What are some other ways of starting off an adventure without the cliche "so you're in a tavern" hook?
>>46374953
You're all working in a Tavern, what kinda fuck-ups did you do in your life to end up here?
>>46374953
So you're in a brothel.
>>46374953
The tavern is on fire and it's not your fault.
>>46374953
>You are all in a plane. You feel turbulences. Roll perception to see if you notice the armed guys rappeling to your airship.
>>46374953
The tavern is inside you.
>>46374953
You've all booked the same room for the night at the tavern.
You're all in prison after a night of debauchery at local taverns.
>>46374953
You wake up face-down in a pool of coppery-smelling red liquid. You're in an alleyway in the downtown district, and you don't remember how you got there. Your neck hurts and you're hungrier than you've ever been in your entire life. What do you do?
>>46374953
You're all on a boat heading to one place or another.
You're all traveling to your own separate destinations when a terrible storm hits and forces you to all take shelter in a cave/dungeon.
Everybody knows each other already (everyone writes down a previous adventure their character was in on a card, passes that card to someone who writes down how their character was involved in the first character's story)
>>46374953
You're inside a living, sentient tavern that's slowly digesting you. What do you do?
>>46374953
>So, you're in a convent.
>>46374953
So you're getting power-dommed in one of those more "eccentric" brothels and you're feeling pretty close to that sublime sub-space when you hear screaming outside and someone is shouting about goblins. You reluctantly dismount the swing, remove the "accoutrements," grab you gear and get dressed, curtly thank your "Master" for the evening, and head out somewhat annoyed that you probably won't be getting your money's worth tonight.
In the hallway, you see...
>>46375007
I get the reference, even though I've not read the book.
>>46375083
Funny thing is neither have I.
>>46375074
I can't stop laughing.
>>46375074
>Master
>not Mistress
>>46375126
Hey, take your pick.
>>46375054
We ask Party Pat.
>>46374953
I've never actually had a DM start us in a tavern. Sometimes people gravitate towards it, but no one has ever actually started the game with that line. I honestly didn't think it was a thing people actually did.
You're locked in a dungeon. Roll a difficulty 25 Strength check to try and rattle your chains.
>>46374953
Ask the players what kind of game they wana play. Most of my campaigns start out with my players being a group of mercenaries, bounty hunters, thieves, a soldier company, members of the same demon-hunting order, ect.
A pleasant side-effect is that it seems to encourage players to make different and unique characters who fufill a different role in the group, provided they talk to eachother during character creation. I usually give them a week to talk it over before we start playing.
>>46375281
>Failure
You rattle your bones instead, which begins to attract friendly skeletons to assist you.
You gain advantageand brouzouf.
>>46375227
I started the first game I ran in a tavern, because it was late at night, I had had literally no time to prepare, and fuck it, in a situation like that you just fall back on cliches if you don't have any experience to fall back on. After that, though, I haven't seen the tavern introduction used either. Usually people have discussed their characters beforehand and made them so they already know each other.
>>46374953
I'm a fan of opening with combat.
The caravan you hitched you all hitched a ride on has been set upon by a swarm of bandits. The call goes out to take up arms as crossbow bolts begin to embed themselves in your carriage.
And such.
>>46374953
A few of mine...
>you've been walking across the tundra for weeks now. Your fever is at 102, and the bite on your leg from that wolverine looks infected. You don't remember collapsing. You do remember waking up in the bed of a greasy haired man and his half-giant friend, discussing whether or not you'll make it, and whether the giant should just throttle you to death. A raven is staring at you through the window.
>A long speech by a dean, followed by an overenthusiastic RA welcoming you to the dormitory of your mage guild experience. Everybody introduce yourselves to your classmates! Lets start with (list of important NPCs).
>You're driving single file through the desert when Alpha team hits an IED, knocking Bravo off the road. Suddenly an RPG runs up Echo's tailpipe, and you're trapped on the road. You take cover and get in formation, but with the Sergeant dead that means you're the new NCO. What are your orders? How do you engage the kobold ambush?
>>46374953
Non.
Quit being a contrarian.
>>46375014
>the important thing is you won the bet
>>46374953
The tavern was you all along.
>>46374953
Whatever you're doing, whatever world you're on, a strange mist appears and suddenly you're in a tavern.
So you're outside a tavern.
I always start by having the PCs travel towards their destination, since I like to do quest based adventures. I mix it up from time to time, sometimes on boat, by foot, by horse, etc. Changing up the environment in which they start in also gives variety.
Do you all think you're clever for coming up with randumb ways to throw people in a tavern as an alternative to starting the game in a tavern?
You're all on a ship, possibly an air ship, coming from a port town, Town A, heading to Town B. Town B is a large and popular city known for giving others a better life while simultaneously being dangerous. It is presumed you all traveled or took a ship to Town A from different locations. You all have your own reasons for why you left home and are going to Town B.
From here, the ship can dock or land safely or, most humorously, be attacked by large but (likely) low-leveled Squid or *insert race here* Pirates. Your PCs run outside to fight.
So you're in a wyvern.
>>46375682
You might have autism if you can't detect it's not sincere.
>>46375682
I fail to see how mixing things up is randumb.
>>46375227
Same.
Honestly, the intro I seem to run into most of the time is
>you have been summoned by the king...
>Play Wheel of Time RPG
>Everyone starts inside a Ta'veren
So you're all in a prison... when you see something in the sky careening towards you from the window! It's an entire tavern!
My current group was brought together by the Red Crystal Empire as a unit within the Home guard, created after the Grand Army scooped up all the real heroes in the nation. It's the last of the B squad and a bunch of cannon fodder vs. Cults, alien invasions and Orcs!
>>46375345
>Youre the new NCO
Isnt NCO non commissioned officer? Wouldnt it be better to say youve just earned a battlefield promotion?
>>46375728
When is randumb ever sincere? Its usually a result of people not trying to take the game seriously. Because LOL ITS JUTS A GAME GUISE.
And while the purpose is to have fun, its specifically a *role* playing game. Not a fuck off and pretend your'e funny when you're not for 3 fucking hours game. If you want to play that game go somewhere else.
