D&D Players, What's your favorite way to start the first session of a new campaign?

What's your favorite way to start the first session of a new campaign?
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Title: "What's your favorite way to start the first session of a new campaign?"
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[@dr4c0r3x5]

I isekaied my players into a wartime land, they woke up in a cart on their way to be executed. I basically Skyrimed them.

[@hannahmetzger4880]

Need more info, love Isekai. :3.

[@dr4c0r3x5]

@hannahmetzger4880 The first step was to find out everyone's real life stats; deadlifts for Strength, playing a round of darts for Dexterity, hotwing challenge for Constitution, algebra questions for Intelligence, Trivial Pursuit for Wisdom, and 2 Trust 1 Lie for Charisma. Second was to transcribe the stats and assign race; half-orc rouge(seriouly the guy was tall but also a ninja), elf druid(the guy was a stoner), dragonborn wizard(the guy would have damn near broke the game multiple times if I wasn't careful), and a gnome barbarian(pretty much an ADHD chihuahua in a meth pipe). Third was to set the sense; a bus full of people going down a mountian road when it loses control and falls down a cliff. And finally was to have them wake up in the cart.

[@vibechecker3168]

The classic guildhall/tavern is a classic. One of my favourite takes on this classic was when the DM had party being introduced in the middle of a Barfight. The Barbarian going through it like randy savage, The Bard playing freebird, the Rogue checking the pockets of the fallen, the ranger taking his drink away before getting swallowed by the comically large fight, and my Paladin glassing some random and body slamming another in the name of the conquering sun and 3 beers.

[@jesternario]

I will definitely use the bar fight idea. But not just start with initiative or whatever. Just go “you’re in a bar fight, what do you do?” and let the players get creative.

[@centric3125]

*The Bard hits part of the solo as the Barbarian starts pounding a dude's ribs like a drumset, the rogue slips under a table to snag some coins, the Ranger is upstairs on a balcony watching and drinking, and the Paladin is dual wielding bottles and yelling oaths to their God.*

[@soldierx345]

The druid is just a fly on the wall...

[@glennlewis505]

​@@soldierx345 somewhat literally I guess lol

[@MrEntaray]

I just had a Session 0, set the premise, let the players roleplay. They all just...prompty went to the tavern. I had nothing leading them there, they all just went to get some drinks. The Bard got the Wizard drunk, the Rogue pissed off a Paladin that was very full of himself, I got to introduce a Kobold that would help the party. It was a funny icebreaker that felt cliche but the party seemed to be having fun.

[@Acefdiamonds]

Pretty much the same with us

[@AmbitiousCanine]

I haven't played in a long time but when I was in high school, my friend and DM, started the whole party in a gladiator arena. We all were captured to fight or enslaved to the kingdom, so it was both a tutorial to feel things out as well as a reason for the party to work together and escape. We ended up rolling lucky and befriended the arena warden, who had some gripes about the current ruler so our first task was to investigate his wrongdoings. Unfortunately, it didn't last long after we all graduated, so we never got to see the end of the tale...

[@mattiekarwin3667]

One I tested recently: Have all the players start at level 0 with 3 different characters armed with the most basic tools and skills of a class. At the end of the tutorials, everyone picks which of the three they wish to play as properly. Its really good for new systems the group isn't the most familiar with. Lets everyone test out different skills and see which of the 3 they like the most. Bonus points: Its gives them 2 backup characters they're already attached too with automatic reasons to side with the party 'avenge my friend'. It was also weirdly good for roleplaying. Everyone had a lot of fun describing how their 3 all responded differently to situations, which got them all really into the characters they chose. Results may vary, especially with larger groups.

[@whatswiththisnewhandlesthing]

I'm running Strixhaven and in the intro session where they were doing orientation, I had cards all magically appear in their hands. I looked at one player and said "on your card there is a symbol of..." and then I roll a dice and pretend to look at a table. "A sun!". Next player, "on your card there is a picture of... oh, also a sun!" Third player "On your card is... oh wow, it's also the symbol of a sun". By the fourth they figured it was kinda a bit but of course I never fudged dice rolls after that. They were then instructed to form groups with other people sharing their symbol for the scavenger hunt orientation activity. It was a fun and cheeky way to get them together.

[@phobiawitch835]

Im actually planning a short game set in New Capenna, the 1920s Art Deco themed MtG setting. The party are from all 5 crime families (or have ties to them, such as debts) and are being called together to work on a job that all 5 Bosses, who HATE eachother, agree needs to be dealt with at rish of the delicate balance of power in the city getting shattered and unleashing chaos. Im thinking to, 1 by 1, ask where the players are and what they are doing as a Limousine or other car comes to pick them up and bring them to a Neutral Meeting point where a member of the Brokers and 1 or two other families will be waiting witu information on the job, and a Contract that none will betray this tenuous alliance for personal goals. Or something like that

[@somefrozendude3475]

I always play a bard/speech character who is a sort of ambassador, it always ends up being my character being hired and supplied with some guards. A mage, a scout, and/or a warrior. It works for everything so far.

