Starting Your Campaign - Running RPGs

[@jeffreyadamo]

I think Seth is the best RPG KZbinr hands down. I'm always shocked at how much exposure he gets compared to some of the bigger names.

[@dirus3142]

You are right. He is easy top three of the rpg channels I've seen. I've even seen non rpg channels reference Seth and made Scott Brown apart of there world.

[@markusnixon3156]

He's amazing, but I can see why he's not as popular as some, he's not quite as flashy as other KZbinrs, he's more like you're favorite uncle to me, awesome, but not necessarly as crowd pulling.

[@rpeterson9182]

@Jeff Adamo Are you “Jeff: The greatest dungeon master of all time?”

[@samsampier7147]

Best videos. I come for the funny skits and for stay great content.

[@jeffreyadamo]

@@rpeterson9182 No I'm Jeff the worst DM of all time lol

[@03dashk64]

“Maybe they’re all Juggalos” I can’t stress enough how you just described my absolute nightmare of a party.

[@thebolas000]

On a quest to discover how magnets work.

[@oz_jones]

@@thebolas000 i laughed way hard at this

[@solouno2280]

God sometimes is chaotic... deal with it

[@zombifiedoll1388]

There's an official Insane Clown Posse TTRPG

[@Chuckler127]

Eating the character sheet had me laughing out loud for real. Way to commit to the joke, my man!

[@oz_jones]

Seth is method, gotta respect that.

[@tunkatodd4539]

I would have to ditto this comment. 😂🤣😂

[@kirkkerman]

@@oz_jones How is it that I keep forgetting that all of those characters are just Seth in different outfits?

[@fallocritico]

@@kirkkerman dude, i got the same problem D:

[@smeefman6923]

One of my players died in game so he just decided to eat his character sheet

[@TalonBrush]

Things I appreciate in Seth's videos: * The gang * The insightful tour of our common tropes, misconceptions and the pitfalls in RPG gaming. * The unsung Photoshop skills. * Seth's awesome advice and suggestions. * The gang! * The sharing of experience from a veteran Gamemaster. * Jack * Seriously, how does he even get the GM screens into some of those pictures * The realization that Mike ate Dwibbles' character sheet all along (ah, the classic adventure, "Betrayal at the Tavern!", where one of the PCs was eaten... By another PC!) * Seth Skorkowsky * THE GANG! * The little "...You know..." segments at the end

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I eagerly watch for the "You know..." segments.

[@Jasonwolf1495]

My classic for a good surprise to a group is "You are in a tavern. It is on fire." It starts us off in a dramatic moment and we quickly see character's priorities. Some will try to help other patrons, some may try for the gold behind the counter before they run out, others will just leave caring only for their own safety.

[@NoizeViolation]

My last one started with a cannonball crashing through the roof.

[@thor30013]

Love that. Might have to use it at some point.

[@procrastinatinggamer]

That sounds like a cool way to do it. Though I’d extend it to “You are in a tavern. It’s on fire and it’s not your fault.” Mostly as a reference to how the opening line of one novel in *The Dresden Files* was “The building was on fire and it wasn’t my fault.” Yeah, the protagonist of that series has something of a reputation.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@NoizeViolation Change that cannonball to a ship, and you have a VERY interesting open.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@procrastinatinggamer Man, I love those books and the characters.

[@Pile_of_carbon]

Seth's banter with his characters is so on point I almost forget they're the same guy.

[@oz_jones]

I mean, the DM is also a charcater

[@mathsalot8099]

I love tropes. When introducing a group to their first DnD campaign, I try to cram as many tropes as possible into the first couple sessions because 1. They haven't played before so they arent sick of the tropes yet. 2. I believe EVERYONE should play the tropes at least once because they are part of the shared experience that all RPGers get to have, and 3. Tropes have been around so long and used so often for a reason... namely because THEY WORK. Tropes are often the easiest, most reliable way to tell a story and that's why they are used all the time. Dont make it harder on yourself... use the formula that works: Tropes!

[@spacedinosaur8733]

“The reason that clichés become clichés is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication.” ― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!

[@hangarrat]

I cannot fault you. I’ve got some newbies starting out on their first adventure and they WANT that well worn fantasy experience. I’m happy to oblige.

[@PuzzleHeaded_Dust]

Every @sethskorkowsky video, summarized: "Be excellent to each other... and have fun." Like a dice-rolling Mr. Rogers.

[@shaddonon]

10:50 just choked on my coffee at Seth casually slipping in “MAYBE THEY’RE ALL JUGGALOS” among a bunch of innocuous backstories. Imagine a troupe of juggalos bumbling around Walter Corbitt’s basement, or gathering at Rupert Merriweather’s hospital room to hear his last words? Could make for a fun Halloween one shot!

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

So, the Gang managed to get through Mike's cheating phase, Todd's overly edgy characters, the debate about Kirk and Picard, basically everything from the "annoying player traits episode", and THIS is what crosses the line?! God, I love this series.

[@jts8053]

PC1: "Greetings! You look dangerous and heavily armed. What say we rob tombs and camp together for the rest of our lives?" PC2: "Verily!"

