What are the most common ways to start off a D&D campaign?
I'm not looking for the most creative or original ways to introduce the party during the first session, I'm just looking for the most typical.
>Tavern
Starting off in a tavern is the classic. There may be a tavern brawl involved, or a cloaked figure in a darkened corner waiting to dispense quests or rumors.
>Prison
The party starts meets in a prison cell. They may start out with all their equipment confiscated.
>Dungeon Entrance
The party simply starts out at the entrance of a dungeon and goes right in. Simple. Direct.
Anything to add?
>On the road
Traveling is slow when you don't have a steed, and you became friends headed for the next village / cave / whatever.
>>47175621
This.
Except, on the run from provincial authorities.
1. There's already an antagonistic group in play.
2. Stealth and vigilance are mandatory.
3. The importance of the immediate objective is self-evident.
4. Jolly Co-op is devoutly to be encouraged.
>On a ship
Nowhere else to go, destination can be literally anywhere, lots of potential for random encounters, lots of time to get to know each other, good chance to introduce NPCs
>>47175084
>You all meet in the queue at the local cleric to rid yourself of last night's stds from visiting the brothel
Gathering silently, one by one on the windswept ashen plains. None of you know each other and no words are exchanged, you only know that you all have the same mission; kill the BBEG.
Throw them into a situation and ask "what brought you to this point".
Or start them any old place and go around the table asking "why have you taken up a life of adventure with this lot instead of settling down in your home town".
>>47177256
but what if one of the PC's is female?
>>47180184
Not the guy ur talking to but think about this.
OIL
Oil is a 3 letter word
3+3 is 6
6 is found 3 times in the devil
6 6 6
6X3 = 18
18 is the legal age a person can join the army
Army
Army is a 4 letter word
Do you know what else is a 4 letter word?
Iraq
The army goes to Iraq and the Middle East to get oil.
Iraq has 4 letters and oil has 3 letters
4+3= 7
7 can correspond with the G in masonry
G is in the center of the compass
Do you know what else is in the center of a shape?
That's right the eye in the triangle
The shape of the eye is a circle and the shape of the letter O is a circle
So oil is illuminati confirmed
>>47180204
...dafuq did i just read?
Everyone wakes up very sore in a basement of a tavern with splitting headaches and no memory of the previous night. Also they are in an unfamiliar town and most of their worldly possessions are missing. They really ought to drink less.
I generally use this
>On route to first dungeon
>Hired by employer before hand
>Most characters meet for the first time on journey
Change set-up accordingly to reflect genre
>>47175084
My favorite is a Mayor/lord/king/wizard/priest/whatever who put out a notice for a call for adventurers to see exciting things and find exotic treasures while combating the (Phil N. Blanc) menace, and all who are interested should report to some town square somewhere or something and the PCs pick each other out of the crowd of hopeless dipshits who showed up.
>>47180216
goback2memebase etc.
>>47180204
Breddy gud, but 3+3=6 doesn't flow well. You need to introduce a second three, or a two for 3x2=6 in order to make it work.
My current homebrew began in a carriage. The Cleric had hired the Rogue and the Barbarian as body guards
>>47182030
I had some issues with my previous campaign as a DM when I made the Druid recruit "a group of teenagers with attitude" to save the world. It felt like the Druid was the main character and the other players, I think, felt left out.
Anyone got any ideas to prevent this?