[@thetwojohns6236]

So, in our current campaign, we rolled up their characters, all the while discussing choices and creating backstories. Once we were done, I started all the players in just another day in their not an adventurer life. Then, on each person's turn, a disastrous event that adds a twist to their stories happens, and by various means, they all land in a junk shop at the same time. Because they all entered in a similar fashion at a similar time, the junk dealer assumes they are all together and forces them from the shop, unhappy at having his shop disrupted by rude patrons. So they all met on the street with three things in common, they all just got thrown out of the shop, all they own is the clothes on their backs, and none of them are anywhere near home. Action. Edit : forgot context- current campaign

[@seanmcfadden3712]

I still haven't played, but I am getting closer to getting a group together, and I want to try running Wild Beyond The Witchlight. My idea is using the Lost Things adventure hook presented in the book. The party will be childhood friends, and I'd use a session 0 to get the players to choose their race, class, name, what was stolen from them 8 years ago at the Witchlight Fair, maybe a few backstory details based on early childhood. If anyone wants the Witchlight Hand background, this is also where they start traveling with the fair. Between session 0 and session 1, I will contact each player and work with them to flesh out what their character has been doing in the last 8 years. Session 1, the players (who aren't Witchlight Hands) feel drawn to the Witchlight Fair and meet around the entrance to the fair ground. At this point, I'll let them roleplay meeting up and whether or not they share what has been happening in their lives, like you do with old friends you haven't seen for ages. If a player is a Witchlight Hand, they don't get introduced until later, with their immediate superior discussing whether or not they have the day off for being back in their home realm. Probably very basic for the campaign, but I can definitely end up using some of the secret backstory information for ... interesting twists later.

[@NoRemorse0ddly]

Escaping an execution together. Even if the players haven't done anything illegal, odds are some corrupt offical was brided to put them infront of an arch squad, or someone from there past framed them from a crime they didn't commit. The reason they are their isn't the important part (unless they decide to make it important.) The important part is that they escape death together, creation bonds in what would otherwise be a bunch of strangers deciding to adventure together for the hell of it.

[@davalious5107]

I haven't used them but I've got two scenarios I'm fond of. First is a space station where the characters work, the alarms kick on out of nowhere and the havd to figure out what's going on and how to deal with/escape the situation. Second is all the characters getting flung across space and time one way or the other, only to arrive at the same place, some spacial nexus, and the all need to find a way back home

[@Badartist888]

They are friends looking to become adventurers. Local rumours give them some first quests (if you can even call them that, things like rumours of a treasure, or a grave). Then once they have a little bit of experience together some kind of incident to introduce them to a larger world. I got the inspiration for this from Princes of the Apocalpyse. While the Adventure is designed for level 3 characters when it really gets started there is a whole chapter devoted to little excursions and events that will get them from level 1 to 3 if you want to start at level 1. I do them not even as plot hooks but more as signs that the world is old and lived in. Perhaps some hints that there are other plots in the works. And I really like having the PCs be friends. It creates a better dynamic than a group of strangers looking for riches and glory. It also is a good transition from non-adventurer to adventurer. Rather than them being farm boys who are given an important quest or the like. They do a few deeds that gets them noticed as being a bit handy with a sword and daring.

[@BlackWolfessUSCM]

my sisters character and I were mercenaries hired to protect a treasure transport due for waterdeep. a a gang fo rogues attacked said caravan and made off with the loot leaving them to be blamed for the theft and on the run. this leads to them disocvi=ering an evil wizard who hired said rogues to help him over throw the waterdeep council

[@KC-dx3cy]

In the campaign I’m in now, our dm had us all in pairs before meeting up. The cleric and wizard were sent to guard a church’s basement library as a drill, the rogue (pretending to be a priest) and me (warlock) were sneaking into the same church through some sewers. The ranger and fighter were getting into a brawl with some knights in the tavern located above the underground rooms we were in. The way we ended up meeting was when the cleric and wizard found us, but before they could really do anything tremors broke through the ceiling, sending the fighter falling down to us as plant monsters started emerging from the ground. After we fought them most of the group got sort of arrested (held in the tavern) for being really suspicious and potentially associated with whatever just happened.

[@Bigal3031]

You wake up in a wagon hands and feet bound on chains. Surrounded by others in the same position. As your eyes open you hear "So you're finely awake."

[@billcox8870]

I came to in a prison cell and wound up escaping through a secret passage.

[@darkphoenix539]

You were traveling through dense forest when you head terrifying scream, you run towards the source only to discover fainted nobble surrounded by guards, few random individuals (other players) and remaining of what may be described as successful, seduction attempt of definitely to large creature - the "dragon" hunt begins

[@troperhghar9898]

A "mystery on the orient express" train with a murder mystery on the way to the first town Level 1 is a solid time for mysteries since the players only have basic skills

[@lexsamreeth8724]

I don't really have a set way of setting things up. In my last campaign, it was a twist on the old tavern trope - the place was technically a coffee shop that sold moonshine under the table, and they were all taking shelter from a riot that was going on in the prison city, since the ruler was mortally ill and without an heir. Another time, they were all riding in on a cart, looking to provide aid and security for a town suffering from a plague outbreak. And in my most ambitious project...they all woke up in an underground tomb, greeted by the archangel of the goddess of death, and being informed that they had died far before their allotted time under suspicious circumstances.

[@LocalMaple]

A festival or carnival. Rather than have everyone meet up at a tavern immediately, introduce them as people in the crowd. Show who they are and what they enjoy.

