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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 5319327" data-attributes="member: 1210">Although I agree with your goal- better beginnings for the campaign- I have to take issue with a few specifics:For certain styles of game, everything I bolded does not exist. In my own campaign, there's no "main plot"- the plot, the story, is what happens in reaction to the pcs' actions. You cannot go in a "wrong direction" in a campaign that is anywhere towards the sandbox side of the 'style spectrum', and if the pcs are having fun spending time in the inn, there's no reason to stop them. Like heading in the wrong direction, there is no "right direction" because any direction is 'right' when the pcs are driving the game. And in a sufficiently sandboxy campaign, the gm has no intentions on the game's direction- again, it's reactive. That said, sometimes one guy wants to spend all night in the inn while everyone else is bored and ready to move on; some dms aren't good with the whole "go where you want and I'll figure it out approach" either due to preference of style or their particular strengths and weaknesses as a dm; some campaigns are highly story driven and there are definite 'right' and 'wrong' directions. Neither style is inherently better, but it's worth noting that the problems you bring up aren't problems at all in certain styles of game.Now, personally, the main issue I have with "you all meet in a tavern" is the fact that it is totally cliched. Even then it can be okay. I started my current campaign off with the pcs in a bar but not knowing each other. A wizard stood up, roared "MYNAR!" and cast a fireball into the back half of the inn- leaving the pcs as the survivors that were in the front half. In media res indeed! It made for a very interesting meeting of the pcs, since half of them were evil bastards that decided to steal the cashbox or loot the victims.</blockquote>

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