>>46375729
Its dumb because it isn't very imagnitive. Like hollywood, its the same damn shit made over and over again with minor variations. The difference is they're doing it to avoid risk. You're doing it because you think that's what passes for creativity now. Your version of "mixing things up" is like adding an extra teaspoon of sugar to the cookie batter and calling it a different recipe.
>>46375828
As you bicker with your second in command about whether you're an NCO or battlefield promotoed, Delta team his hit by snipers. Roll Spot.
>>46375850
Next time, half again the butter. Makes an entirely different tasting cookie
>>46375850
>When is randumb ever sincere? Its usually a result of people not trying to take the game seriously. Because LOL ITS JUTS A GAME GUISE.
>And while the purpose is to have fun, its specifically a *role* playing game. Not a fuck off and pretend your'e funny when you're not for 3 fucking hours game. If you want to play that game go somewhere else.
Anon, are you aware of the concept of 'joke'? Do you think all these tavern-related suggestions are things anons have used or intend to use n their games?
>>46374953
You're out in the streets.
It's dark.
You're all at half hitpoints.
And knee deep in zombies.
>>46375850
But we're not playing an RPG right now. We're posting on 4chan. Please pick up on what I'm telling you. You can't be this obtuse.
>>46375345
Kobolds with IED's and RPG's? Color me intrigued...
>>46375923
My old DM actually did this! It was great! Also had broken weapons and people to save. Never had a game with tighter group bond than in that game.
>>46374953
>Player A, you are at home
>roll awareness
>you wake up, noting an unusual smell
>your house has been burned down
>Playber B
>you are in your base
>you go to the kitchen and see something unusual
>you recognize it as a bomb
>your base is ashes
>Player C
>you are sleeping on a park bench
>the police come and you run away
>you get a vision, go to place XY
>Player A
>you find a card of the shitgiggles who did this
>It tells you to go to place XY for more information
>Player B
>Your best contact for finding a temporary building is at XY
>Player D
>Nigger just stole your bike
>He fucked off to place XY
>Player E
>You wake up to the smell of blood
>all of your servants are dead
>The fucker who did this left a mocking message telling you to go to XY if you want to get revenge
That's roughly how my first RPG went. All of our houses burned down or got bombed and then we all met up in an area around a bar.
We didn't actually come together as a group at first, because the guy with the stolen bike encountered another character while she was on the way and they realized they got their houses burned by the same people, so they fucked off to somewhere else and the group was split before it even formed.
>>46375947
Did something similar in my game. Brass cannons and primitive bombs. Had my PC's running for cover and dumping their heavy spells on four normal kobolds. Loved it
>>46374953
So you all pissed off your commanders so badly that they went and made a suicide unit just for you assholes.
>>46375923
i like it anon
>>46375083
What book?
>>46374953
So, you're all in a pub...
>>46375316
>and brouzouf.
I want to introduce an E.Y.E. character somewhere.
But I can't pull off the correct style of speech.
>>46374953
Your boss calls, adventure starts at 7:30. He gives you the names of the chucklefucks you spend the mission with.
>>46376168
Jessie?
>>46375012
>"I'll need a Knowledge (tactics) check if you want to figure out the next step of the plan"
>>46376187___No___
>>46376209
A man wearing a blue shirt, khaki pants, and a dark windbreaker walks up to your tank and asks him what would happen if he pulled off the mask your tank is wearing.
You meet on the runway. Your bomber is waiting for you, fueled up.The name painted on the side is "The Enola Gay".
>>46376475
>guy in white suit standing near by holding a hand computer named "Ziggy"
I personally like the "You're all watching a public execution".
>>46374953
You meet in a slave line.
>>46375760
Nice
>>46376536
How does it develop from there, though?
A dramatic rescue of the bandit in question by his mates? I like the sound of it.
>>46376767
>How does it develop from there, though?
You go to a tavern to discuss the morality of death sentence and the fragile beauty of human life.
>>46376078
One of the Dresden Files books. I too, get the reference but have not read the book.
>So you're all sitting on the subway, and there's a crazy guy down at the end ranting about the end of the world. Nobody seems to notice him because they're too busy running away from the gigantic mouth eating the subway car from the back forward.
My last two games have started with "so, you're at an alley" and "so, you're in this guy's home".
I know it's really weird, but it worked out.
>>46374953
Is it okay that i started my campaign in a tavern? it's my first time DMing and the first time any of my players have really played D&D
Now we're on a UFO though
"You all meet in a tavern" is the ephemeral beginning meeting point for a party.
All others are just re-skinned taverns. Instead of a tavern, you're all on a day long train expedition. You're on a ship. You're on an AIRSHIP.
You meet on a battlefield. You run into each other in the middle of a heist. You all converge on bounty outside the same cave.
It's inescapable, so just embrace it. It's sacrosanct because it's the best beginning.
You want all your characters to putz around for half an hour before colliding? That's for all intents and purposes, just extended backstory.
Throw them all into the chaos immediately. It's exciting. They all know why they're here, you tell them why they should stay.
To be fair, the bulk of my session could easily start out, 'So you are all in prison because of the shit that happened last session. The local political ruler is offering yet another pardon for your crimes if complete a small favor him.'
>>46375947
Yep. That was the opening mission, in which they were driving to an occupied kobold city in the middle of a shitty desert and it wasn't clear at all why they were fighting for it, but its not their job to ask why.
Next session they got to base, and were sent out on patrol with a pretty strict RoE to follow. So they're walking around town full of these unemployed, uneducated, frequently drunk kobolds who are all religious fanatics but only some of them are actually going to kill you. And the party just got MAXIMUM TENSION the entire time waiting for something to happen which never quite did.
For instance, a bunch of kobold children started throwing rocks. And they weren't supposed to shoot children because "this war will only end if we win their hearts and minds" but like some of those rocks did real damage you little shits!
And then they find this kobold selling bootleg DVDs out of a wagon, and one party member bought all 1000 DVDs for like 50GP and that kobold became KING OF EVERYTHING and became a recurring NPC who traveled around in a Sedan chair carried by kobold supermodels (not that anyone could tell).
