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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 5772829" data-attributes="member: 8835">we have a basic meta-game rule that solves the "i want to play a beet farmer" problem.players must create PCs that would be accepted by the other PCs if they performed the same scrutiny they perform on NPCs.This means you don't make a PC to infiltrate and betray the party (especially a new party where there's no reason) and you don't make a PC the party would hate or that would never join the party.Whether the campaign starts with the PCs as a party/knowing each other or not, this removes the first roadblock of "my PC doesn't want to work with you" because that violates the premise of the game and the meta-game rule.For first sessions, I try to start off with a common problem that everybody needs to solve (your in the same village and monsters attacK).  This gets the action rolling, lets them try their abilities and sets up a common goal.When I use the supprise attack method, I don't make it overwhelming or a central theme of the campaign, just something to get them working together for one encounter that usually drives them to stick together.I recommend having more opportunities than problems (you can have 4 opportunities to choose from and not lose from only picking one, but once a single problem comes up, pretty much all else falls to the wayside).another method I've used is that the party actually all starts off working for the same agency (ex. the royal navy).  I always tell players of this during character creation so they can design accordingly.always be wary of bait-n-switch campaigns, where you tell them it's about X and then in the first session it's a betrayal and the entire campaign will have them be fugitives.  Players generally hate that $#!^.  If they wanted to be fugitives, they will break the law on their own.  Or you use that as a change of pace in the campaign.  But never ever bait-n-switch.</blockquote>

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