PC's starting game as outlaws -- any ideas?

[Mercurius]

Given that D&D is fantasy, you could add some sort of mystical or magical element to why they are outlaws. Maybe they are all "marked" in some way, perhaps part of some prophecy about the overthrow of the dark overlord? Or maybe the empire or nation they are in outlaws magic and they all have some kind of innate magical abilities? Or maybe they all have some sort of inheritance, of the blood of a lost line of kings or sub-race that is viewed as a threat in some way?

For a different take, you could set for the high seas and have them be pirates.

If you wanted to start out at higher level, they could all be amnesiac and not know why they are outlaws, only that the law really wants them badly. Then you could drop bits and pieces of memory, filling in some kind of intricate back-story.

You could also really have fun with NPCs in this sort of scenario - maybe a series of bounty hunters that come after them, a recurring guard captain or inquisitor type that is their nemesis, etc.

 

[Janx]

Definitely work out the setting for outlaws before hand, and have PCs made accordingly. If it's pirates, then the players make PCs that can be pirates.

As a GM, beware doing a bait-n-switch campaign. Where the premise is heroic good guys saving princesses, but the first adventure is a framejob so the PCs become outlaws through no fault of their own.

This can lead to player unhappiness because it violates the idea of what their PC goal was. It's one thing that the player makes a mistake or commits some crime and becomes an outlaw, another thing when the GM makes it happen. Especially when this outlaw stage is really the setting for the campaign (and not a couple episode problem for the PC to fix and get back onto his goals).

It doesn't sound like the OP has this in mind, but since we're on the topic...