[@richmcgee434]

Note the distinct lack of time frame reference for how long "rest of our lives" might be. :)

[@FuriousJorge]

I love the Traveller method of tying in back stories. Makes for a great way to build stories around how they know each other!

[@ljmiller96]

I started the current D&D campaign with a kind of connections montage that built a connection between each character and two others in the group, as well as allowing the players to narrate what happened in a kind of "tall tale told after a few beers in the bar with friends" style. They rescued a hound from 40 goblins who were tormenting it, explored a haunted house, fought a huge giant rat that was raiding a bakery's basement, catapulted a bunch of drunken goats over the city wall and so on. And they loved it!

[@NefariousKoel]

For other systems without such extensive background building in character creation, I'd also recommend the Year Zero method from the Free League games. Having each player describe how their character is connected to one or more of the others from the past. Collecting the listed options and letting them choose and do a short elaboration on whichever sounds good to each of them.

[@davidwright7193]

That works but “you were just hired on to this ship as pilot/navigator/engineer/super cargo/target in a red shirt” is almost as cliché as the D&D “you meet in a tavern”

[@dutch6857]

Monster of the Week also has a baked in backstory mechanic.

[@AGrumpyPanda]

I co-opted it into an L5R adventure, it works great.

[@ForeverYoungKickboxer]

I spent over 15 years working as the head of security in a seedy nightclub along with my right hand man, best friend, and long time companion at the DnD table. Seth, you hit it on the head, as usual. All of the necessary elements are there; locals, out of towners, people with hidden agendas, people on missions, people with secrets, and various substances on hand to loosen tongues and lower inhibitions are a good recipe for excitement.

[@OgamiItto70]

Plus, medieval taverns (or at least their fantasy/sci-fi world counterparts) are/were more than just "bars." They were hotels, restaurants, local meeting-halls, conference-rooms-for-rent, stables, assembly points for local guards and militias and more.

[@Atariese]

@@OgamiItto70 Good point. The friendly local tavern tends to be one of the safer parts in a seedy city. Many travelers end up there out of necessity, no matter their business or social class. Modern day this is true as well.

[@oz_jones]

​@@OgamiItto70 taverns arent inns

[@DjigitDaniel]

I don't care how great this video turns out: best intro in ages. ❤

[@goofygoober9719]

I started my current campaign by having a zero one on one session, with every player having their own small stories, related to their background. The trick was that they all have gotten a reason to go to a hospital, or were taken there by the end of each session. That way i had time to make them feel special, introduced NPC's and i dropped hints and easter eggs for the keen eyed one's. Luckily my players are a great bunch, so i had no problem with them interacting with each other, especially when cancer patients went berserk and started swarming them. And yes, i forced my players to beat the cancer patients to death in self defense

[@JamesSkemp]

What system? Call?

[@TheDarkOne629]

Doing the reasons for each to be there in session zero is a great idea which many DMs forget.

[@goofygoober9719]

@@JamesSkemp No, Unisystems, more specially Witchcraft. It's a d10, skill based. All the players were new to it, so i decided to ease each with a session zero. Best decision i ever made. Got to see their play style, evaluate their weaknesses, see where they excel and tweak the gameplay to make sure they didn't die, while had challenges. Also tested traps i designed in a controlled environment, since it's easier to see how an unconventional trap works mechanically one on one. I honestly want to start all my campaigns like that, but the biggest downside is organization, which is a pain

[@goofygoober9719]

@@TheDarkOne629 it also allows for spreading of clues that can be called upon in later session, making the players who paid attention in their zero session feel important, without taking spotlight away from others

[@kevinsullivan3448]

I have a session Zero with each player for character creation. I guild, not railroad, by players in creating a character that is both optimized for the rules AND that meshes with character background. To often players who are left to their own devices pick abilities that don't work they way they think they work and I help them craft a backstory with goals and motivations that will suit the game world and upcoming campaign. I also do not run D&D so players need help to not create munchkin characters.

[@DrFranklynAnderson]

I’ve been struggling with this idea for years, so I’m gonna leave it here in case someone with actual writing talent comes across this comment and can make use of it. A Cheers-style story about the regulars who patronize the tavern where all D&D adventures begin. They generally look down on the revolving door of heroes who only visit their local pub to start quests, until one day the heroes fail to defeat the BBEG and it’s up to the regulars to save the world.

[@EpicFailLawlKat]

One of my groups did something similar to this. The adventurers made a specific tavern/inn their base of operations, eventually having to rescue the place from some loan sharks snd practically owning it outright after. They didn't want to deal with running it themselves, so they handed it back to the original family running it and basically got free and permanent room/board for the rest of their careers.

[@dutch6857]

I really dig this. "Any minute a barbarian, a priest, and a warlock will come through that door so we can tell them about The Souleater." "They haven't come yet and it's been days, Cliff." "Well crap. Do ya have any spare knives, there, Sammy?"

[@Atariese]

A few years ago we did a short commoner campaign (like 5 or 6 sessions.) I was a door maker. My entire profession was just making good solid doors. And i loved adventurers, they kept me in business with all the doors they break down. I would brag about making 14g last month.

