (who was in the employ of the Good Guys), broke in to free them and help them escape. In addition to working our way to freedom the next set of sessions focused on each player to give a glimpse into their background.

I thought it was a rivetting start to a campaign. Although 3 of the 5 players felt differently and dropped the game after the second session because they weren't getting involved enough. That was too bad because sessions 3, 4, and 5 gave the spotlight to each of their characters in turn.

 

[Wepwawet]

I did the "roll initiative!" start once, the look on the players faces was priceless.

They were sharing a profetic dream, about the aliance of the neighbouring barbarian countries against their empire.
They saw the typical races from those countries, and were attacked. After a while a huge hoard of barbarians charges against them, when suddenly they wake up with a cold wind, as the curtains of their litters opened up.
They were being carried to a royal ceremony at the top of a mountain where one of them would be presented at the temple.

The problem came after that, because I have a hard time doing intrigue and palace gossip adventures...

 

[Scotley]

I'm definitely a fan of the 'roll initiative' school of game starting. I've done it with some success. Here's a pbp game I started with a long time co-dm of mine about 3 years ago. We got some information via email for the first round and then we filled in with flashbacks how they got where they were.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/playing-game/200694-constables-14th-ward.html

We had already established that the characters would all be associated with the local Constabulary of major city as the focus of the game and we gave them a separate venue to do a little tavern style role-play separate from this start. I've noticed that some players prefer the chance to chat in character and do the whole tavern type set up. As DM I believe in giving the players what they want. The game is still going strong after more than 3 years, so I guess it worked.

I also have had some success with an invitation/arrival. I asked all the players to work an association of some sort into their background with the captain of a small merchant fleet who has asked them to come and meet with him about a job. You can see that one here:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/playing-game/123248-island-empire-part-1-mermaids-rest.html

Note that this second one was one of my first attempts at DMing play by post and was also an introduction to the format for most of the players so there is some side chatter in the thread as we were learning the ropes.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Some nice start to a campaign ideas here! I always have a hard time getting a campaign started.

For the Kingmaker campaign I just started up I wanted the characters to have some sense of friendship or bond with each other before I threw them into the AP. So our first session was actual a prequel adventure where they were thrown together by chance of lottery to figure help dispatch a goblin problem outside the city walls. Once completed they returned to the city, now having fought together and learned a bit more about each other. Then we advanced the timeline about 3 months over the winter months with them being in the city.

Not sure if it will have any lasting effect by starting this way, but it helps make it more logical in my head - so that at least succeeded!

My Kingmaker I'm going with a shared background; instead of being hired by the swordlords (or whoever it is), one of them is a younger child of a duke - with nothing to inherit (that goes to the eldest), no military unit to lead (the second), and no obvious place in the church either. So the duke bought the child a Monopoly; whatever lands she can claim as her own in the given area will be accepted as hers. She's bringing with her a group of retainers; the second son of her father's sergeant-at-arms, a priest, a wizard who wants to seek wealth, and a hunting companion. Of course, the opening is going to be with Oleg and Svetlana mistaking them for the security - and they have time to prepare...

 

[The Shaman]

2. Travelling PCs see monsters doing bad stuff to NPC(s), have chance to ambush them. This is good because the PCs have time to briefly talk and decide what to do, helping to establish character, as opposed to the PCs being ambushed and having to fight. Plus a rescued NPC can be a further plot hook.

I use this a lot. Probably too much.

My players did tell me I was using too many rescue plots though.

I was very aware that I was overusing this the other night.

 

[mandarific]

I've honestly never heard of starting with "Roll initiative!" but oh my gosh, do I want to try that now. That has got to be the best idea for a campaign start ever.

I personally hate the Tavern trope and usually go right to the players at least already knowing eachother. I hate the idea that you just have random people coming together for no reason, this doesn't always work with everyone's character type; why would the Lawful Good Paladin be hanging out with the Creepy Skeevy Rogue?

I've had great success with giving people at least a little bit of a background story before they begin and coming in somewhere in the middle. Maybe not right into the action, but at least past the "beginning" of the story. Even if there has to be a distinct starting point, I just avoid this by...not starting the players out in a city.

Out in the woods, in a different building, in a small town without a Tavern...if there is no Tavern, there is no Tavern Trope!

 

[Evilhalfling]

Its a typical saturday night in the Angry Badger tavern.

Kazador is serving his finest brew at the bar, his old warxes straped on the wall behind him. Valandra is cooking in the back (using an indestructable scroll as a pot holder). Kennth is almost done with his warm up prestetigation act, he checks the time to make sure he is home before his mom sends out her guards to retrieve him. Chester is waiting to begin his perfomance, hitting on a cute Elf in the front row. The goliath K'gyn stands by the door, as always, watching a small group of soilders for any trouble. Upstairs the Wildmage rakes in the house's share from the gaming table. Hoping that his luck is good enough to pay off the loans he took out the last time his luck took a nose dive.

A pair of cloaked men enter the bar and make thier way to a shadowy corner table. Thier heavy armor, and copious weapons clank as they join a Fey woman that was waiting for them.

You all eye the three "adventures" warily and think "Is this going to be trouble?"

well it wasn't exactly the typical campaign start...