[@Skywarp2099]

I DM'd a Mass Effect storyline, using the Star Jammers manual to fill in the gaps. During the first session, the characters encountered a well dressed man sitting at a table beneath a spotlight. The rest of the area of pitch black. A deck of cards were shuffling own their own. When the players looked at one another, they wouldn't be able to make out each other's features. They're description was "shadowy figures shrouded in an unnatural haze." The man invited them to sit with him around the table. At this point, if someone attempted a check for arcana, knowledge, history, something relevant (I'm lenient), they'll recognize the deck isn't a normal deck of cards: It's the Deck of Many Things. This is how the conversation with our Ranger went, as I remembered: Man: "Care to test your character against the cards?" Ranger: "Do I have a choice?" Man: The first card revealed is the Fool. "Humanity always has a choice, and the road to enlightenment starts with the a humble beginning. You were all born as fools, but..." Ranger: "Go on." Man: He smiles darkly, "Very well." He flips Talons. "A journey's beginning through fire and brimstone, malice and discontent, yet you persevered. They hated you, but it was not the the catalyst of your own destruction." Flips two cards revealing the Knight and Key. "Into the wilds you fled, and the Fates' reward was with truth. A truth sought after for many years. A companion true of heart and conviction to watch over those who cannot watch over themselves. Perhaps that is not the end of the Fates' blessings." He awoke from this dream state with a head piece that was made from platinum dragon scales, and gave him the ability to use a powered down version of Bahamut's breath weapon once per day. The other players didn't know this until later. Each of them participated and they were all rewards with unique items as a result. One player said it was the most interesting beginning to a campaign they'd ever experienced, which made me feel very accomplished and humbled.

[@CrazyHawkeComics]

I'm currently next in line for DM in my group for the first time, and I have an interesting idea for how I'll start my first campaign: They'll all wake up in a small stone room (no doors or windows) lit by only two torches, with no memory of how they got there. When suddenly a goblin wizard will appear and tell them they're in a dungeon and will have to find their way out. It's at this point they'll introduce themselves to each other and make their way through the dungeon. Once they reach the end they'll learn a mind flare has trapped them there as revenge for something each of those players has done to it and test if they're strong enough specimens for it's larvae. And that's just part 1 of a 5 part campaign!

[@gomezwalker5258]

I actually started a humblewood campaign with a harvest festival. The increased bandit activity scaring many of the organizers enough that they left town, expecting them to use the occasion as cover for causing trouble. So the organizers who remained sent out requests for more folks to help set things up, and potentially deter the criminals from causing trouble. By doing so, the players could be in the area for a number of reasons; one of the stall owners may have needed hands to unload goods, the guards may have hired you as a "mercenary" to wander around and look intimidating, you may have popped in to win some prizes in some of their games, or maybe you just happened to live in town and stepped out into the hubbub. In doing this, the players immediately have an easy cause to be in the starting town, and I can introduce them to a handful of NPCs who could be useful to them going forward. All I really needed to do was interrupt the last hour of the event with the bruised and bloodied guard captain stumbling back into town in order to jump to the campaign as it goes in the book. But hey, I am an amateur DM so maybe that's not the best approach.

[@BuffaloBaymax2187]

My brother (the DM) is running a homebrew campaign where a wizard sent out fliers looking for volunteers to track down and obtain magical McGuffins. Each party member received the flier, traveled to the wizard's tower, applied, interviewed and were subsequently hired. We were partied up and sent on missions, while also being given some freedom to pursue our own goals as long as they don't interfere with our duties. This provides steady income (plus the loot we gain in our travels) and other perks. Honestly, it's the most natural "group of rando's coming together to adventure" that I have seen so far. It makes more sense than the usual "rando's in a tavern group up because reasons"

[@beastlyfour5481]

Mine was a bit weird but my group had fun with it, they were all caught to be enslaved by a large group of pirates, they were chained together and put in a cage. As they were sailing or rather being transported something happened to the ships navigation equipment and the whole ship got wrecked on some rocks, except the cage they were stuck in no one else on the ship washed ashore, they were naked and without equipment and the world just kept getting weirder on the island they washed ashore of. it was a fun game based on one of my favorite dungeon crawlers. it was a fun game, I'm sad that scheduling killed it.

[@blindcedrick5544]

Any PCs that have backstories that go together? Congrats. You already know each other and are travelling. PC that doesn't naturally go with the group? "Suddenly, you hear the crack of thunder despite there being no clouds in the sky. A wizard falls out of it and face plants right in front of you." Sometimes its nice to just... throw people together.

[@Dr_Delirium]

Small competitions that the party get grouped together in. Nothing crazy but it’s a sort of skill check and a chance to get into character for them and get a feel for their personality. They go against other parties which I determine the points of with d10/12, etc. There’s always a small reward at the end where they get a free night at the tavern and overhear a rumour going around to kick everything off.

[@kaseymathew1893]

I once took part in a one-shot that started interestingly: "Everyone make a reflex save."

[@Alpha_Synergy]

My games are all one to two shot adventures set in the same world, with a shifting roster of adventurers in a guild for them to play around with; I often start with one or more party members meeting up on their way to the latest contract, or perhaps on their way back from a recently completed one. The very first sessiion was our first party taking the guild exam, which is a small dungeon to prove that they are at least able to survive and work with others.

[@spartanhawk7637]

We've started our games in a variety of ways from a fancy dress dinner party, to our party of four in a tavern for a double date gone horribly wrong, to my personal favorite, a friend of mine and I had our characters start in a diner talking about local word on the street like an episode of Seinfeld.

[@BurroughsProductions]

I just started mine where they're all trying to be part of an adventuring society and had them start crossing the desert, did flash backs for everyone, and then jumped into combat.

[@FinnGreig-kz7bh]

They woke up hungover on a spell jammer, trying to recall the night that brang them all together

[@jaxkommish]

In media res - place the players figs on the table, roll initiative. Fight the fight, then do the info dump/call to adventure. Ideally, you get each player to contribute to the world building by saying what brought them to the fight

[@abadidea5984]

My Shadowrun group played as a specialist team of corporate "troubleshooters" who solve supernatural problems regular ITs can't fix. When they showed up at the office for the first session, I had them describe their last job by opening with the question: "Okay, can someone tell me how Ingallsen ended up in the hospital?"