[@plastickhero]

I've always been a sucker for the group-of-prisoners beginning - probably The Elder Scrolls' fault. It has the added "benefit" of not needing to worry about starting equipment. My most successful instance was a low fantasy game that began with the PC's shackled to each other behind a caravan a la Mad Mardigan. When they made their escape each PC was shacked to a "partner," with one being shackled to an ill-fated NPC who caught an arrow and then had to drag the lifeless body into combat. I also love a good in media res. Last week we kicked off an Alternity (sci-fi) game the PCs starting in a standoff - pointing weapons at each other in the middle of a terrace restaurant; while security drones are bearing down on the whole group and the NPC they're all after making a run for it.

[@craigkuhlman6869]

I had to look super close, but Mike really did have Dweeble's character-sheet in that intro-skit. Joke's on Mike, though. Dweebles can get the Omicrons and Scott Brown to repossess Mike's place.

[@foxross]

I once had a game where the whole campaign was set in a tavern. It was a lot of fun.

[@alejandrorivas4585]

Oooooo tell me more

[@foxross]

​@@alejandrorivas4585 The House of Mystery is the setting of a dream. The dream belongs to one of the characters and the others are all bystanders from different settings and eras who are caught up during moments of confusion and strife. The House lies in a forest but all roads lead back on themselves. The creepy fey bartender is just as trapped as the party but the patrons come and go through their own dreams as they please. Throughout the campaign the players explored the House and its backrooms, antechambers, cellar/attics and twisting book-lined corridors piecing together clues as to what exactly they are dealing with andhow to escape. As the party delve deeper into the weird regions of the house, the architecture gets more abstract and dreamlike and the rooms turn into a puzzle-filled nightmarish labrynth. Eventually, each member of the party solved their own personal problems and found their own unique exit. All of my games that I have run since have been built on the backstory of one of the characters of that game.

[@Rodrigo_Vega]

I use festivals and public celebrations a lot. Wherever the players arrive there's a big party going on in the streets. There's all sorts of reasons a character might be there, It's the perfect chance to bump into strange characters from all around the world. There's all kinds of curious items for sale, and a bunch of things that can go wrong. From pickpockets, to brawls, to t3errorist attacks, riots, assassinations of a public figure making an appearance and the reason for the festival or celebrarion itself is a great way to introduce the basic concepts of the settings, like maybe it's religious, or a coronation or the return of a triumphant army.

[@MindOfGenius]

And hey, don't forget free food and drinks from shops giving out free samples! players LOVE free stuff.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@MindOfGenius Pickpockets, grifters and whores, oh my!

[@MindOfGenius]

Another thing to add- games of chance or skill are ways to introduce skill checks to the players, and how the difficulty influences the roll/result.

[@Rodrigo_Vega]

@@MindOfGenius Yea! I've done that! High striker for str. ring throwing for dex. shell games for wis. etc. Players have a lot of fun and they love winning make-believe prices that don't even give them much mechanical advantage. It's all just wholesome fun.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@MindOfGenius Ooh, yes!

[@mishmashmedley]

I was recently part of a very sad group of D&D players. The DM had us "meet in the tavern" and one by one, each character came in and "sat at a table by themselves, back to the wall, watching others" and my character came in and looked around and said "Damn! Not enough corners for everyone! Guess I'll sit at the bar!"

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Worth telling... About 8 or 10 years ago now, I was "the new guy" being introduced to a group that had quite recently taken a 2-week hiatus from RP because of a Player who had a total meltdown. It had been toxic awhile and just came to a head, as it were... SO they'd agreed to take a long-break, during which one of the Players that knew me had brought me up to the GM, who also knew me (some coincidence, but nothing serious)... SO I was given a chance to throw together a Character and try their "play style" on for size... AND for S&G-factor, I did exactly that... SO the GM met with me after only ONE week, and we RP'ed my Character through a couple levels since they'd played the Campaign long enough to get to 3rd, but the GM didn't like dumping the WHOLE of that sized backstory on a "New Player" to his Table. We obviously accelerated the whole idea, while he worked out a clever intro' for my Character, and then arranged "the crossroads meeting" as he put it with his other Players. It was a crossroads, because that meltdown had been really something, and there were questions whether any of them would even want to continue playing at all, let alone complete the Campaign... AND if things were that far off the rails, the GM wanted a relatively easy alternative to railroading an adventure onto anyone, so I was already in the thick of my own adventure, and they were dubiously "finishing and cleaning up" from theirs at the time of the meltdown... such as it was. ANYWAYS... I get to the Game Session, and everybody's calmed down and processed the situation to date. One Player's officially gone (banned for the meltdown) and I'm "The New Player" coming to replace them... AND the GM simply explained that as I was being chased into town and found a building up ahead for cover (all while pausing mid-step to take the occasional shot behind me) I'd taken cover in the Tavern where the rest of the Party was apparently drinking their last toasts to a fallen comerade... AND with Orcs and Gnolls teaming up after me, it was already summing up to a knock-down, drag-out, barn burning fight... That was clever and slick, allowing the purposed uses of NPC's to aid us while we tried desperately to hold off the approaching mob, and allowing us just enough time to "quick intro" ourselves along the way, while the conflict played itself out, and we could test and exhibit our own Character's abilities for the Table to see and at least try to work with. The pace was 0 to 100 in a heartbeat, but it was "the right kind of jarring" to offset the shift in Campaign tone and bring us around to the new directions. It's also one of a VERY FEW Campaigns where I can actually remember how we met and started as a Party... bonus that the memory's not for a bad reason. ;o)

