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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Robert Ranting" data-source="post: 3843647" data-attributes="member: 28906">Generally the approach that I have found the most affective is to have the PCs be brought together by a person of authority and given a mission which has some sort of personal importance to each member of the group. Perhaps the best execution of this method that I've had thus far was my Urban Campaign.  Set in the slums of a sprawling fantasy metropolis, the six party members had already distinguished themselves individually as local heroes.  Gathered together by the aging doctor who ran a free clinic for the people of the district, they were asked to work as a team, cleaning up the streets of their hometown by taking the fight to the mobs and street-gangs who threatened it.  They were given a home in the district to use as a base of operations, and could turn to the hospital for aid if necessary.In the early stages of the game, they were given mission packets, detailing news and rumors of suspicious activity in the district, and were given the option to pursue any of perhaps three new leads every couple sessions.  As a result, the PCs were able to make choices without going so far afield that I couldn't prep ahead of time, and could ignore missions they didn't feel like doing.  Having the structured system also allowed them to focus on learning how to work together as a team, and to gain a knowledge of the setting.  As they gathered new allies and learned where to go for information, supplies, etc. and randomly encountered new enemies, the need for the mission packets evaporated, and the PCs began finding their own missions, and following their own agenda.I like to think of this approach not so much as "railroading" but simply putting the PCs on training wheels until they have a good feel for the game.  Once they seem comfortable with the setting and each other, the training wheels come off and they begin telling their own stories.Robert "All My Games Have a Learning Curve" Ranting</blockquote>

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