[@hannahmetzger4880]

Must know more. _Please_ tell me more. :3.

[@XGNTheFloater]

For me it all depends on which area of the world they are in and the culture of that region. My favorite of all of my campaign introductions is when the party will be playing in a desert climate. In this the party is apart of a long caravan traversing the vast emptiness of the desert (as it's typically the safest way to travel in hundreds of miles of sand dunes) when they can all see a sand storm approaching in the distance. I would then describe to the party of the entire caravan working to set up their shelters in order to tough out the storm (queue the Sand Storm song for the pun and then act as if I turned on the wrong sand storm sound effect) and how the storm approached the caravan far faster than anyone expected. After all of the tents and makeshift shelters had blown away, the party members would find themselves together in a cave that just so happens to be the home to a group of Desert Trolls that were the cause of the sand storm. The party would find themselves cornered by the group of trolls and would have to quickly gather up their spirits and fend off the ever so hungry "Daiper Babies" as some of my players have now dubbed them. This introduction allows for my players to create their own reasons as to why they are in the caravan, quickly learn each other's roles in the party through combat, and provides the perfect amount of humor to keep them entertained.

[@ERBanmech]

My favorite I’m going to do is for a homebrew setting, it’s very cold there and that promotes a survival-styled campaign. My goal is to have the party unthaw from a glacial chasm, the histories of the players can be varied since it could be a substantial amount of time on ice, this also thrusts them directly into the elements which accents the deadliness of the environment quite well and forces them to work together to make it.

[@Arkalidor]

6:30 *record scratch* *freeze frame* "Yup, that's you. But before we look at what happens, how about you tell us how you got here..."

[@AlinNightwing]

I like to spread the characters out based on their class/race combos and the world I'm giving them. Once they tell me what they are playing and they know my world, my next session can be me bringing them together that would coincide with each character's interests and reasonings. One example, I had a fighter & rogue sister duo (played by one person) traveling to the city for the upcoming festival, they are part of a skirmish against some bandits trying to mug a trade caravan going to the festival, they catch a ride to the city after helping. 2 other rogues (played by another person) were doing rogue things in the city and their dice were loving them, distractions and pickpockets galore. Wizard was in one of the wizard towers getting some council and one of the upper members asked the wizard to stand in for him with some disguises while he investigated something, sets her up to look and sound like him for the upcoming meeting he had to be at but couldn't. Fighter was a half-orc so he was just a hunk of muscle that was getting paid by people to do odd jobs they couldn't which included heavy lifting or roughing up a thug trying to cause problems. When all was said and done, the wizard needed to find a group to investigate the shit that went down, she goes to the tavern thinking that's the place to find some muscle... finds half-orc and the 2 rogues. Wants to know what makes them good at their claims, half-orc starts a bar fight and goes to work, gets his ass kicked but threw a beating, the rogues walk away with coin pouches that no one knew was missing. The sister duo happened along the others talking to this wizard, came up all curious, got the rundown, said "hey sounds like fun" and bam, the party was together... they roleplayed themselves into it and it was fun as hell.

[@lordmagot]

I took inspiration from Three Kingdoms, having my players be arriving at the starter town to volunteer to fight the Yellow Turban style threat. From there I had them negotiate their way past the guards and beat a local commander who was harrassing the locals.

[@durzafire22]

Sci-fi campaign, I had my players go around the table individually, one by one, telling me the life choices that led them to the opening scene: a 7-eleven at 3am.

[@doctorcorvus1319]

Drop them in the middle of a warzone or horde, learning on the job is the best way for them to understand how things work and it worked for me and others more often then not. Especially with sci-fi or post apocalyptic sessions.

[@jamestaylor3805]

When discussing character creation I will start with something like... "No matter what character you make, for some reason they have chosen to go the regions capital city for >insert large event or festival

[@MechbossBoogie]

I might have to try the "starting off at a funeral" one. The investigation would be fun to do. Could do the lockbox and key thing, too. I could even have the players work something into their backstory about the guy to give them clues at those locations about what happened and what he was looking into initially. I like to start them off en route to whatever mission they're starting off on. I give them the mission briefing and where they're coming from. Then they go around the table introducing their characters. Then once everyone has been introduced I have them go around again and come up with a way they met based on that character. I use the backstory they come up with collectively later in the campaign. If it's a place that place will be under attack in some form (legal battle, infestation, squatters, etc.). If it's an NPC something happens to that NPC and they have to figure out what and why. I like to trick my players into giving me something to work with.

[@yullu65]

You're in a tavern. It's hustling and bustling, lots of songs being sung and beer being drunk. A place for relaxation and merriment. Roll a constitution saving throw (DC8). You wake up and immediately notice that you're not part of the merriments. You're hanging from the ceiling by your hands. In front of you sits an intimidating figure... "Hey, you! You're finally awake"

[@codydevine552]

Last campaign I DMed, party arrived in a port city having been traveling for their own reasons. After meeting a winter eladrin in a traveling tavern, they were more or less forced to work for him to free two of the party members from him as he did legally own them having g bought them as ancient artifacts that then came to life. Didn’t take long for my players to show how smart they were and discover he was the BBEG

[@derrickhaggard]

In a campaign set in Wildemount my character a female fairy Fiend Warlock Treasure Hunter enters the city of Hupperdook and tries to find info on a possible temple dedicated to a Arch-Fiend, and info on how to get a permanent flying license so I'm not restricted to only flying at ground level while in the borders of the Dwendalian Empire, all while my character asks her Neutral Evil Arch-Fiend rank Succubus Patron to not play puppet master with her body via the Soul-Pact between them to force her to do a striptease in public along with realizing that being a fairy and looking like a beautiful 16-year old human girl who is 1 foot away from being classified as Tiny and not Small with insect-esque wings and shimmering multi-colored skin means she's immediately identified as a fairy, or a strange winged outsider.

