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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steel_Wind" data-source="post: 5159946" data-attributes="member: 20741">Last two campaigns I've run, I've started in media res, with the party all being attacked.There were reasons the people in the party were all together at that time and those reason were expounded upon later -- but all of that stuff fades when the monster is swinging a scimitar at your head.Me: Armor Class? Player 1: What?Me (firmly): Your armor class?Player 1: What... and then he stopped as he sees the minis are neing arranged on the battlemat. Me: No, no. Just your ordinary normal armor class.Payer 1: 16Me: The Hobgoblin swings with a savage strike towards your head, glancing off your helm. You take 5 points. Jason, your AC?The reason the party is together or why they are there fades very quickly at that point. I explain it all later that they have been recruited by a local Ranger to track down a band of goblinoids. They are all from the same town - all trying to make their way in the world with their first job.It worked very well. You or the players can fill in the story as you need. The point is - starting in media res gets the game moving with a bang and all the tedious shopping and endless questions of "can I have this" and "can I get..." are ended with a die roll."Why are we together?" - "Do I trust him" -  "Is he from..?" -  "Would my character even know?..."Blah blah blah. The D20 drops on the table, it's initiative time and the game is on.  Backstories are great and I really do recommend them. But at a certain point - you can overthink this stuff. My advice? Open the campaign with a drop of the dice and start swinging.</blockquote>

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