Starting a Campaign in media res?
- Thread starter Pants
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just__al
First Post
It is extremely rare that I don't do this. It's a good way to start off the game and the first scene/battle can easily foreshadow events to come, if only vaguely.
In one campaign where the main villians were all protagonists the campain started out with the party fighting goblins. Shortly into the battle, the party started winning and the Bargest with the goblins changed form and the battle didn't look like a route anymore.
Foreshadowed the magic using shapeshifters and more importantly (at the time) established the party was travelling outside in the wilderness.
In my current WLD campaign the party was inadvertantly summoned into the dungeon by a rogue who failed his UMD check on a scroll in the middle of battle and instead of a gaggle of celestial badgers, summoned the party. The spell ended and they were not unsummoned but not under control of the rogue who subcummed to poison when secondary damage hit.
It placed them in the dungeon and established that anything summoned wasn't going away and more importantly when the summoning spell ended the summoned creature was under no sort of control by the caster.
In one campaign where the main villians were all protagonists the campain started out with the party fighting goblins. Shortly into the battle, the party started winning and the Bargest with the goblins changed form and the battle didn't look like a route anymore.
Foreshadowed the magic using shapeshifters and more importantly (at the time) established the party was travelling outside in the wilderness.
In my current WLD campaign the party was inadvertantly summoned into the dungeon by a rogue who failed his UMD check on a scroll in the middle of battle and instead of a gaggle of celestial badgers, summoned the party. The spell ended and they were not unsummoned but not under control of the rogue who subcummed to poison when secondary damage hit.
It placed them in the dungeon and established that anything summoned wasn't going away and more importantly when the summoning spell ended the summoned creature was under no sort of control by the caster.
Odhanan
Adventurer
After seven years of latin, I can tell you this is "media". -a, without "s", is the nominative, accusative and vocative plural forms of "medium" (a neutral, hence "the media" in english, without -s). "Res" is the nominative, accusative, vocative form of "res" (thing).
"In media res" is the correct writing. In+ accusative, with plural accusative or "res" being "res", and plural accusative of "medium" being "media".
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Clueless
Webmonkey
It also makes a*great* start for a short game as well - getting the players right in the middle of the action without needing buildup. My best game start combined this with an instant plot hook by the following description:
"You all become aware of the sound of water falling on metal. You smell blood, and feel sore. Opening your eyes you see in your hand a gun. You're dressed in some form of military clothing for a country you don't recognize. In the room surrounding you are thirty odd corpses dressed the same way you are. There are also five other people who are standing, dressed like you, with guns in their hands, looking just as confused as you are. You have no idea how you got here."
In retrospect I'm surprised they didn't just shoot one of the more mouthy NPCs for that situation. (He started aiming immediately.) We had a tense John Woo moment of characters aiming all around at each other.
"You all become aware of the sound of water falling on metal. You smell blood, and feel sore. Opening your eyes you see in your hand a gun. You're dressed in some form of military clothing for a country you don't recognize. In the room surrounding you are thirty odd corpses dressed the same way you are. There are also five other people who are standing, dressed like you, with guns in their hands, looking just as confused as you are. You have no idea how you got here."
In retrospect I'm surprised they didn't just shoot one of the more mouthy NPCs for that situation. (He started aiming immediately.) We had a tense John Woo moment of characters aiming all around at each other.
toberane
First Post
I'm about to do this, starting the players out on an airship heading into Sharn in Eberron while an attempted burglary (more like piracy, actually) is taking place. Difficulty factor: all players will start with their weapons either peacebonded or stowed away in the hold until the end of the journey.
I'll get to see how it turns out next week. I'm seriously hoping I don't get a TPK on the first night of a new campaign.
I'll get to see how it turns out next week. I'm seriously hoping I don't get a TPK on the first night of a new campaign.
Thanee
First Post
Odhanan said:
That might be, but the phrase seems to use the feminine form of it, which is "medias".
Look it up!
I did, to make sure, my memory served me right (about the -s), before posting the part you replied to, which was just copy&pasted, of course (
).It is [smallcaps]In Medias Res[/smallcaps]. Always was. Always will be.
Bye
Thanee
Parlan
First Post
Thanee said:
Thus spake Thanee and Webster as well
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
Arma virum qua cano...
Particle_Man
Explorer
You all happen to be in a tavern and *Ohmigod zombies are attacking through both doors!!* They are wearing T-shirts with different letters on them. Ten of the zombies seem normal, but one of the two with a "S" on its T-shirt seems to blink in and out of existence. 
I had thought of a "slave" start: "You awaken naked and in chains" but I thought my players might take that the wrong way.
I had thought of a "slave" start: "You awaken naked and in chains" but I thought my players might take that the wrong way.
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