They may have decent food and cheap booze, but MAN are they overdone! We need some new ways to open a campaign! List any and all ideas you guys have to start off with a bang!
I'll start:
You are floating on a piece of flotsam off of the Sword Coast after mages attacked the pleasure cruise you were on. You and the other survivors (party members) have to either find a way to float home or signal a lifeboat before starting the rest of the campaign.
The best start to a campaign I experienced was started off as passengers on a cargo ship. Of course, the first 30 minutes were fine and we got to introduce our characters. Then a storm hit and the entire ship's crew abandoned the sinking ship with their precious cargo and left us behind. cue six inexperienced adventurers who barely know each other trying to find a safe way of the ship and then trying to survive on a small island and the sea for several days while bonding over their hate for that damned captain.
Basically–>travelling method players can't just get off from at will+ disaster+ common hate for a minor/ major NPC
I haven't actually dmed yet, but I have some ideas.
A mining cave, deep into the side of a deserted mountain. But the mountain isn't actually deserted, just deserted by domesticated species. They all wake up, tied to large rocks with little memories of how they got there or what they were doing beforhand.
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Once I had mine start in the middle of the ocean.
But also in a marketplace looking for things would work
I started a group off in jail. They had to break out and make their way to a safe haven, a local tavern called The Toad Stool. Our story ended where most stories begin.
I started a group off in jail. They had to break out and make their way to a safe haven, a local tavern called The Toad Stool. Our story ended where most stories begin.
Ours started in a prison as well. All of use were basically bat sh!t crazy so it made sense and we have slowly became better. We were also broken out to be used to frame a raid on a village.
The best start I had was right into the story.
My characters had just finished setting up camp. We had heard some rumors about the land being currupted and we were heading that way to check it out.
My sister's character had seen the light of our fire and came to investigate. Just as she got into the clearing monsters attacked, we fought them off, introduced ourselves, and joined up. The story continued from there.
(Now we also have an adorable half Dark One half Fairy, two light war horses, a dire deer, and a war dog.)