Later they stumbled upon a humanitarian aid station being guaded by PMCs who are extremely bitter and jaded. The aid station handed out food (little fruit cups) if you stood in line for 4 hours, and the kobolds regularly fought eachother for line fraud and the PMCs had to stop it from becoming a riot and swarming the aid station. They ended up beating one starving kobold until his teeth were knocked out for trying to cut in line- which satisfied the rest of the kobolds. But the party took sympathy and the medic tried to fix him up a bit, then dragged him to an alley somewhere to recover.
Later they'd find these chubby kobolds in makeup like cake frosting, smoking and offering "we sit you egg long time!"
No combat that day. Just kept the players on edge the entire damn patrol. They wanted realistic, they got it.
>>46374953
I had one game where we all started in the brig of a pirate ship.
It was a good start, but the DM sperged out about an hour into the game when we got pissed he had us rolling perception checks just to see doors and hatches along a hallway.
>>46375919
No, I think they're unhelpful suggestions that take up space congratulating themselves on how clever they are when what I desire is actually inventive campaign openers.
>>46376919
It's alright anon.
>>46374953
So,you`re in a denny`s
>>46377000
You wake up in a monster's cave. Only the (other players seem) to be alive. You don't know what the monster is, but you don't want to stick around and find out.
So.
The ship is sinking and you're all chained together along with another dozen or so slaves.
You are in an elevator. If Jeff wouldn't have showed up, it wouldn't be so cramped in there.
You're all in a chain-gang together. You've just escaped & are now on the run together. You'll probably become decent enough friends by the time you remove the chains to stick together afterwards.
You all gather in front of the boarded up tavern, intent on battling the creatures that now live within
I'm fond of the "So you've been in jail since last night" opening. Have everyone introduce and describe their character and then come up with a reason for being jailed, justified or otherwise.
Jailbreaks are also a fun teambuilding exercise.
you are inside a hole
>>46374953
So, you wake up in what you think is your bedroom roused by the snores of not one, but four strangers strewn haphazardly across and around your bedroom.
You're wearing full armor, you're soaked in someone else's flood head to toe, and you have a killer hangover.
As you raise your left hand to block out the aggressive morning light you hear three loud thumps outside your door.
"TOWN GUARD. OPEN UP. WE HAVE A WARRANT."
>>46374953
Each of you was arrested last night; maybe lawfully, maybe not. You spend the remainder of the evening in a very secure cell, and in the morning you are each lead out into a grand arena. The crowd roars as you, the ragtag band of recently arrested criminals, is pit against two manticores. They are weakened from captivity but starved and ravenous.
Then they can figure out a way to escape, fighting their way out of a hostile city and/or confronting the corrupt lord that's been gathering up travelers to feed to his captive beasts.
>>46374979
>>46375007
>>46375458
All of these, simultaneously.
>>46374953
I'm a big fan of throwing it back on the players for that.
>"you wake up in a field. You're sore, but no visible wounds. Several others [the PCs] are nearby, also waking up groggily. How might you have gotten here? What do you do?"
>>46374953
So you're all in the middle of a swinger party/ orgy/ foursome on the bed, invited by the she captain of the town guard.
>>46374953
"You all start in an inn"
"You all start in a roadhouse"
"You all start in a pub"
>Your characters are all hurting for cash
>enter a sports game the nobles hold to win some cash
>get teamed up with the rest of the party
>these ain't normal sports
>these be hardcore death games and sheit
What I used for my current campaign
>>46380307
Thats pretty neat
>>46374953
>cliche
Doesn't matter. A week from now, some superjaded edgelord will claim that the new /tg/ intro is "played out" and demand /tg/ contrive a better one for them on the spot. Hipster bitches like OP are just high-maintenance parasites with constant demands - like math. I'm not your therapist, math. Solve your own damned problems.
>>46376966
I like how the bard in your picture is just chilling with the dragon in the corner
pic related
>>46380453
Thanks, babe
>>46374953
>The night is young, the last errant rays of the of the blood-red sun still clinging to the horizon like a drowning man to a minuscule straw before the depths swallow him for good. It is an evening like any other - at least for the millions returning to the safety of their homes - but to a select few, the night holds far more sinister promises. Within a remote ally, a still-warm body bleeds out, its life's essence mingling with the light drizzle that has set in a few minutes ago.
Rate my edge.
>>46374953
You awake falling down a well
>>46380841
How you gonna wake up when you dead
wells are deep nigga
>>46380871
we would start every game like this, and the first turn was always everyone rolling to see how badly the fall fucked them up.
it was fun
>>46379963
Interesting. Might have to try that.
>>46374953
So you're all standing in line at the local fast food joint...
>>46380949
WHEN SUDDENLY BRAKNOR THE DESTROYER APPEARS FROM THE SKY
Your all on the same ship. There's a shipwreck.
Tavern can work you just have to do it right
Read the first issue of Demon Knights and it pretty much covers it. fate drags a bunch of super powerful assholes to a pub and suddenly dinosaurs burst through the walls forcing them to team up.
>>46374953
I think I got this idea from someone on here but I usually make each player come up with thier own reason for being at the place where they all end up meeting. This is usually where some kind of encounter happens, causing the party to instantly bond as they´re forced to join forces to overcome the challenge.
My party is also generally pretty cooperative and most of them enjoy roleplaying, so they´d probably contrive some reason to work together even if I was a shitty GM and just stuck them in a tavern at the start.
>>46379963
My DM just did that to us.
>>46374953
Classical:
>You approach the gate of a borderland fortress, far from the civilisation. The guard hails you. "Ho there, travelers! Who are you, and from whence do you hail?"
Anti-classical:
>Here are your character sheets and backgrounds. I'll give you fifteen minutes to study these and then we'll begin Scene I.
Transitional
>After reading your character backgrounds, I've decided to start the scenario in the Court of King Abanzous III. Of course, as lowly courtiers, you are unworthy of a royal audience - but the Keeper of the Royal Seal, Madjen Tahow has an interesting proposal for you...
Modern
>I've read your character backgrounds and they were very interesting. Where would you guys like to pick up the action?
Minimalist
>Everyone roll initiative!
Post-Warcraft
>After finishing your training, you all report to the adventurer's guild. A number of jobs are posted on the Quest Board. Here are your options:...