[@fromachat]

Ive only started one campaign ever because we're still playing it but i started with them on a charter boat on the way to a port city and they get attacked by goblin pirates

[@Kartoffelkamm]

My first session of The Dark Eye started on a road, near a 3-way crossing, where my character and my brother's character were traveling in opposite directions, when we saw a carriage get attacked on another road. Naturally, my character wants to help, while my brother's character wants an excuse to kill someone. So, we helped the people, and they invited us both to their village, which had a bit of a bandit problem.

[@mikewithington4755]

So, I have a method for first sessions. I try and run a one on one session with each player to go over their backstory and figure out their characters and motivations, then I think of a simple quest that all the party members would theoretically be on together. Then I plan on how they gotten onto that quest via guild, outlaws or some other faction. But the key is not to directly state this mission session 1. As an example a campaign I'm running is having the character's being part of a start up group by the guild but not affiliated with them after 2 years of war starts dying down. I aim to have the party make their name before the war kicks up again and with one of the character's being a student of a magic school, decide that will be the first point of notice. But instead of starting the campaign at the uni, I instead have the party go through a test dungeon, then an escort mission, with a final true quest for a 3rd town. Granted this took more than one session, if 1st session only the training dungeon was enough as it helped show their strengths, weaknesses and help build mystery as I had done with the other sessions.

[@kazekamiha]

Non-DM, still new but I had an idea of how I'd start things. A local lord (Baron/Count) isn't getting taxes from a village at the edge of his territory. The last tax collectors didn't come back. Worse the village is near a land that he bears poor relations with/that his nation was at war with. Rather then send a military force and possibly cause alarm he hires a small collection of adventurers to investigate; hiring someone to ferry them close to the village.

[@alexwaddington9808]

Differently. I always challenge myself to make the first session as unique as the new campaign.

[@Maqar06]

I once had the group all arrive at a mutual friend's house only to find out destroyed and the friends is missing and there's no corpse. They find a clue and then they all have to work together to find said friend which, of course, leads into the greater story. They did eventually find said friend just in time to confront the BBEG.

[@jonathanmarks3112]

1:43 What the heck? Did that DM want to kill his players' characters? 2:15 That works. 2:53 Either the Bard or the Fireballing Wizard. 5:01 Good one! 7:37 To the editor: italics serve the same purpose - namely, emphasis. 9:16 Interesting!

[@achimsinn6189]

This happened in my current campaign and somewhat accidentially. We had spare time in session 0 after creating our characters and all the players really wanted to show off their creations. Plus the campaign is happening on a new continent with a long journey on a ship there. Rather than doing a version of the classic tavern scene, I had every player describe their character by telling each other what they would be doing during that long journey. Also thank you to our warlock who decided he would spend the journey talking to the cleric and paladin about converting to their faith. IDK how I should handle him turning religious while still having an archfey patron, but it definitly adds to the bond the characters have as a group which is always welcome.

[@nobilisvaga5267]

One of my favorit is were ill give each player in the party a RP one shot and then ill usually have an npc collect them for a job. The job itself is usually some shady gig that will help the party get the ball rolling, some money, gear, and information. For example the local lord sir Gallabast needs individuals willing to perhaps do some protection work, they need little to no connection to the town and need to be willing to fight on his behalf. He only needs the party as insurance for a ransom handoff, because if he involves the gaurd he knows his daughter will be killed.

[@Godzillawolf1]

'You all meet at a crossroads' can be fun both thematically and in practice. IE, the party were all heading down different roads and meet at where they cross. This happened in our Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen campaign. Well, okay, my character, Acias, the Grave Cleric, and the Open Seas Paladin, Tal, met being made the Chosen Ones by Habakkuk, because divine classes have their own prologue, which is also a valid way to start a Campaign. The rest of the party, however, just happened to run into each other at a crossroads... Including the human artificer, Theo, who had just gotten Isekaied to Krynn and was presently screaming his head off inside a coffin that just happened to be in the middle of said crossroads. They met Tal and Acias at the crossroads after defeating the opening batch of Draconians. The coffin thing is unusual, though memoriable, but yeah, I kinda like the 'you meet at a crossroads' style opening for thematic effect.

[@NotEpimethean]

I'm toying with the idea of having a little story for every character where they're in a near death situation, but get magically poofed into a tavern by a Wizard God right before they die. They should have died, but instead they were all placed in one spot to fulfill some prophecy or purpose.

[@the3dluxe53]

In the first campaign I ever DMed the first session had the party members getting a letter from a mysterious individual to meet him in the market at the crack of dawn. The party came in one by one and I had a little thing for the first player who arrived where a little kid recognized them as a wizard, approached them, and asked to see a magic trick. The wizard snaps back at them, saying “I ain’t no street performer! Get lost!” To which the kid runs off and trips, dropping a gold piece which the wizard promptly snatched. So that’s how in the first 5 seconds of my campaign the wizard stole a kid’s lunch money.

[@billbishop6109]

I had the paladin and rogue heading to a new town and they come across a druid driving a cart that is being harried by bandits. He was taking his family's precious ale to market when he was attacked. (Yes the druid was essentially Friar Tuck)

[@danielmartinontiverosvizca7325]

I'm a DM, my two favorite introductions I've done are; a) free falling b) gladiators arena, now!!

