So you’ve got your adventure all written up, your players have made their characters, it’s 6pm and you’re all gathered around the table. Drinks have been served, snacks are at hand, and after the jokes die down and banter abates, all eyes turn on you, and suddenly you’re looking at four or five expectant faces. How do you start? How do you get the PC’s together in a way that feels natural and fun? How do you get everybody immersed in the game right from the start? While there are a thousand different ways to answer this question, here are some basic ideas to help you get started in a generic game.

The classic method of starting everybody in an inn common room is cliche. While it makes sense on a lot of levels (it’s possible that adventurers would all be drinking ale in the same common room, inn’s are where travelers gather, it doesn’t require much thought) you’ll instantly have your players rolling their eyes . So rather than just take the easy way, let’s look at what you’re trying to accomplish, and avoid inn common rooms altogether.

What you want is a natural way to unite the characters into a cohesive group, and to grab the player’s attention from the very first moment so that they’re right in the game. This beginning should then lead into the main plot, but first you need their attention. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to kick off the game with action. Nothing will capture people’s attention like danger. Also, nothing unites PC’s like a common foe. Now, you should think this through a little more than just having a band of orcs run into the common room; instead, try and think of a fun setting for them to be attacked in.

So let’s get a little creative. The place needs to be public and easily accessible. This could be anything from a public theater to a market place, to the deck of a ship or a mountain pass leading down into the city within which the adventure takes place. It’s ok to step in as the DM at this point and simply declare that everybody is there; if the place is general and public enough, nobody should object. Now, what you’re looking for in this location is complications. A public theater will have an innocent crowd. A ship will have the threat of drowning or being capsized. A mountain pass could have boulders rolled down, or an innocent carriage alongside. Whatever you pick, you want something more interesting than a simple direct attack. That will force the players to work together to protect the innocents, or prevent the ship from sinking, or some common objective.

Also, you need to keep an eye on where the adventure is going to go from here. If the PC’s simply fight together and then you sit back with no means to connect to the larger adventure, they might wander off after thanking each other for the help. So insert a hook into this initial encounter. Perhaps they save the person that hires them for the main adventure, or one of the enemies has a clue on their body leading to the next step, or the bad guys kidnap somebody before their eyes and they’re hired to go rescue them. Remember, linking is key.

So there you have it. A threat in a complicated setting that forces the PC’s to work together in order to achieve some common goal. It’s an easy setup, starts with combat which all players love, and if you have the setting be deliciously challenging, the players will be forced to work as a team, naturally bringing them together. Simple!

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Category: Recreation
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