Action-hardcore:
>You've been robbed, beaten, and left for dead in the desert. But you did not die. Now you set out for revenge on the bandits who did this to you, and their leader - the golden-eyed man.
Neo-classical
>Fleeing the destruction of your homeland, you come to a battered outpost of humanity. From behind a flimsy barricade, a scarred and half-starving guard sneers at you. "Who the fuck are you and what have you got to offer?"
My DM usually spends a few minutes introducing each character, along with the last few steps they've taken to get to the current location where everyone is meeting. We had a D&D campaign that detailed how each character arrived at a frontier town, waiting for a caravan to head out. We had a Rogue Trader campaign where the details were how we were connected with the particular trader we all worked for. And then there was the one that started with, "So you inherited this creepy mansion from a recently discovered long lost uncle. Anything you want to take with you to its remote, mountaintop location?"
You're all serving the same military, stationed on an island, poised to ambush a group of enemy infantry. Suddenly, dinosaurs!
>>46374953
I always like to start out with something tragic happening.
My last group I went with the opening:
"As the flames glow under the moon light you look around at the other survivors of the dragon attack."
I also like to go with:
"You wake up on what seems to be a beach, you are all at half HP and have lost all your possessions not on your person"
Really throws new groups for a loop.
>>46376120
>The rattling has injured you.
>Your legs are broken.
>>46381407
How did it turn out?
>>46375227
There is a reason it's a joke anon.
>>46381992
I've seen written adventures that start that way but they generally escalate pretty rapidly. The most notable example has the tavern be cursed and stacked full of undead, with plenty of stage notes to help the DM run the module effectively as something other than a(nother) chance for the Cleric to be MVP.
Last game I was in
>A woman wailt through the night. Outside, it is cold and dark, a landscape of ice and howling winds.
>A child is pulled from her womb and she slumps in exhaustion.
>The child is immediately dragged from her side and brought before the father, a stern, stoic face caught in the consternation of his decision: Will this creature bear his nameor will it be thrown to the midden to feed the dogs?
>What does he see before him, held up in his hands?
>>46375760
10/10
So, you're all on a stagecoach travelling to the remote town of [X]. The other passengers are about as shifty looking as you are, and you have a feeling that it's going to be an interesting ride.
The shuttle door opens and the androids escort you to a terminal and seat you at the chair. You try to stand but a electric jolt sends a horrifying pain through your body until you sit down again.
The terminal reads:
>Greetings DEGENERATE. Place your palms on the console in front of you and state you full name after the tone. Non-compliance or incorrect answers will result in liberal application of pain inducers.
After you finish the manacles around your wrists unlock.
>Proceed to the next room where you will be issued a uniform. You will also meet with other selected DEGENERATES.
>You will be assigned a mission. If you survive, you will be given additional mission until you can no longer perform your duties.
>We can and will activate the pain inducers any time you think about disobeying your orders.
You think about making a break for it, and sure enough a crippling pain shoots through your body.
You're in a tavern and it's under attack.
"YOU ALL HUDDLE TOGETHER IN THE ESCAPE POD AS THE AIR LOCK SLAMS SHUT BEHIND YOU, AND YOU FEEL THE POD JOLT AS THE ENGINES KICK ON, SENDING YOU HURTLING TOWARD THE UNKNOWN PLANET. YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES BEFORE GRAVITY FORCES YOU DOWN, IF YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, DO IT NOW."
So you're all in an AA meeting...
>>46374953
In my most recent campaign, I added one player each session, going from 1 to 5 players. This wasn't my plan, they just joined that way. The first session was a very informal thing without a character sheet written up anyhow.
Session 1 - The goblin attacks and misses. What do you do? (Player lost to goblins, got captured, but was then freed on the condition that he would slay the monster in the cave (he had a couple of goblins to help).
Session 2 - Player 1 was out of the cave and walking to town. On his way, encountered the second player, a Dragonborn who was dealing with a racist halfling that unjustly believed Player 2 wanted to eat him. Dragonborn were very rare things. They get to town and venture into a small dungeon. Afterwards, they head to the much larger city nearby.
Session 3 - I ask Player 3 "Want to just be a native to this city they just got to?" "Sure." And so he joined the group when an NPC the party had met showed up and said "I found and recruited this guy to help on the quest. He's a Paladin, so he should prove helpful."
Session 4 - Due to my liberal giving of magical items, the party summoned a dungeon inside their dungeon in the middle of session 3. Thus, session 4 was entirely inside the second dungeon so the to introduce the new player, I made a weird trap of "teleport random things into this room." Once triggered, a bear, a hostile orc, a crate of wine, a cat, a few rusty swords, and Player 4 suddenly appear in the room, teleported away from wherever they were.
Session 5 - Party's goal was to become more powerful to defeat the big bad. So, they went to a tavern to look for quests. That's where people that have quests go, after all. A Drow lurking in the corner offers them a quest to save the giant spider habitat. Player 5 overhears & joins in.
>>46374953
My first game started off with the different characters being forcibly conscripted. We made our characters with that in mind so I thought it worked pretty well
>>46382246
Player 5 dropped eventually. He was the sort to play video games when not his turn & eventually just quit coming altogether (but Player 4 was his roommate so we still played in his living room). Anyhow,
Session ??? - A friend showed up so we made him a quick 'n' simple character, a Barbarian. Around this time, the party was in the arctic, about to fight a giant snake monster. Shortly after the fight, the Barbarian came out of the woodwork to help. Why? He enjoyed the hunt. By slaying a powerful foe, he can earn his name. This was the backstory that the player made up on the spot. The other players called him "Snowflake" and it stuck. As it would happen, the session ended in The Beastlands, where Snowflake decided to stay.
So basically, I would just be like "You are in situation X, ad lib why and how."
Player 1 started out traveling through a cave. It was later established that this was to get to the big hub city where the Arcane College was. The Barbarian came up with a solid reason on-the-spot. He had a good reason for exit, too. When Player 5 quit, he just walked into a bar & never walked out. He stayed there forever with not-master-roshi drinking and whatnot. Not as exciting, but it fit the way the player quit the campaign. The player that was teleported into a dungeon didn't have much room for say "why" they were there, but they did have to say why they were in the vicinity of a dungeon to get teleported into it.