[@quarkinjapan]

Great advice as always ! I like to begin my games / campaigns with the players already knowing each other, or being given a job and being introduced to the other team members. And then, an action scene ! One introduction I liked was for a Star Wars game where we were tasked with extracting a noble from an Imperial base: half of the team was the extraction team, and the other was the noble in question and his bodyguard. What a great way to team up !

[@toko099o]

Sowing a false history in a session 0 is always a good idea. I do love the idea of the first mission being to protect one of the other PC's. The 2e dnd DM in me wishes they did that with a level 1 magic user (wizard) because of the d4 of hp.

[@jackmalin2528]

Depends on the system, in most games action= combat and combat in those games is a tarpit of waiting rather than excitement.

[@quarkinjapan]

@@jackmalin2528True ! I like games where the action is rather fast-paced, but that would not be a good solution if it was slow or boring

[@MindOfGenius]

The Waterdeep campaign starts in one of the most famous taverns in D&D, The Yawning Portal. Thankfully, when I ran it I had done a Session 0.5 (3 mini sessions between 2 pairs of players, with the third group being a solo player getting an inside-scoop on the Noble [Background] PC). Two of the players had known each other socially; one was a Warforged Alchemist who was eating with his crew and his Goblin boss had invited the Warforged's friend, a Kobold Monk who was going for a rare meal here, and was having a grand feast with his other construction company crewmates. Another pair of players were the Noble PC and his half-orc bodyguard with a heart of gold and fists of steel. The remaining player trailed the Noble PC, since the Noble PC was a bit of a recluse and didn't go out much during the day, what was he up to? That's when the attack came (no spoilers on what or how). After the enemies are defeated, the back door opens to see the constantly half-drunk Volo come from out back, tightening up his pants. "Ah! [Noble PC]! I see you've gathered yourself a group of capable fighters! Ahh, I knew I could count on you for this task. Listen, I'll pay each of you *very well* for this little thing I need help with. Come, come, let me get some more wine..." Still my favorite intro yet.

[@peterz7752]

To make it interesting, start with: "You're meat in a tavern." small pause "No, you heard me right. You are suspended on meathooks in a frigid environment. All your clothes and belongings are missing. What do you do?"

[@sindarpeacheyeisacommie8688]

Seth, you rule. The eating of the character sheet was funny stuff.

[@larsdahl5528]

Trust me on this one: A character sheet is a dry food. You better have some liquid to wash it down!

[@nolgroth]

My favorite start, to any campaign I've ever run, started on a space station that was intentionally struck by an incoming ship. The characters were all in a "tavern" (more like a USO-ish club for spacers) and had to team up in order to escape the de-orbiting station. Along the way they had to fight a team of operatives that crossed paths with them and wanted no witnesses. Another one was having the tavern be one of the mission locations where the priest and fighter characters were going to meet with members of resistance movement to pass on some strategic plans. The other characters were part of the resistance. Of course the meeting was interrupted by the security forces of the tyrannical regime that the Resistance was fighting. Both good starts. Strange that neither campaign progressed along the way I had planned. The first one saw the player characters hugging the frontier worlds of the setting. The second became a more traditional "murder hobo" fantasy game with occasional appearances of the tyrants agents.

[@mrprogamer96109]

The first one sounds like a thing that would happen in SS13.

[@nolgroth]

@@mrprogamer96109 SS13?

[@robweb2928]

My most successful campaign opener started with all the players being members of the same family. It really did help give them all a reason to work together.

[@chromeego7903]

Beyond the Wall RPG has a cool 'call to adventure'. As low level adventurers you all start out from the same village and one of your back story rolls is directly linked to the person/player to your right "When we were 12 You saved my life when I fell into quicksand (gain 1 Strength & the Quick Thinking trait) ..." Everyone then has a reason to KNOW and OWE each other. Also the GM builds the adventure with reference to the rolled backstories - gets the players invested right away by building on what they know of the world which is meant to be a close knit fantasy village best by troubles.

[@vanessaeve925]

Taverns are great for first time DMs or players. Makes it super easy to get everyone together. One of my favorite campaigns I've ran started by all the characters waking up on an island after a shipwreck. They are the only survivors, but they weren't alone on the island... 😏

[@telemarkaeology]

Roll Perception. (consults notes) You wring salt water from your sodden socks, staring forlornly at the wreck half-submerged on the distant reef. The hairs on the back of your neck begin to prickle, and you slowly crane your head around to look at the hazy dunes behind you. Suddenly, throwing sand in every direction, a Dire Tavern bursts from its hiding place, foamy slobber flying from its fanged maw, and bounds down the dunes toward you and the other survivors. Roll for Initiative!