[@WindchargerPrime]

This is the one im gonna use for my campaign that im writting now. After each of the PCs are introduced and thier planeswalker sparks ignite, they are going to be guided to the plane of Sergovia and given a quest.

[@mikewithington4755]

So the first session of a new campaign is a collective quest. The most recent one was the party joining an upstart adventures group arranged by the main guild. A basic dungeon in a controlled environment. This did 2 things for me as I am tweeking my DMing style to be a bit more firm on the dming. The 1st was to see the combat style of the players, if they naturally worked together and the overall versatility of the group. In addition I could gauge the health of the party and see how easy it is to kill them. When the party needs to take a short rest after the fight you know it was hard hitting. Second is the that you can tease things depending on your setting. The party was in a controlled environment of an underground crypt with the necromancer of the guild making the enemies. However after the short rest some dark figures mine into the wall and after being spotted ran. This brings a little "that just happened?" That will cause the party to think back on it when it links to a future plot point.

[@phawkuffe9491]

I like to start at a social gathering where they can meet each other and the major NPCs. I let them get a feel for the setting and figure out where their loyalties lies, as most of the NPCs with any kind of power are at odds with each other in some way. Then I turn them loose into the sandbox world I've made.

[@WarChallenger]

Personally, my favorite way to start the campaign I was hosting was to place the party on board a singular, hotel-like long distance train. It was a sci-fi campaign, but the starting point to the adventure was figuring out how to stop the autonomous train from crashing after the power grid went out. No signal, no auto-brake. Gave the party an immediate task to complete in order to survive. They had to literally derail the campaign just to get it started. I don't know I'll ever top that one.

[@jesternario]

My favorite way to start a new campaign, especially with a new group, is to start in medias res. The group has already met each other, been given a quest, and are at the location, ready to get the story started.

[@SilvanianPirateKing]

So far my two favorites have been job interviews where the party is hired on one by one and having everyone on a train ride to the funeral of a mutual friend. Did I mention the train gets derailed and bandits come a robbin?

[@davyt0247]

In my current campaign one player is playing as a detective who was hired to find objects strewn across the world and time that were not from that time period, he was also given a list of people to bring along (the rest of us). That first session was essentially getting the party together and gathering clues to find the first object. And yes it’s the bard’s fault. Probably tried to seduce a noble or king

[@mikel0000001]

I started a walking dead esq dnd campaign with zombies biting people in a tree tavern, the rogue bounced out the window while everyone else worked to save the patrons.

[@zackposey592]

I'm a big fan of the elderscrolls style of being imprisoned. But I had DM that made us roll for what we were doing in the city. Like being detained for missing on a wall

[@kjs8719]

I started mine with all the players being forced combatants in an arena. They didn't have any of their equipment (they later found it all during their escape). They took the wrong door out of the building and found themselves trapped inside an ancient maze, filled with monsters

[@lucielm]

Hearing these ideas, if I ever DM I'd probably start one off like this. Set up the board, place the players somewhat close together and have them roll initiative. They are in a cave fighting a Goblin Shaman and 3-6 goblins while having to save an NPC who the Shaman was about to sacrifice on an altar for their god. On their first turn ask them to describe themselves as they make their first action. Only after, I ask them how each of them wound up coming to a random cave to save the barmaid of the local town. I'd go over this individually in session 0.

[@Paradukes]

What I've done a few times is to try to counter the initial analysis paralysis by not giving the players immediate choice; especially good with a group of newbies. I start by having them all having been hired as guards for a trader heading up to a distant town, only to have the cart smashed off the path by a log trap, dropping them into a dungeon and forcing them to escape as part of their initial adventure - though they can make deals with the denizens of the dungeon in order to make their escape easier. Good for teaching them the rules of the game, and showing that there are multiple ways to approach a problem, before having them free to choose what to do next when they finally reach the town. By that point it's fair to assume the characters would have enough inertia to stick together, especially when the captain of the guard hires them as a group to tackle a problem stemming from their initial adventure.

[@disfiguringthegoddess-sh5wf]

In whatever way. But my one rule. I tell them figure out how you know each other.

[@thezombieslayer194]

The "Call to Adventure" is a real and very well known force in my setting, and the mechanics that go along with it means i can usually bake session 0 into a short scene for each player as they figure out their class and are fast tracked up to lvl5 [i like to avoid lvls 1-4 since many npcs have sumilar abilities even commoners] One of my favorites that i have is basically a rip off of Far Cry 3 mixed with Dead Island, where while the players are enjoying a vacation an undead cult kills and raises most of the other residents of the island. Some situations may include, that player who wants to be a Wizard is currently sky diving and has to grab the now zombiefied instructors spellbook to cast feather fall, the Ranger and Fighter was on a nature walk and was chased into the security office with bows, guns, and swords for them to choose from, the Monk and Barbarian might be in an amatuer boxing match or bar

[@garygallimore4620]

at the end of the day I find a mix of establishing a set starting quest in game and out of game discussion about expectations does the trick. you don't NEED a huge ornate and complex series of events to logically tie the group together. you're all friends gather to play a game. if they absolutely need an in-game reason to join the group then it probably won't work in the long run. the best form of metagaming is just sticking together as a group for the game. that being said the DM does need to at least give the players a quest they can all reasonably buy into even if just for gold. I usually throw in an obnoxious NPC to act as the starting villain because nothing forms friendships like a common enemy.