>>46374953
>You all meet at the bottom of a dungeon. coincidentally, you all arrive at the lich's lair at the same time. Under your combined might, he was no problem.
>Your new problem is that you don't remember your way back up the labyrinthine dungeon, and you really, really want to get to a tavern.
We start every adventure in a tavern.
Because my character's a drunkard.
>>46375040
I like that card thing.
The boat part, fuck that. I have had that happen more than the tavern
>>46382246
>In my most recent campaign, I added one player each session, going from 1 to 5 players
That's actually amazing, it's a shame you just got lucky and actually agreeing and doing this with a group of players would be pretty hard.
>>46382153
Reminds me of Half-Life 2, favorably. How are they going to get out, though, if they have shit implanted in their brain? That just sounds like a dead end to me, in terms of agency.
>What are some other ways of starting off an adventure without the cliche "so you're in a tavern" hook?
I'll just list you some. These work best when it's online on skype etc. so you can hide info from players easier and/or let only some players know stuff.Spoilers are what the players don't immediately know. Non-spoilers are what the players assume/know.
>Fantasy
You all start in an inn. You are not aware of eachother's characters.None of you are in the same one.
>Sci-Fi, not space
The PCs become aware of local happenings by just browsing the internet and then do whatever they want to do.The news were specifically targeted in a way so that they would read them no matter what they did, similar to Watch_Dogs' Bellwether, and they would be lead to trying to kill someone etc. even though he's innocent so that you would be pawns for someone else. Free assassination, perfect crime for someone.
>Space
You all work on a spaceship, either hired or as a part of the military.The ship is destroyed in a battle or by accident / pirates, and you are presumed dead. In reality, you managed to escape in the same pod but the pod's comms were damaged, and you're now stuck on a planet with very few inhabitants and a dangerous environment. Whatever you do now is up to you.
>CoC/Mystery (No supernaturally gifted player characters)
You receive a letter in the mail inviting you to a meeting that's solving the mystery, and you're hired for your skills.Your first case is total bullshit and not an actual mystery/supernatural crap. It's only later when shit actually starts happening when you realize you need help you start contacting one another, because they're the only people crazy enough to help you anyways.
Also
>>46375980
>Player A has to separately roll awareness to notice his entire house is fucking gone
I sure didn't have to roll separately to notice my sides were gone
>>46374953
>So, you've been running this tavern (because)
>So, you got thrown out of this tavern.
>So, you inherited a tavern.
>So, you're trapped in this tavern (time loop).
>So, you see a tavern in the distance (it's cold outside).
>So the entire world consists of this tavern you're in.
>So, all taverns in the world have mysteriously vanished.
>So, taverns. Am I right or am I right?
>So, you've finally arrived and the largest taven in the world.
>So, this is supposed to have the best tavern food in the city.
>So, its 10c wings at the Tavern tonight, wanna go?
>So, you've been charged with burning down every tavern in the world. So adventurers have no where to meet. (evil party)
Taverns dont have to be just taverns op.
>>46382323
>conscripted
My first game GMing was a draft too.
>>46382935
The Human Compliance Suite™ operates off batteries which do eventually run out.
Failure to report to a Human Compliance officer to have new batteries surgically implanted will result in severe disciplinary action.
>>46374953
So, you're at a friend's house playing board games, when suddenly, a goblin throws a brick through the window and ruins your game.
>>46383364
>group is ordered to kill a bunch of rogue humans outside the city, adults and children
>batteries run out on the way there with no warning or notification
>they are so trained to obey orders they massacre the town, but feel really terrible about it
>and it isn't until they are checking back in for the next mission that they are told the batteries had expired
>but well done on obeying orders anyway! report to the compliance officer for some new batteries
It is the final day that this world may exist.
Despite this, there was a carnival.
After a night of parties you and your group wake up before the sun rises.
The magic timer says you have 23 hours until the end of the world.
23 hours to save the world.
Good luck.
>>46374953
So, you're all in a prison cell.The last thing they all remember is being in a tavern together.
The party to be is waiting in line at the local unemployment center.
A clerk shouts "NEXT FIVE TO WINDOW 23" and the party marches on. At window 23 they are all given paperwork for a job and told to introduce themselves.
Their job is track and find people and objects who go missing, but often these quests are no easy task and take months to track down their target, so there is a lot of adventure along the way.
In time they earn a lot of recognition for what they do, and are asked to track down more important people and more valuable things. After a few years they've all made enough coin to live a very comfortable lifestyle.
>>46374953
My last (good) campaign started with each of the characters standing in front of a job board... that was posted on the outside of a tavern. I'd set it up so that each of them was in desperate need of a lot of quick coin. We had a wizard who needed to pay off his student debt to a wizarding university, a thief who owed money to the mob, and a fighter who broke a man's arm in a tavern brawl and had to cover the cost of the spell to repair it. There were several quests available to them, all lucrative enough to pay off their debts with a little left over, but none of them easy enough for one person to do alone. The party thus got together out of necessity, learned a little of each other from the first job, and by the end of it they were friends.
It was a lot of fun. I prepared several short adventures with varying degrees of combat, social interaction, and exploration. Which one they chose, and what they focused on during that adventure, was a good litmus test for what the group wanted from the game as a whole. I used that information to orient the rest of the game to suit the group's tastes. They liked combat to be quick and flashy, they enjoyed character-driven adventure over plot-driven, and they wanted a few good set-piece locations rather than a huge sprawling world to explore.
The way I see it, starting up a campaign isn't about the premise, or how the characters meet. It's about giving players options and learning what they want out of the game through those choices.
>>46374953
You meet in a FOREST!
...?
>You're all in the men's bathroom at a dive bar
>Led zeppelin - Immigrant Song
>>46375691
Underrated
>>46384244
What if there are female characters in the party?
>>46384389
Even better anon!
>>46384577
>you aren't even doing sexual shit or anything. the party needed privacy for a group meeting and the men's handicap stall was the best option
>>46384616
Yeah that could lead to a lot of funny moments or awkward ones
The cold water splashes on your face, waking you up. Your hands are bonded behind the chair you are sitting in. The man drops the bucket. "Information! Now!" He spits in your face and punches you in your stomache. "I said information!"