[@kasane1337]

So, you're saying that they wake up on an island, and there are no coconuts left...?

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@telemarkaeology Bard: I try to enlist the aid of the gazebo on the overlook.

[@michaelramon2411]

My general theory is that you should give the players the first plot hook during character creation, so they can build in motivations to team up then. For example, I had a campaign where a meteorite crashed into a nearby island, and Session 1 started with all the PCs standing on a dock waiting for the one ship that is willing to take people to that island to get ready. Each PC already had a motivation to go there (wanting treasure, wanting knowledge, rumors of monsters, concern about someone from that exploration team that hasn't come back...) which could also be spun into a longer-term motivation, and they all had an obvious incentive to work together. I think it's much better to give players something to latch onto to start with when they are designing characters, rather than say "make whatever you feel like playing and we'll figure something out." One campaign opening I really want to use someday but haven't yet is a cold open where the PCs are raiding a nightclub that's a front for crime. The enemies are way underleveled, so the actual encounters should be a cakewalk, but the point is the presentation style. As the GM, I first show the charismatic PCs entering the club, then "MEANWHILE" to the sneaky ones breaking in the back, and then, once goons inevitably confront one of those groups, the strong PCs kick down the door. The implication is supposed to be that all of the PCs had this elaborate, A-Team like plan, and the audience (the players) get introduced to all the characters by seeing it unfold. There are definitely some ways it could go wrong (if the players get too confused), but I think it could be a really snazzy opening. I have another variant for a particular campaign concept where the PCs are individually wandering around this small town's fall festival, and after a PC interacts with an NPC or plays a festival game or buys something, the GM says something like "you don't see any sign of the target" or "this area looks clear" and things like that, to slowly reveal that the PCs are there not to have fun, but to track down a bad guy.

[@MemphiStig]

Even Gygax suggested you start the adventure after the characters have already met, just before they stock up and head out to the dungeon. I like in medias res, personally. A lot of tv shows and movies have used this as a hook, especially the ones that have a serial vibe to them. Like Sliders: they start near the end of some adventure, there's a quick resolution, then they slide into this week's episode, and have to figure out the new world from there. Hit the ground running.

[@damienblauwald]

I agree with you on the tavern. Especially if the characters are the types to ever go in a group to a tavern, certainly seems reasonable to start off a story at one.

[@cameronjohnson918]

This channel is honestly one of the best for RPG stuff around. Seth knows what he's talking about, and knows how to present these ideas with enough elaboration that you know why something is important, without dragging down the length of a video. Excellent stuff

[@RAD-ju1ru]

Started my most memorable campaign as a GURPS GM in a tavern. It was a festival day celebrated with traditional drinks and wild stories from the crowd. The stories involved numerous adventure hooks and the PCs even joined in with a few tales of their own. Fantastic and still talked about 20+ years later even though the campaign ended in a TPK. LOL

[@MrSadness_]

I appreciate the attention to detail on both character sheets. Poor Willer Blufed, he was eaten before his time.

[@RoninRaconteur]

This video is spot on! When dealing with new GMs I explain the same thing. So many of them come with the, "I don't want to start it off at a tavern I heard its just too played out." Then you explain the fun of a tavern and why they can be some the best places to start. But after many years of running games of different types I found for me character creation is where I start forming things for the story along with my players. They can help each other and it feels like everyone ends up wanting to know one another in some way and it really helps with the introductions. There's something to be said to having a similiar destination, being hired by a mystery host, or them already a group who were on their fist mission at the start of it all. Watching Dimension 20 and Brennon Lee Mulligan has done different types of getting to know the players while each intro leads to the other characters it gives each individual an interesting start. It helps the players see who they are as well was a small bit of their backstory so they can feel connected to the other players characters. Some have relationships some don't but ultimately he brings them together with a need waiting in the wings and they were all brought there due to some connection. It's not easy but it is brilliant. Just have to figure out what kind of starting point works for you and don't listen to reddit or facebook groups that try to tear it down....same with splitting the party, it's just a saying and a good GM can handle it and it can make for interesting play.

[@Lcirex]

One of my favorite game openings I ran was a funeral for a Dwarf were I asked all the players to tell me how they knew him and why they all came to this small personal funeral for a group of 10 people.

[@Atariese]

oh... im stealing this one!

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@Atariese For legal reasons, I can only say that my client is inspired by the funeral for a dwarf, and if my client ends up running a 75% similar campaign opening, it is only a matter of homage, not theft.

[@CommadoreGothnogDragonheart]

I once started a campaign with the characters regaining consciousness in the ruins of a tavern surrounded by dead and wounded patrons. They had no memory of what happened, how they came to be there. They didn't even remember each other. All they knew is that they were sitting at the table together with a locked coffer of gold, and that the explosion originated on the far side of the tavern.

