So, you all meet in a bar and decide to start adventuring together...

[Rhun]

The Prophecy of course is the reason.
To bad the BBEG set it in motion by bringing them together.

Funny, I've used almost this exact reason in one of my campaigns...the only difference is the PCs started off as already having been captured by the BBEG, who planned to sacrifice them.

 

[hafrogman]

It's because they each own part of the McGuffin!

They don't know what the McGuffin is, but they keep their part because it's a family heirloom, good luck charm, souveneir, ancient legacy, gift from a friend, etc.

 

[Rolzup]

Every year, the village/city/town where the PCs grew up has a celebration. It's a harvest thing, maybe, or perhaps a religious celebration. But, in any case, it's a time of joy and merriment, and it's enough to bring the PCs back home for a few days after their years of wandering.

Nobody's celebrating this year, though.

Somebody, something has laid waste to the town, slaughtering every living soul within. And the PCs were lucky enough to be a little late for the party....

If they've got any kind of soul at all, they'll want answers. And vengeance.

(And to tie it in more closely to the original concept? The one responsible is someone the PCs grew up with, an outcast who was always a little...off. It was rumored that he was the one who killed all those dogs, and nobody was ever sure if he had anything to do within the disappearnce of that little girl. Unfortunately for everyone, he found a way of obtaining power. Lots of power. And he used it to kill everyone he thought had every wronged him. Which, when you got right down to it, included the entire town. And the PCs are still on his list....)

 

[Xath]

I've had GMs who mandate that your characters have some sort of connection before character creation begins.

 

[exile]

In the campaign I am playing in right now, we did pretty much meet in a tavern. Two of the characters had some backstory involving one another (they had just worked together to escape from pirates- one was truly a prisoner of the pirates, the other was just an abuse cabinboy), but otherwise we just became friends over drinks and fried clams...and a bar brawl.

What has really united us though is that a "benefactor" working through our party's bard hired us for a few tasks. Guided by him (fools that we were), we stole a crown of some importance and killed the honorable adventurers sent to recover it.

Now, stranded on a prison island, we are well and truly a group.

Chad

 

[painandgreed]

IMC, it is normal for families, especially families who can afford training for their children to group them together as friends who seek fortune together. This is almost madatory in nobility. A future noble's heir will usually be given childhood friends of other nobles and said group expected to support eachother later in life as staunch allies. Thus the children of the king, head priest, captian of the guard, and court wizard are brought up together and as they assume their hereditary roles, they are surrounded by known allies whose fates are entertwined. Noble families who have a child but no inheritance to pass along will often pick poorer children to raise with their child and give them training so when they all reach adulthood, their child has the support of others and is not alone as he has to find his way in the world.

So, it is usually assumed that the typical 1st level party at the beginning of the campaign all know each other from childhood and are capable of trusting each other. They might not have seen each other for some time but are typically considered friends. Such bonds are made usually around the age of 7 and if wealthy, raised under the same household till 14. At 14 they receive their individual training and once compelted (in a number of years) return to join together and get on with their lives.

Even if they aren't friends from childhood, it is usually recognised that there is a large "adventuring class", trained individuals who have no job nor inheritance. These people recognise the need of having a group with a range of skills for increasing their chances at succeeding at whatever they are trying to do or making them more employable to those with jobs for such a mercenaries. They they often gather togther, meet in bars, talk, boast, inquire, post flyers, etc. to finally gather together such a group. In large cities there are taverns that cater to such people by givign them a place to stay, eat, and make contacts. The owners of such taverns see them come and go and collect tales and gossip. A good word from such a tavern owner can even land a virtuous singleton in with a well established and possibly noble group (as there are many doors that are opened by even having one noble in the party). The nobility and rich also are known to go to such tavern owners to put togther a party of their patrons to prefrom various jobs.

 

[Nareau]

The best start of campaign I've heard of was that the PCs were all beneficiaries at a funeral.

Ironically, this was the start of one of the worst con games I've ever been in.

Spider

 

[babomb]

My favorite is to have the players make it up.

 

[Chimera]

What's floating in my head at the moment is that a bad guy wants each of the PCs killed for some reason

The problem is, I can't think of a good reason why a diverse group of 1st-level nobodies would be considered a threat to anyone so as to cause anyone to setup a trap for them like that. Hmm...

Yee Gawds I HATE that premise. Seen it before and always have that same question. Have the same hatred for the old "mistaken identity" gambit too.


How I started my new campaign was to have the PCs sent by their various Masters (the people who trained them) in response to a request for assistance. The PCs are bound for four months of railroading...er, "service"....which eliminates their training debts.


One variation on that theme might be to have your PCs sent to an NPC in response for that same request for assistance. Unfortunately, the NPC who asked for assistance is enmeshed in a serious blood feud with the BBEG.

 

[Siegfried Niemand]

Well, I just began a new campaign myself. I had each player come up with a reason their characters were on board a small merchant ship on a month-long voyage. Their characters were simply assumed to have met and befriended each other during the month, and so naturally stuck together going ashore when the ship reached port. Since one character's reason for being aboard was that he was part of the crew, I took him aside as the ship docked and had the mate give him his pay and tell him his services were no longer needed. This of course allowed me to run my city-based adventure without a lot of ship time, gave the player a great excuse for some fine roll-playing, and gave me a wonderful hook for later on when I let the PC see a masked foreigner paying the mate before the ship again left port.

As for a good reason the BBEG wants a bunch of 1st-level nobodies dead, well obviously they've seen something they shouldn't have, and may not even realize that they have, but they need to be "disappeared" before they can reveal what they may (or may not) know. Ba-ba-ba-bum!