I hate peaceful tavernshit. I want my players to panic a little.
>>46375691
Assuming creature's anatomy is somewhat akin to real world animals, that only really works for 3 or less players.
You're riding in an open topped convertible while the backseat passenger is shot in his head. His wife screams.
Who else wants to play Presidents and Perishing?
So
Youre all at a friends house getting ready to play cubicles and computers when...
>>46384848
...another friend who barges in and wants to play bunkers and badasses.
You are all naked in a sauna...
>>46384925
And your friends dad shows up, complaining
>son when are you going to join the horde like a real orc?
>>46374953
I like the idea of starting in the front lines of a war between nobles.
Like -POW-
Tthe horn blows and a band of Knights are driven to the ground by the orcish horde. 30 yatds from the fighting your Sergeant commands for calm, waiting for the order to commit the auxiliaries, when suddenly a brutish mounted orc escapes the melee and charges down your Sergeant, leaving his entrails hanging from its crudely fashioned spear.
>>46384986
>Dad! I don't want o join the horde! It's filled with violence, racism, and it's controlled by the Orciarchy! Orcita Orchesian says that!
>>46384986
because working with green jesus means I can't enjoy my neutrality working for the Black Talons.
>>46374953
You all meet at welfare queue.
>>46374953
I'm going to be dm'ing a new campaign soon.
The campaign is based around working your way up through the ranks of an adventuring guild.
My plan is to have my players make higher level characters, then play through a one session one-off, highlighting how badass their characters are. I am then going to start the next session by having them create new low level characters, and (unbeknownst to them) have their previous characters turn up as major npc's.
>>46381490
>>After finishing your training, you all report to the adventurer's guild. A number of jobs are posted on the Quest Board. Here are your options:...
I threw up a little. I seriously hope no one actually does this.
>>46381490
Absurdist:
>You meet on the side of a road. A messenger arrives and informs you that the questgiver will arrive tomorrow. You are not sure if he is being truthful. You are all wearing hats.
>What are some other ways of starting off an adventure without the cliche "so you're in a tavern" hook?
THE ORGY HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED BY SOMETHING THAT DEFINITELY WASN'T THE GOOD KIND OF SCREAMING
>>46376078
The opening line of Dresden Files book Six, Blood Rites.
I might be slightly misquoting but it's something like "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault."; the character has a history of wanton arson, so the claim is immediately suspect even if true.
>Stand up. There you go. You were dreaming. Not even last night's storm could wake you.
>>46375074
Puritanical hobgoblins, come to purge this degenerate den of sin.
>>46375850
I dunno anon >>46375345
having people shooting at you from moment 1 seems like a fairly notable change
>>46374953
Planning on having my players all be captured by a town sheriff "who dun like strangers in mah town" but has a job that needs doing. Largely first time players and me first time DM
Is this a good idea?
>>46386522
Only if you think that your players can handle that. Seriously.
Some groups have people that just can't handle the idea of getting captured. May be a pride thing, may be a matter of taste on heroic (or non-heroic) fiction.
By all means, go for it. I would find that quite interesting. But make sure your players can handle it, and make sure that you make it a convincing event--actual reasons that they'd surrender for/to, as opposed to a cutscene that just says "you surrender."
>>46380501
Show me on the doll where the gritty reboot touched you.
>>46386834
Right on the nostalgia, mister.
>>46374953
The Pcs wake up on a pentagram of blood with a blinding flash. A hooded figure is nearby claiming they are demons he summoned.
>>46384738
>"Information! Now!"
So help me, my first thought was, "You Are Here. The Food Court is on the second floor. The mall will close at ten o'clock."
My teeth are going to end up in my lap, aren't they?
>>46374953
Depends on player investment and how involved in backstories you want to get, but I normally like to start new fantasy campaigns with a bunch of characters who signed on to guard the same caravan.
I normally require a backstory reason for leaving home, criminality, poor conditions, whatever, and try to have the characters get to know each other as much as possible during the caravan trip to their destination.
Then the trader or whoever owns the caravan, pays them, and they're left alone in a new city.
I had one DM who just declared we were all in the army and shipped to the same god-forsaken outpost, so decide why you were stupid enough to join the army.
Another DM had a mini-session with each of us where he discussed our character concept, and it dovetailed nicely into scenes that threw us all together on the same road.
>>46375850
>>46375729
Idiots think doing something new for the sake of something new is inherently good.
Creativity is only a good thing when what you're doing is better than the standard, or may be the first step in learning something better. The rest of the time it's just jacking off because a person thinks doing something different means they're better than everyone else.
To follow the cookie analogy, this shit is someone not wanting to make chocolate chip cookies, and using m&ms instead. It's the same damn cookie, you're still starting the players in basically the same circumstance, you just think you're doing something better because theres been a set change.
Real originality would be making snickerdoodles, or heaven help me, kolache.
>>46375345
>fever ar 102
Holy shit, death should occur at about 44 degrees. Dude should be a boiling puddly by the time he hits 100.
>>46376168
I'm stealing this.
>>46387122
ferinheight
>>46385907
My old friend.
>>46376919
It's a stereotype for a reason. Most parties are composed of people who don't really fit in civilized society, and tend to drift from place to place. It's hard to have people meet while adrift, and these types are most commonly going to be found in a place that gives them a cheap, temporary place to rest between jobs. A tavern.
There's nothing bad about it, OP, and many players get tired of having the same start every adventure. Your first game though? It's perfect.
>>46380975
and joins the queue.
start in the heat of battle with an enemy just barely missing one of the players with their ax or with an arrow
>>46374953
So, there's a tavern in all of you. Roll Fortitude.
The ministry of fate and forseeing is gathering everyone whk looks like [enter the description of a pc]. Because a prophecy has foretold how [same pc] along with [ description of the party] will someday save the world.
You come to the castle and are dorted together along with 100 other parties. You are told that you may or may not be the chosen one. You are given some standard equipment and sent into the wild. You are to report to ministry after every notable fear to see if you are the chosen one. Many parties are wiped out but some survive.
Maybe you ARE the chosen one. Maybe you arent
>>46374953
You all meet at a barrister.
>>46385690
I take off my hat and examine the inside.