[@ArcNeoMasato]

Okay, for real though, I could NOT keep such a serious face while shoving paper in my mouth like that. I had to re-watch the opening skit here about 6 times before actually watching the video. Major kudos!

[@magosdominusplutos5131]

Telling the players that the characters already know each other is something I always use. They can know the members from past adventure - "We killed rats in the sewer one time", or the classic "We are childhood friends". Communication is the key for a good start.

[@zenovkayos5811]

You can start the game with the characters already on their first quest. Like Phandelver starts with a transport quest

[@GhostWolf743]

I remember my character starting out trekking through one of the largest deserts in our game's world, and he ran out of water and was found by another member of our party who dug him out of the sand and game him some of their own water... ahhh memories.

[@kevinkrueger7479]

I love this shit! As a grognard, I absolutely love an "in situ" beginning. Put them in a moving scene where it's easy to get them going. I like the idea of the PC's knowing each other for various reasons, and possibly being part of one of my canned adventures or being together, whatever it may be. They're in a slave pen, at a party, or a festival, in an arena situation, anything that will make them natural allies.

[@thor30013]

I started GMing a few years ago, and I've run a few campaigns (many of which fell apart, but that's neither here nor there), and by far, my *favorite* opening has to be from the 5e campaign Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. It starts in a tavern, but it's an *adventurers'* tavern, which I felt was the perfect excuse for the PCs to have met and know each other - they're all starting adventurers, and this is the place where adventurers hang out. I even decided there was a "Looking for Group" board in one corner.

[@NoizeViolation]

I like to start a lot of games in the middle of a heist, either as the crooks or the ones trying to stop the crooks. I think the most important part is to have a situation where the characters get to showcase what they can do, that way everyone is jumping into what they want to do off the bat. This also helps weed out problems a character build might have in actually being able to do the thing that the player wishes to do with that character, rather than finding out 3 sessions in.

[@mikegould6590]

There's lots of "system neutral" starts, and I've used a few. Having the players split off into groups of two, each "pod" knows their buddy. One of each "pod" either knows or is at least acquainted with one other of another "pod". The grants enough familiarity to hold a group together while still allowing for the freedom to have inner party drama. Weddings and funerals are also great starts. As guests or mourners, they have shared reasons for being there. Simply place the PCs at the same "table" and let them improv how they know the wedding couple or deceased. Then endangering the happy couple, or solving the mysterious death of their lost lived one sets the tone of the adventure. I've done the "hot start" as well, having them transported in boxes as slaves under magical stasis. The vehicle carrying them crashes, breaking open these crates and releasing the captives in a pile, awakened. Now they're figuring out how they were captured in the first place, where they were going and why. Having them as the last survivors on a bus, train, sailing ship or plane is also good. They might awaken aboard a sailing vessel and everyone else is gone...no bodies, no signs of violence. The ship flounders in the wind, with an island in the distance. Now they have to band together to survive and solve the mystery. Its imperative that you make sure at least one player knows how to operate the abandoned craft during character creation, especially if this craft is a flying vessel. This translates well for Sci Fi settings as well. A transport floating aimlessly with no escape pods and a missing crew as the PCs awaken from hypersleep. A "Mary Celeste" start makes the vehicle the first dungeon, so to speak, and sets up the campaign as a mystery with any sort of antagonist force from something magical to disease, to murdering creatures or more. In fact, my next campaign will start this way. Too many options not to. :)

[@rogue109]

I did exactly as you suggested when starting my first Traveller campaign a few weeks ago with Flatlined as the start. We haven't played again yet (hard to get everyone together at the same time) but I'm thinking of running Death Station next, then Islands in the Rift, then High and Dry (to finally give them a ship). But I love how Flatlined starts out with the players waking up from low birth hibernation on a wrecked ship with claxons going off and water seeping in. I really played it up with the ship shifting and groaning once in a while to keep them moving and eventually the lights go out. It was a fantastic start to a campaign, so thanks for the suggestion!

[@DjigitDaniel]

I know I'm not alone or at the forefront in saying this video is one of Mr Skorkowsky's finest, despite this channel objectively providing some of the best RPG content on the internet since its inception. Bravo, sir. Mandatory viewing for anyone in the hobby.

[@DanielMcGillis-f3w]

Funny thing, our Traveller group was working together for two years doing Traveller stuff, then we got betrayed by a crime boss that sent us to a low-tech backwater planet then stranded us there by taking our ship wile we were out hunting some strange peacock bird/lizerd thing. We were stuck for 3 months when we were aproched by a representiive of Drinex with an offer for us. The funny part is we met in a bar. Coolist way I have ever met a group of adventureres in a bar.

[@MarSprite]

I didn't realize you were an author. Then I was surprised to realize I'd already read one of your books.

[@zenovkayos5811]

Yes. I had that scenario where a player actually conflicts with another player at the beginning of the session. It is both the responsibility of the players first and then the DM to establish cohesion and comraterie

[@Tecmaster96]

I’ll be honest, I usually don’t love the skits, but the opening one here was so hilarious.

