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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EvilPheemy" data-source="post: 616081" data-attributes="member: 3700">Pulling out a trick from my ol' DM's bag.If I were to start a campaign with the same goals as you described.  I'd get all the PCs together in a tavern, just as if you were starting a tired, old "smelly dwarf sells you a map to treasure" cliche'.  Set the scene with as many cliche'd standbys as you can get away with.  Half-elven bards singing, barmaids flirting, drunks belching, go all out.Then have the dead dragon crashland into the tavern.  No preamble, get folks into talking to the bar patrons then tell the group, "Make a reflex save at DC 15 because the far wall just exploded, the roof is caving in, and fire is erupting everywhere".  Don't stop to answer their questions as to how this happened.  Just stress the panic going on.  The building's falling down, the wall's gone and staying here is not an option.When the PCs make it outside, set a scene of utter chaos.  Mostly with burning buildings, and screaming, panicking citizens.  Let them soak that in for a second, then tell them about the dragon.  Don't even let them know it's dead at first, let the PCs panic about being way too close to a way too big dragon.The point is not to let the players or characters have enough time to wonder why this disaster is happening, just keep them reacting to crisis after crisis in the first game session.  Getting bored with firefighting?  Hit the PCs with a marauding band of orcs (who had followed the dragons hoping to sneak in a bit of pilliaging and plundering). Finish the first game session with the PCs helping to get the damage under control.  Then hit them with the scope of the catastrophe in the second game session.  A battle of this magnitude wouldn't be contained in just Shadowdale, there would be collateral damage scattered throughout the Dalelands.  The PCs are at the center of a very broad radius of destruction.  Once the PCs start to understand just how big this attack was, then hit them with the fact that Elminster was seen taking the field at the beginning, but has been missing ever since.This way, the opening of the campaign focuses on the actions of the Player Characters, though the underlying metaplot centers around the fate of Elminster.  Let the players learn about the details through their characters' eyes.</blockquote>

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