I also remove my shoes. They are too small for me.
> You are all sitting in the back of [vehicle].
> A local [transport person] has picked you up thia morning, you it is noon now, and the sun is bright.
>"It's quite the distance to [City name] still, why don't you get comfortable back there? You lot been sitting stiff as a [noble/rich person]." He says.
> "Anyways, what do you lads want to do in [city name] anyways? It's a hard place..."
> Why don't you introduce yourself to the others?
>>46387152
> using the worst unit to measure temperature
That's not 0K
>>46388650
If a blue cat decides to introduce himself to the party while they are getting buddy buddy in character, I will punch the DM in the face.
>>46374953
So, you're all in a stuffer shack
>>46388832
And a gang of halloweeners is trying to rob the place
one of the orc thugs wearing fake skulls on his belt is pointing a shotgun in your general direction. He looks out of his mind, clearly suffering the effects of BTL withdrawal.
what do you do?
>>46374953
You're all a tavern. Everyone is Bar.
I am starting a new campaign soon and I have my three players meeting up in some town like so:
one player is a traveling charlatan rogue who hops from town to town swindling people of their shit. This town is his next mark, and he's currently fleecing it dry
the other player is a lychanthrope fighter who can't control his transformations and thus is a complete outcast from all society. He takes refuge in the forest nearby this town and is squeaking by and surviving by occasionally stealing sheep, pigs etc from the nearby farms.
Numerous glimpses of a wolf-man in the nearby woods have lead to a local legend being created amongst the peasentry. This attracts the attention of a traveling ranger, who wants to put the beast down (or capture it) before it hurts someone.
The paths of all three will converge early on, and from their they'll set out on adventures together at the beheast of the local duke and his trusted wizard advisor.
After the little town session were they all meet up and do some shit I'll probably have them run a adapted mine of phandelver. Nothing special but it should be fun
>>46381728
>you are being made an example of
>the Feds are taking away your cyberlegs
>your legs have been taken
>you must now walk like a puny human
And then he tries to befriend human beings but fails hilariously because he cannot relate.
>>46383070
>I sure didn't have to roll separately to notice my sides were gone
My father once had a tent burn down while he was in the military.
He and a few guys were inside, sleeping. Suddenly they woke up and saw the night sky.
>>46388650
>You are all sitting in the back of a jeep. Your hands are bound and dark hoods cover your heads, blocking your vision. The vehicle comes to a stop and you hear a man say, "Dr. Pavel, I'm CIA."
>>46374953
>So you're being escorted to the gallows.
My fav.
>>46374953
You're in line at an employment center when a man walks in and says, "I need a few good men to crew my merchant ship. Who's interested?"Had that happen to me once.
>>46376966
I was just about to say what >>46380528 said.
>>46376968
Are the characters your players play really that bad?
>so you're all inside of an S-Mart
>>46379839
I like jailbreaks. It's pretty neat.
>>46379878
Sounds like my kinda bard.
What floor are we on then?
>>46380307
I think it's good for newbies, so they get a hang of combat mechanics.
>>46381350
I think this is great. Good introductions for newbies to get a good grip on how combat works in a new system.
>>46376342
>Roll for intimidation
>Nat 1
>"IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY PAINFUL"
>"YOU'RE A BIG G-"
>"FOR YOU."
>"..."
>"..."
>"..."
>"..."
>"WAS GETTING CAUGHT PART OF YOUR PLAN?"
>>46387503
Great... now I have the stinking breath of death and shit all over my back.
>>46389932Did you say yes?
>>46376793
Or the guy being executed tells the world how he left all his treasure in one piece, waiting for someone to find it
You're walking in the woods
There's no one around and your phone is dead
Out of the corner of your eye you spot him:
Shia LaBeouf.
He's following you, about 30 feet back
He gets down on all fours and breaks into a sprint
He's gaining on you
Shia LaBeouf
You're looking for your car but you're all turned around
He's almost upon you now and you can see there's blood on his face
My God, there's blood everywhere!
![[Dwarfing intensifies].png](https://i.imgur.com/8GqITYd.png "[Dwarfing intensifies].png")
>>46374953
>"So you're in a prison cell, you're fairly sure you're innocent but you know you're not exactly saints."
Could make their prison stay just a misunderstanding.
Or they're all scheduled for execution and need to get the fuck out.
Or some ARE innocent and will get out, while others are criminals that have to be freed.
>>46389751
>So you're being escorted to the gallows.
>Lawful Good paladin character is there too
>since he believes in the rule of law, he won't resist and ends up dangling
Depends on the characters. Give the GM 3-4 one sentence character descriptions and they should be able to construct something.
In fact I'd like to prove it here but trying to take over this thread would be cunty.
>>46391041
If he is lawful good he's innocent. In which case being hanged would not serve the intent of the law, even worse, mean somebody else can avoid the punishment for his crime.
Being lawful good doesn't make you stupid.
You find yourself in the middle of the woods, completely clueless as to why the hell you're here
You seem to be wearing less than you usually do, and you seem to be missing some coins, although you still have a good portion of your original wealth with you (if any)
Around you are your party members, equally confused and disclothed as you are; what do you do?
>>46374953
I once had a party fighting as slaves in an arena in not! Constantinople. When the Nika riots broke out, they stole a ship and fled. I'm a little annoyed that none of my players called me out on borrowing historical events.
>>46375007
I hate his April fool jokes.
He got me this year.
>>46375026
This is a nice intro, I might steal it for the next campaign
>>46374953
I had all of my party members approached by a shady looking guy who passed them a note "inviting" them to a meetings with the head of the local crime syndicate. Those who ignored it were kidnapped.
>>46385690
You're my favourite.
>>46374953
Players have been hired on as guards for travelling merchants. Gives a good way to have a big mix of party member origins, since the caravan stopped at multiple places.
>>46374953
"So, you're all standing outside a tavern."
>>46374966
"The Gang Levels Up"
My favorite was the Forgotten Realms game I ran where all the characters met in a tavern, but not together. They didn't come together until they woke up the next day after being drugged and realize they've been press ganged into an army unit during Lord Lashlan's conquest of the Dalelands.