[@XcrismonP]

The first campaign i played (and ever got to experience) started in a tavern, and i thought that was so clever. Today I see that it wasn't that special, but I still think that unless you are starting the game in the middle of the story, starting in a tavern is still very clever. It makes room for the players to get to know each other, and it is also a good way to introduce them to roleplay. Maybe the bard is playing some music and the fighter and the wizard is playing some game or something. Also I think that hating on the tavern introduction is very unhealthy, as it sets a higher standard to the introduction, making the GM spend a lot more time and energy on the introduction that could have gone to plan the rest of the session. Once I introduced the campaign with a combat against a small dragon. After the fight the characters went right into the tavern to tell about their encounter, and the real introduction of the campaign happened in that tavern.

[@Deveyus]

I admire both the writing commitment and the physical commitment to the eating the character sheet gag. While I"m under no illusion that you swallowed an entire character sheet, I enjoyed you eating it WAY to much. Made me laugh.

[@violetsunprops]

Some great tips. Thanks Seth! The end skit made me laugh a lot, poor Dweebles 😂

[@stratacastor4720]

Can always count on Seth to dish out some fresh inspiration and words of encouragement. 👏👏

[@SSkorkowsky]

Thank you very much!

[@AkukAkuku]

This video made me rethink how to start a campaign I'm planning. I'm not going to change the location from a tavern, but I definitely won't just wait till few brooding loners start acknowledging each other.

[@ratholin]

one of my all time favourite game hooks was in a shadowrun game. All the characters were in a street gang together as teens the player character all moved on to get the education and experience that made them full on shadowrunners. College, magical initiations, military, or corporate service, joining the mob etc. But they all get a message from a former gang comrade that another member of their gang who never left the hood has gone missing. So these big guns come back to the slum they all started out in which has gotten much worse since they left and they're working to find her. It was a total blast.

[@larsdahl5528]

In this case, it is a "mission from the beginning" start. As you have experienced: It can be a great way of starting out. The tough part of such a start is on the GM, as the GM has to figure out that starter plot, that works. The easy part is to look at the characters and then use what they have in common. The hard part is (in far too many cases) to (not) run what the GM wants to run. At least it is a quite common reason why campaigns die at the start-up phase: The GM wants a wargame (thus being a DM instead), but the players want to role-play.

[@robwalker4452]

Oh Man! I concur; do not let your characters wander into a bar separately and have them roleplay meeting the other players! That can and will NOT go as you hope. Definitely have them start already knowing each other.

[@punishedwhispers1218]

It depends

[@RobKinneySouthpaw]

The meet in a tavern "in the action" bait n switch: "You four notice each other in the tavern. You notice each other because you are the only ones moving, surrounded as you are by dust, debris, collapsed beams and mangled bodies. Your ears still ringing from the blast, see the broad back of a hobgoblin dragging the limp form of the proprietor out the door."

[@dirus3142]

It can work of the players have a connection to the plot hook that starts in the tavern.

[@Quandry1]

@@dirus3142 that Connection is why even if i start them in the tavern I give them a reason for being there. Word of work to be had. A Town meeting being held there that sounds important, A Contact they need to meet. Or various other things based on how much the party might know each other.

[@grizzlednerd4521]

Just a note on meeting and introductions. I've noticed in the recent games I've played in that players fail to have their characters introduce themselves to NPCs. I *suspect* this is a carry over from PC gaming where you left mouse click on the NPC to start the ball rolling. I've even had DMs often fail to have named (or a have a list of names) for their NPCs and frown when I have my PC introduce themselves and ask the NPCs name. It feels like a slide from role playing to tactical simulation. As a DM, my favourite opening was tied into one of the PCs backstory where they and their brother were ambushed on the way to a meeting in a tavern. It was a small game (just two PCs at that point) but I could have involved additional PCs by them witnessing the ambush and having the option to get involved. The players were introduced to combat, and the party were now (in some way) comrades in arms.

[@bensaylor9093]

Ok pointing out that A Clockwork Orange starts in a tavern was the coolest thing. So well done.

[@boris2342]

Nothing scarier than a Juggelo druid you meet in jail

[@bigteej5821]

I deeply appreciate the commitment to Mike's Character devouring.....

[@moodymac]

I started the game at a festive hurley match between two neighbouring villages, where the characters could get a good chance to ask questions about the villages, meet local people, get a look at the local environment and get a first glimpse of the antagonists. One of players didn't get the odds he wanted from the local bookie, so they all went to the nearest tavern for a beer.

[@drakevegas7073]

I flipped the tavern trope on its head by having the players decide why they were a traveling band of adventures before session one and have the tavern be en route to their initial discussed objective. It let us play up every strength and skip the weaknesses. Fun game!

[@stonerocks0]

Valuable messages, inspiring ideas and uplifting humour - another great video, Mr Skorkowsky

[@kevinsullivan3448]

When I'm starting a campaign I encourage the players to have their characters at least know about each other. Having them all start in the same hub community works well, or be members of the same guild or professional organization.