[@postapocalypticnewsradio]

PANR has tuned in.

[@nightangel2242]

I haven't done this one yet, but I really want to. You start with everyone being a level 0 normal person. You go through each player, asking where they are as they just live their lives. This allows for a lot of character building and role play. Maybe do a few mini sessions for each player, jumping through time, building connections and practicing skills and proficiencies. Then, after ever has settled into their character, the BBEG or their minions pass through leaving destruction in their wake. I want to run this so bad so I can see the faces of the players as the NPCs they just spent 4 sessions getting to know are now in danger. This also gives them all a reason to go after the BBEG.

[@bonedude756]

I tend to start by describing the setting like the summery of a book, or if you were to poetically describe the intro to a movie, this gets the party in the mood and allows them to better imagine the world that they are about to play around in. This should include where they are, why they are here collectively, and what they are doing before they take over. Then I like to end the intro with a mystery or obvious hook and throw them straight in. As the DM its your job to describe whats before your players, but not necessarily everything unless they ask so if all they have is one focus, they'll focus. I also like to shove them together as soon as possible so they reach common goals faster, but that's just me. As an example, I ran Cairn of the Winter King a while back. Here was a summery of the hook I gave them: This was ran in the Points of Light setting, so I told them about how the world had moved on and was in the middle of a cold apocalypse, never really ending, but the dread of it threatening to was always on the back of peoples minds. I talked about how events lead to large swaths of land being overrun by dragons and monsters, and how between the cities and towns that made up the points of light danger, secrets and treasure were always around the corner for those who had the stomach to seek them out. I brought the mood back up and talked about the safe havens and how the people created cultural practices to take their minds off the world outside. Cultural practices Like the Summer Festival in the city of Fellcrest, that brought people together from all over the Nintir vale to take part in celebration and trade between settlements. I talked about how it was usually the safest time to travel as the monsters in the wilds avoided large groups. And as they traveled for religious reasons, Monetary or Trade reasons, or just to find work, they noticed people turning back along the kings road, leaving the caravan with shocked looks or red abrasions on their face. Then they began to notice Snow, Snow, in the middle of summer. After this the intro described Fellcrest frozen over with a huge camp out front, and the city which was normally lively, was creepily silent. And that's about the time I handed control over to them. This description gave them the rundown of the world, where they were (fellcrest) and why they were there (the summer festival). Then gave them a very obvious point of interest (it doesn't snow in summer why is it snowing), and shoved them together in the location with an adventure hook (Fellcrest is frozen over. The people are camped out front, too cold to go back.) This honestly works for every situation I can come up with, even if you want you players to relax first, having them wake up at an inn, or entering the location for a specific reason they can take care of later still gets the job done. Usually by the time I shut up they are all ready to go and invested and it's great.

[@bonedude756]

Similarly in Curse of Strahd, Madam Eva showed up in their dreams, talking about their collective misfortune, then they all woke up in the aftermath of a carriage crash. Didn't matter that they didn't really know each other, they were all hurt, alone with no horses and in the middle of a very creepy woods with wolves slowly creeping up on them. They all pretty much did what I wanted them to do which was make sure they were all okay out of concern or just because there's survival in numbers, then they went to look for the horses.

[@thomasraiff3007]

I started a pirate campaign with my 3 friends this year and I started them at a town square, right before a public execution. The pirate about to be hung at the town square has a 1,000 Gold bounty, wanted alive, on their head. One of the Player Characters is a mercenary/bounty hunter hiding the crowd of people at the town square, looking to make a big score (I mean 1,000 Gold at Lvl. 3 sounds nice!). The other Player Character… he was the hangman about to hang the bounty but PLOT TWIST! The hangman was looking to desert from the Dominion (the currently occupying military force within the archipelago) and he was going to take the bounty for himself to have enough money to get away from the Dominion and flee to the Mainland. The final PC… was the bounty himself. It was interesting seeing the Party stick together merely because the two PCs see the third as a walking sash of gold!

[@Darkwintre]

Set up the scene to get them involved. For example I set the game after a traumatic event where a PC’s mentor killed then the mentors mother is apparently killed stalling a ritual as bitter fighting is going on outside. They eventually succeeded in thwarting the ritual intended to free Vecna! They are then sent to find the kings heir after the king dies during the ritual. Needed more work, but it did the trick. Too well as the other dm had his game jump settings!

[@Xecroy]

I have 1 that I use reliably, 1 I want to use, an 1 I never got to use. 1) You are all traveling together for independent reason either on a ship or part of a caravan. This allows each player to create their own reason to travel. 2) You meet in a tavern but not for fun. An evil empire has been expanding and displacing smaller nations and tribes. You are all refugees and gather with like minded individuals in order to mount a resistance. 3) I want to use this for new players but an adventurer's academy. You intend to enroll when the academy has a big enrollment fair. Character creation is entirely part of the campaign filling out the necessary forms and receiving a starting amount of gold based on your class (via the PHB) to buy whatever weapons and gear you want. The fair would also have showcases for each class to demonstrate to new players what each class is about so if they know they can apply right away but if they are unsure they can browse what classes they think they'd like.

[@gamithemighty5932]

DM: as you all arive at your destination you notice a lavish yet elderly looking fountain, and seeing as you are exhausted and tired from your travels each of you slowly make your way to the fountain from different roads. there in the middle of the cross roads you sit and rest and refill your flasks with fresh clean water, and notice that it taste almost merry in its flavor, like that of a jovial ale, or a well crafted wine. soon you are all laughing and sharing in merriment as you all indulge in the pleasurable waters of the fountains swill. the next morning however as you awaken in the cross roads, you notice that the fountain is gone, and upon doing some asking around you hear of a legend of the fountain of youth... begin campaign...

