What innovative ways have you come up with for PCs to get together
- Thread starter Buttercup
- Start date
I had my players make up their characters, then I told them that each one of them was thrown out on the street by their parents/teachers/guild/etc.
The characters at that point are all wandering the same town, one or two might know each other but usually just in a casual manner, then just steer them towards each other.
This worked great for me one time throw in a little combat at the end to finish the bonding and ...
voila ..
instant party created in one session.
The combat is there so that they can realise that they can depend on each other.
If there is still discord after this zero in on the problem and eliminate it. There is nothing more annoying than having some party members that are at odds with each other.
In the long run it will probably turn sour.
The characters at that point are all wandering the same town, one or two might know each other but usually just in a casual manner, then just steer them towards each other.
This worked great for me one time throw in a little combat at the end to finish the bonding and ...
voila ..
instant party created in one session.
The combat is there so that they can realise that they can depend on each other.
If there is still discord after this zero in on the problem and eliminate it. There is nothing more annoying than having some party members that are at odds with each other.
In the long run it will probably turn sour.
Angelsboi's post made me remember an idea used in a game that I've always wanted to try running myself.
The first game everyone plays children in the same town. They can come from different "sides of the tracks" but all know each other. Stat wise these would just be kids, with no real skills other than natural talent. Run them through a small game where something happens that involves them all - in the one game I saw this done it was a sort of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" idea, with a haunted carnival etc... - but make sure it's not so dangerous that any of them dies.
After the game, tell them that for the next game session 10 years have passed. What has happened to their characters in that time? Where have their paths led them? Has the "goody goody" priest's daughter grown up to be a paladin or did she find magic to be more interesting than faith? Did the shifty orphan become a thief or did his experience with the others lead him into becoming a cleric?
In our game one character contacted all the others to tell them that the "carnival" was back and children were disappearing again. How they get together can vary depending on what you ran for the first game.
It was one of the best roleplaying experiences I've had to date. We had all kinds of great character interaction based on the friction generated by the difference between our characters as children and our characters as adults. Plus we had old debts and promises: "You didn't leave me behind in the Birdman's tent back then, and I'm not leaving you behind now!" Somehow the fact we had made or incurred these as children gave them all greater weight as adults.
Anyway, just an idea.
The first game everyone plays children in the same town. They can come from different "sides of the tracks" but all know each other. Stat wise these would just be kids, with no real skills other than natural talent. Run them through a small game where something happens that involves them all - in the one game I saw this done it was a sort of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" idea, with a haunted carnival etc... - but make sure it's not so dangerous that any of them dies.
After the game, tell them that for the next game session 10 years have passed. What has happened to their characters in that time? Where have their paths led them? Has the "goody goody" priest's daughter grown up to be a paladin or did she find magic to be more interesting than faith? Did the shifty orphan become a thief or did his experience with the others lead him into becoming a cleric?
In our game one character contacted all the others to tell them that the "carnival" was back and children were disappearing again. How they get together can vary depending on what you ran for the first game.
It was one of the best roleplaying experiences I've had to date. We had all kinds of great character interaction based on the friction generated by the difference between our characters as children and our characters as adults. Plus we had old debts and promises: "You didn't leave me behind in the Birdman's tent back then, and I'm not leaving you behind now!" Somehow the fact we had made or incurred these as children gave them all greater weight as adults.
Anyway, just an idea.
johnsemlak
First Post
I've added new characters by having them rescued or otherwise aided by the existing party.
My favorite so far:
Princess NPC gathers characters (by force or invitation) to the Great Hall of her father's castle so that they can try to figure out which one of them is the father of her baby. Angry king or other family member arrives; accusations fly; adventure ensues.
Princess NPC gathers characters (by force or invitation) to the Great Hall of her father's castle so that they can try to figure out which one of them is the father of her baby. Angry king or other family member arrives; accusations fly; adventure ensues.
know each other
Honestly, I just much prefer the 'you know each other for a while beforehand' method.
The one game I play in, the characters were sort of randomly tossed together. Anyway, we did all band together to fight evil, and such, but I always felt my char. had no good reason to be with these people. Had i simply been told I knew about them beforehand, I wouldn't have felt that way at all. Just my thoughts.
But one method I have thought about to begin a campaign, give each character the same incurable illness. The first few adventures in the campaign would be to try and track down this cure.
Cullain
Honestly, I just much prefer the 'you know each other for a while beforehand' method.
The one game I play in, the characters were sort of randomly tossed together. Anyway, we did all band together to fight evil, and such, but I always felt my char. had no good reason to be with these people. Had i simply been told I knew about them beforehand, I wouldn't have felt that way at all. Just my thoughts.
But one method I have thought about to begin a campaign, give each character the same incurable illness. The first few adventures in the campaign would be to try and track down this cure.
Cullain
Humanophile
First Post
Personally, I've always been a fan of setting aside the first night to let everyone make characters and make sure that things go smoothly. That way, the players get to help sculpt the party the way they want it without it becoming haphazard catch-as-catch-can, and they can think of basic reasons to know each other through character creation.
Failing that, use the Shadowrun method. The characters are all professional troubleshooters/adventurers/mercenaries, they probably know each other by reputation if not from having worked together before, and they're all called together for a job. Might not be the most heroic or epic way to start a campaign, but if the players just want to get right to the meat of adventuring, this approach allows them to do just that with a minimum of fuss.
Failing that, use the Shadowrun method. The characters are all professional troubleshooters/adventurers/mercenaries, they probably know each other by reputation if not from having worked together before, and they're all called together for a job. Might not be the most heroic or epic way to start a campaign, but if the players just want to get right to the meat of adventuring, this approach allows them to do just that with a minimum of fuss.
That's funny...I'm starting up a new campaign, and I was going to post this exact same question. You beat me to it, Buttercup!
One thing that has failed for me in the past is to throw all the characters together in a given situation and just assume everything will work itself out. I've tried the "you're all in a major city for reasons of your own, and are trapped inside as ogres lay siege" angle, and each character reacted in their own completely independant way. It went well enough, but it took TWO FULL SESSIONS to get everyone together. Other games that have started out with some outside force pulling a group of strangers together have gotten started quicker, but never really gelled as a party.
I'm definitely in favor of everyone in the party having some pre-arranged relationship with at least one other party member. As a player, has anyone here felt like the DM was stepping on their toes by saying "your character knows his character because..."? It's not always possible for players to work out these kind of intra-party background details beforehand.
Thanks.
One thing that has failed for me in the past is to throw all the characters together in a given situation and just assume everything will work itself out. I've tried the "you're all in a major city for reasons of your own, and are trapped inside as ogres lay siege" angle, and each character reacted in their own completely independant way. It went well enough, but it took TWO FULL SESSIONS to get everyone together. Other games that have started out with some outside force pulling a group of strangers together have gotten started quicker, but never really gelled as a party.
I'm definitely in favor of everyone in the party having some pre-arranged relationship with at least one other party member. As a player, has anyone here felt like the DM was stepping on their toes by saying "your character knows his character because..."? It's not always possible for players to work out these kind of intra-party background details beforehand.
Thanks.
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