Where would you start an Eberron campaign?

[Klaus]

Sharn.

Other than that? Maybe Demon Wastes, with humans and half-orcs in a very desolate Conan the Barbarian feel.

 

[GrayIguana]

I just started one in Sharn. I don't even care for "big city" adventures. I guess I DM'd too much in Waterdeep.

I wasn't going to do it. Then I picked up the City of Towers. Then the players rolled up a warforged and a shifter. Then I just couldn't think of a better place to bring the two together, save me some time, and have a base where other PCs could easily be incorporated to the group (I normally have more players).

 

[lyle.spade]

I am running an Eberron campaign right now, and we started in Sharn -- I had the PCs begin as newly-discharged Brelish soldiers, who got work in teh city helping an investor establish a claim to some lower tower property he bought (I created a background for how ownership of subdivided tower properties works). That was a few (real) months ago, and right now they are in the foothills of the Graywalls, about to be overrun by an army from Droaam (got the idea from the Sharn Inquisitive article on the official website).

I think Sharn is it as a starting place, and if you're running two separate groups there, you could throw in elements from one group to another -- as news stories, rumors, local color, and so on. I think that would be a great opporunity to really breathe some life into both games, beyond what you're creating -- that is, the players' actions would help shape both campaigns.

Also, I just read the City of Towers book (Dreaming Dark #1) by Keith Baker, and it really gave me a greater sense of the city -- beyond what the sourcebook does, to be honest. If my PCs make it back to Sharn (alive), I'll be looking to link dirty dealings in the upper city with creepy things in the lower areas...something along the lines of sleazy academics at Morgrave + Order of the Emerald Claw + Undead living in Sharn (check the book -- there's a rich vampire lady) + PCs who have unwittingly gotten wrapped up with Morgrave...something like that.

 

[WildWeasel]

I started my game in Karrnath. Season One ("The Doom That Came to Karrnath") has the PCs, recently of Q'barra, getting caught up in some nastiness the Blood of Vol is up to in the eastern reaches of the nation.

 

[lyle.spade]

Oh yeah..something I forgot to mention that might be of help to anyone interested. I picked up a copy of Sowrd & Sorcery's 'Hollowfaust: City fo Necromancers' (I think that's the full title); it's a sourcebook of, well, a city run by necromancers, and whose citizens are pretty much okay with the undead patrolling the streets and keeping the city safe from outsiders. I plan on using it, at some point, as a place of interest in Karrnath.

 

[shilsen]

I am running an Eberron campaign right now, and we started in Sharn -- I had the PCs begin as newly-discharged Brelish soldiers...

My first game has the PCs as ex-Brelish military too. When they eventually came up with a group name, they called themselves the Blades of Arakhain, since Castle Arakhain was the place where they served.

I think Sharn is it as a starting place, and if you're running two separate groups there, you could throw in elements from one group to another -- as news stories, rumors, local color, and so on. I think that would be a great opporunity to really breathe some life into both games, beyond what you're creating -- that is, the players' actions would help shape both campaigns.

That's definitely something I have in mind. I'm planning to start off the second campaign a couple months before the first one did, and the events of the first will bleed over into the other and vice versa. I already printed out Korranberg Chronicle articles on the first group and gave them copies (which screwed them pretty badly since when they got captured by a BBEG they were carrying copies of the Chronicle mentioning their exploits ), so I have those ready to go for the second. Maybe I'll have PCs from one campaigns make cameo appearances in another.

"The Doom That Came to Karrnath"

Hey, I had Murder on the Orien Express

 

[megamania]

Base off of the players wants and needs.

Heavy into magic- Aundair or Breland
Heavy into combat- Silver Marches, Breland (Cyre) or Eldeen Reaches
Heavy into Rogues- Anywhere but especially L Prin
Heavy into Clerics- Thrane or Karrnath

Players are into heavy combat and exploring begin in Sharn and advance to Xen'drik.

Also, I like players to give me background history. This may determine where to go.

Good luck and happy gaming

 

[Gez]

Oh yeah..something I forgot to mention that might be of help to anyone interested. I picked up a copy of Sowrd & Sorcery's 'Hollowfaust: City fo Necromancers' (I think that's the full title); it's a sourcebook of, well, a city run by necromancers, and whose citizens are pretty much okay with the undead patrolling the streets and keeping the city safe from outsiders. I plan on using it, at some point, as a place of interest in Karrnath.

Reminds me I started this thread at WotC's...

 

[Hand of Evil]

I would say Sharn because of hooks to get the players together but other choices Zilargo or Thrane just because of location, opens up the center of Khorvaire to the party.