>You all wake up in the Princess' bed as the morning light creeps through her windows. The sheets are sticky and she's fast asleep. You're all naked and none of you can remember what happened last night. You hear the guards pounding on the door.
>>46394524
>in the end it turns out they saved the princess from a gelatinous cube assassin
You are in [place] and something is chasing you. What is it?
>>46374953
You're all rocketing through the sky, heading straight towards a tavern
>>46391041
In addition to>>46391346, lawful also means he follows a personal code, which can be at odds with the law of the land. If the lawful character's code says "always be armed" and the law of the land says "being armed is punishable by death", the lawful character would be entirely in character 1) disregarding the law and 2) resisting when arrested
>>46394861
depends on the edition desu
>>46394524
>the entire party is female
Maybe we can bluff that it was just a sleepover?
>>46377016
I have literally had three different games start this way. Any super hero game my group plays does this, all because of a PC in a villains game became a villain by ordering four orders of fries at Denny's and the leaving without eating or paying for them.
"So you are all being chased into a tavern by a Candarian demon."
>>46374953
>"So the Duke was murdered, and all of you are suspect for one reason or another."
>>46395174
You bastard!
I had one campaign start in a novel way, the dwarf noble fighter was accompanying his cousin to a business meeting where he was buying some illicit products with the rogue acting as the seller, the town guard ranger was eavesdropping on the meeting detective style, and the bard wound up sparking the first encounter involving the party as he was running away from a scorned lover's husband and his goons, right into the guard. The fight ensued and everyone but the party was dead as the guards showed up. The entire party was banished from the town and there began the adventure.
You wake up weaponless, hanging from the ceiling by your feet in some basement
In medias res. You all already know each other and are on a job together
>>46396392
You wake up and see your body's internals stretched across an entire room.
You can actually see your exposed brain with your disembodied but still physically connected eyes.
Time for your magic exam.
>>46375331
Cliches are less about prevalence and more about use in genre-defining works. For instance, the Lord of the Rings' actual quest essentially starts in the Prancing Pony tavern. Many derivative works started in a tavern in reference to (or, if you're less charitable, ripped off from) LOTR.
It's sorta like killing rats in a cellar. It's the stereotypical first RPG quest, but I don't think anyone outside of deliberate parody actually does it.
I'd say most adventures start in a context-dependent location with the party vaguely knowing each other.
>>46396776
>It's sorta like killing rats in a cellar. It's the stereotypical first RPG quest, but I don't think anyone outside of deliberate parody actually does it.
Oh, so that's why the first kill quest in Siege of Avalon is to kill giant spiders in a cellar in the castle.
My games are almost always started in media res, with the PCs going somewhere when suddenly they're attacked.
My first game was d20 modern, the PCs were a detective, a private eye, and the master thief handcuffed in the back of their car heading down the highway to the precinct house when suddenly the traffic in front of them swerved and parted to reveal a tank rolling up the road towards them, flanked by four guys on motorcycles.
The first game I ever finished started with the players on an airship to return an amulet they'd been tasked with finding when they were attacked by an assassin riding a hang glider.
The party is traveling to the middle of the desert to bury their dearly departed friend when suddenly a goblin wizard teleports in with a squad of goblin archers and turns their friend's corpse into a skeleton to steal the sword he was going to be buried with.
The party is returning to the castle with the princess's stolen locket when they come across a wedding party in the middle of the road. Everybody there has been brutally murdered, and from all appearances, it seems the happy couple did the deed before turning on each other.
The party is on an airship that suddenly and mysteriously gets shot down (this one happens a lot).
My next game is going to be the party on a train that gets robbed, I think.
>>46387118
>To follow the cookie analogy, this shit is someone not wanting to make chocolate chip cookies, and using m&ms instead. It's the same damn cookie, you're still starting the players in basically the same circumstance, you just think you're doing something better because theres been a set change.
You do realize all the different takes on the tavern entrances are jokes, right?
It's just a response to OP's question being fucking stupid.
>>46396801
In Oblivion, the first Fighter's Guild quest is saving the rats in the cellar for a crazy old lady. I believe it was a mountain lion breaking into the cellar somehow? Been a while.
>>46396831
Also, M&M cookies are TOTALLY different from chocolate chip cookies.
>>46396831
>It's just a response to OP's question being fucking stupid.
This.
It's like saying "I want cookies but I don't like chocolate chip. What are some other cookies?"
What, you want us to list literally every single fucking cookie in the world besides chocolate chip? Start literally anywhere else in the world besides a tavern.
That's why we're making tavern jokes.
Last night, while you were busy campaigning against the prevalence of taverns in fiction (kids can be so impressionistic, you know), something interesting happened at the local tavern. It's your party's job to investigate the aftermath.
>>46376978
So you had a game set in Iraq and made the Iraqis kobolds.
It's not a bad idea, but it sounds like such a strong theme I wonder why you bothered calling them kobolds instead of just setting it in Iraq. Were there other fantasy elements?
>>46374953
>You wake up in a basement, tied up and ballgagged
>>46376966
Opened the thread to say this. Why not a tavern? It's just a convenient, accessible location where you're reasonably sure most expected PC archetypes would have in common. "Tavern" is practically just a euphemism for a public location the party congregates in.
>>46374953
"After a recent... misunderstanding, with the local constabulary, honest, you were in no way responsible for the riot, you find yourselves in an immensely uncomfortable position of being under arrest. In this particular case, being arrested involves having all of your ankles chained together, and wearing awkwardly large wooden yokes around your necks, with your wrists secured in iron manacles at either side of your head, a bit like this.
Currently, the four of you are being made to stand in city hall, kept on your feet by the ever present boot of your guard. You were summoned this morning, and then told to wait in the entry hall while more important business was dealt with. That was eleven hours ago, and while you've been under guard, you've watched as merchants, legislators, messengers, citizens and foreigners have come and gone. You saw the rosy fingers of dawn streaming in through the eastern windows transition through the morning to the late afternoon, and now a hint of orange is beginning to turn in the west, all this and you have had neither food nor water since the previous night.
But, at long last, someone has spoken to your captor, and it seems he is prepared to speak to you...
>>46387122
>but muh logical smooth sailing
>>46388696
Fahrenheit is more accurate for temperature's effect on bodies you dumb shit
