New Erik Mona Column: "New Beginnings"

[Morrus]

Erik Mona's second column for EN World has arrived! This article is entitled "New Beginnings" and deals with that age-old campaign starter, the tavern.

You can read is previous column, "Who the Hell is Erik Mona?", here.

 

[Voadam]

1 All members of the same family.

2 All members of the same organization (mercenary band, thieves' guild, church, noble house, pathfinder society, secret cult)

3 All have a connection to something in the module.

4 All receive the same dream/vision calling them to X.

5 Have a general offer of employment that they respond to.

6 See their individual backgrounds and think of how to tie them together.

7 Ask them to provide connections between themselves.

8 You are all at the tavern when the sleep drugs in your food overwhelm you. You wake up in chains in the underdark.

 

[diaglo]

3d6 in order
str
int
wis
con
dex
cha

it ain't hard to start a set of PCs on the right path to adventure in OD&D(1974).

 

[Voadam]

Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish Samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku!

 

[Phaezen]

Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish Samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku!

Still want to run a campaign based off that...

"You slowly wake in an unfamiliar room, as your eyes bring everything into focus you notice you are not alone, several others are in various states of waking up. The last thing you remember is the old robed man reaching out and touching your arm"

 

[Voadam]

9 The mists creep in and interdimensionally snag separate PCs bringing them to Ravenloft.

10 The Feathered Fowl snatch individuals interdimensionally and leave them in Oathbound.

11 In Media Res. First words to start the campaign are "Roll initiative!" as a dozen or so ninjas attack.

12 Amnesia! "You all wake up, you have no idea how you got here or who are these other people around you who are also waking up, but somehow they look familiar. A sigil and glowing circle on the floor surrounding you all quickly fades away to nothingness."

 

[filthgrinder]

I really like the Robin Laws ideas in the 4e DMG2. I like the idea of requiring PC's to include knowing at least two of the other characters in their back stories. Letting the players get involved in setting the initial stage. I've done the "you all meet in a tavern", "everyone knows an NPC", or "weird event happens in front of you".

For the start of my next campaign I'm going to have the players come up with reasons why they are together.

 

[DragoonLance]

I like the idea of requiring PC's to include knowing at least two of the other characters in their back stories.

QFT

I have had parties before that almost killed a replacement character because "how did he know we were here?" And these guys claim they don't want to play Paranoia...

 

[Morrus]

I really like the Robin Laws ideas in the 4e DMG2. I like the idea of requiring PC's to include knowing at least two of the other characters in their back stories. Letting the players get involved in setting the initial stage. I've done the "you all meet in a tavern", "everyone knows an NPC", or "weird event happens in front of you".

For the start of my next campaign I'm going to have the players come up with reasons why they are together.

I've always done that. I tell my players that they are creating a group of adventurers who already know each other and - indeed - have adventured before together.

 

[Greg K]

I really like the Robin Laws ideas in the 4e DMG2. I like the idea of requiring PC's to include knowing at least two of the other characters in their back stories. Letting the players get involved in setting the initial stage.

Personally, I don't like the idea of *requiring* PCs to know at least two of the others. The exception would be characters from the same clan, tribe, monastery, etc. where it would make sense for two character to know one another.

However, I do believe it is a good thing to ask the players if they want their character knowing any one else as part of their back story (of course, the other player(s) must also agree).