[@Dublkros]

i like the idea of having players meet at a tavern, but separately. how they get together is that doppelgangers will take on their identity and steal other tavern-goers food. the accused players will have to go after and bring back evidence of their innocence which might lead them into further hi-jinks

[@Bigal3031]

Party in jail its the Paladin turn

[@howardbennett2053]

I like semi-in media res. After getting all the backstories I pick a town they'll start in. When the session starts I explain why all are in that part of town, normally the market, then bam fighting ensues.

[@darcraven01]

6:09 do a similar start to this but when the body is knocked out of the coffin.. its one of the party members. they now must time travel and alter, or afirm, fate

[@bornylapesch5900]

I started our current campaign with a classical owlbear hunt quest - or so they thought - they got to the tavern and signed a piece of paper where i wrote down a quest contact for the owlbear - two pieces of paper beneath that was a slave contract they've signed with coalpaper - now the party is owned by the bad guy and have to find a way out of slavery by working for him ^^

[@Bucket_Of_Spamton]

With some good and mighty fine arguing over every detail

[@commonviewer2488]

Start with a Session 0, have players each think of a quick character concept, speculate on how they could fit into a group in the setting, roll for stats and starting gold, buy gear, set a date and time for Session 1

[@greensnmachines]

Current session: had the party assume different roles in a gladiator style arena which culminated in them meeting up near a room containing a mysterious mirror in a closet, which from out popped an imp they had to kill. Upon killing it, they were hit with a mysterious vision/loss of consciousness and woke up being led through the desert as captives heading to a labor camp. Their objective from there: escape. Future session: I told the players to brainstorm what their ideal tavern would have, the tavern's name and the name of some patrons/bartender. The first session of the campaign they are going to walk up to it and see a For Sale sign out front.

[@tudodaretro]

I will start my first session DMing lvl10 with a battle happening, if I roll 1-80 is a common group of enemie, some Giant hiyenas, or something close, 81-95 is a rare enemie like a mammoth, 96-99 a young dragon, 100 my character lvl 40 (bugbear brute fighter lvl16, assassin rogue lvl17, monk way of the four elements lvl 4 and barbarien path of zealot lvl 3 with a total of 444 damage in a nat 20 surprise attack, then use 1 ki point to deal fire damage with fangs of fire snake, now, my range is 20 feet in this unique round, +1 ki point to flurry of blow +1d10 of fire damage from a feat), and in everry battle, the group of 5 will become a group of 4, and they will win in 1 blow of damage, bacause, the character will only use furry of blow 2 times and also Fangs of Fire Snake, he has 430 health, but for the story telling, he will be at 20 health, from several damage from previous battles, and bad sleep , he will be a glass cannon

[@LegendStormcrow]

Start in an inn. The party kicks thru the ashes trying to find the remains of their meager possessions. Rafters law smoldering on what was an old bar. People were taken, and on PC, having had this be his family's business for generations is now destitute, and possibly orphaned.

[@jackiecooke1851]

Since the previous campaign kind of fell apart. I plan on starting with the air balloon they're in and how it floats into the astral sea until they land in the new location. To which then the new session one, I'm going to have them wake up hungover in the bushes from celebrating that they're on the ground and have a job. For they seem to be a merry band to meet their new boss looking down disappointed in them.

[@francenkovcan5211]

Simples way to put it is: give the party a reason to stick together by giving them a common goal, like how in BG3 all party members are infected with mindflayer tadpoles and need to get rid of them so instead of "y'all meet in a tavern" it's "you are refugees due to [BBEG]'s raids against your homes"

[@billcox8870]

My half-orc Barbarian want to bash in the skulls Of Orcs because of what they did to his mother. My half-elf Wizard is going to assist his half-orc nephew. They were part of the militia in the 10 towns area north of the spine of the world do home their skills and now they want to venture out and take the fight to them.

[@Ogpimaster]

"You wake up to the noise of whistling winds. Your wrists aching. As you struggle to open your eyes your battered with the cold dry winds. Finally you're able to take in your surroundings, only to realize you are tied up with several others atop a pile of kindling outside." Basically start them off as sacrifices for a cult, that happens to suck at supervising their rituals. The party's goal: to find out where the crap they are and survive.

[@ZamboniZone]

I used the jail break, execution escape, adnauseum because the host liked it. Generally he was an instigator who basically lead the D&D group from hell. They made Dming an absolute chore.

[@tofuhearts]

We started out in a dungeon most of us being captured by a cult soon to be sacrificed!

[@Mwilli2132]

I started the one I’m DMing for my parents with them wandering through the woods, as they like to do in real life, when suddenly, meteor. The went and investigated the meteor, mostly after reassuring my mother that the space rock didn’t bring anything evil, and the found a homebrew Draconblood Dragonborn with wings, since none of the actual Dragonborn subraces have wings.

[@zeriul09]

done so many: the general meet at a tavern is always fun and classic and you can do so much with that, eg a murder, mysterious quest giver, village suddenly under attack, everyone in the inn knows someone etc awake in prison/ ship brig etc , what happened? why are you there? who are these other people? falling from the sky, lets hope one of you has a feather fall scroll in your bag (of course one of them did, i put it there) shipwreck a return to an important location to everyone, eg they are all orphans and grew up at the same place, now the matron has called for help my next campaign starts with them being swallowed by a huge dune like worm after spending time at a gathering of 'promising' individuals and them getting cut out of it by some NPCs in a location they dont know