[@l0stndamned]

Some good points there. I think I might have to try the "introduced though car-chase" thing. Started a game where the PCs were going to be members of a "company of adventure" (fancy mercenary organisation). Introduced the setting with several companies running a big recruitment event that had grown into a festival (described as a hybrid of comicon and a special-forces selection test). The PCs first met as they were standing next to each other on the queue to get in and things were taking a while.

[@AndyCandyZeroSugar]

While watching another video I put KZbin to AutoPlay and wasn't looking at the screen. Suddenly out of nowhere a familiar, beloved voice started talking and I immediately had to smile. What a wonderful surprise, I wasn't expecting you at all Seth! I was already cheerful but now I can't wait to watch this!! Though I don't play D&D and will likely never will, these instructional videos are very close to my heart. The more I watch them the more they teach me about real life and real people, lessons and insight into not only the gaming world and around the table, but other aspects of real life as well. For example I've got you to thank for helping me understand unhealthy friend groups and their effects that I was part of in the past. Videos such as focused on the murder hobo, player/game master sins and the player compatibility especially. Only recently did I start watching every module video and I have been having a blast, I may have already commented this. Thank you for your continued work. You deserve lots of recognition for all the heart and soul that you put into these videos. Cheers to the gang as well, I wouldn't want them to feel left out of my heartfelt thanks. Take care Seth! Greetings from Hungary.

[@lucas23453]

I love starting my players miles away from one another, and gradually guiding the party together.

[@EryxUK]

The best campaign start that I run was a homebrew campaign from several years ago where their coach had been stopped by a highwayman and his bandit minions. I set the map up and their mini's and we started with a "roll initiative". The players and their characters both learned who each other was and what they could do. Worked so well.

[@maproomgaming6886]

My current fantasy game had the party meet in a tavern but with a catch. They had been called their by a friend, Irvold, to whom each of them felt some kind of loyalty or indebtedness and he had left a quest for them. It worked out really well and now I have a patron character to pass intel or resources to the party as needed.

[@harmonlanager2670]

I like to use what I call “The Usual Suspects” set up. Think of a singular event like a job gone wrong or an attack in public that’d result in the PCs getting arrested (only for questioning so they get let out easy). But don’t start at the event, open with the aftermath. The arrested PCs are questioned by an investigator - allowing them to give their name, some backstory, and general deal over the course of the interview. Follow this with flashbacks to what got the PC there then finally show the event itself. I did this a few times with different groups and it works pretty well. The one time I had a PC die in a flashback (bad luck), I explained that the investigator was interviewing him via a Speak with Dead spell.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

This mechanism was used pretty well to "narrate" Dragon Age 2, given that it was one NPC interrogating an NPC you get in your party. I think it helped deepen the connection of the story. Sure, the game had repetitive use of the same maps, but so what. I enjoyed the game enough to play it through at least three times.

[@TheRealCHIMShady]

My personal favourite is making the players be part of a caravan either as guards, passenger, fugitive or anything else they can come up with. You can use it for pretty much anything as it gives the characters a reason to talk for a little bit before the caravan arrives at the destination where the adventure starts

[@MaxWriter]

I started my most recent Down Darker Trails game on the stagecoach on the way to the village of Saltmarsh, Washington Territory. The players got to get to know each other a little bit before they got to the town. They've spent a lot of time at the hotel and saloon since though. These are all great ideas. I think I need to watch again and write them down. I prefer to have the characters meet and get to know each other at the beginning of campaigns, personally. I like the role play and seeing how they get along. I usually don't skip the "meet" part myself.

[@tafua_a]

I remember how my favorite campaign I ran started: I gave a private session to each and every character of how they arrived to the exact same tavern to do the exact same job. Some arrived that very day, others had fun the night beforr, some came in secret, some came very publically. Then they all sat at the same table the tavern keeper told them to sit at, and the adventure began.

[@Iridium-77-g]

Hopefully you hit 100k real soon, Seth. No one deserves it more. Thanks so much for giving us such quality content.

[@cobaltkoboldgames5207]

I run pf2e adventure paths mostly and I have had fantastic results running Decuma (golden lasso games) during session 0. It is really good at creating connections between all the characters and between locations and it’s a lot of fun on its own.

[@user-hd1ul6od2x]

the kind of meeting I did for my cyberpunk 2020 campaign was like this: Each character drinks alone in a bar across Night City, after another complete job. None of them know each other. However, one day, a man dressed in a black suit sits down across each of their tables, puts down an envelope and leaves. Inside the envelope are pictures of their families or things/people dear to them, taken from the viewpoint of a sniper, and an otherwise blank piece of paper, with a date, time and set of coordinates, printed out in its centre in Times New Roman. Obviously, they show up, and the guy that holds their families hostage forces them to take a job, poisons each of them and tells them to work together.

[@humbertoquadros9384]

Always a joy to click on a non-review video by Seth. Specially featuring the Gang, these are my favorites.

[@LegendOfMoriad]

I think my favorite intro to a campaign was building up the players as a team of space explorers as part of a much larger expedition. The characters barely knew each other, but they had a goal of exploration of the first new star system beyond Sol. Session one started with them waking from cryosleep onboard their carrier with all the alarms going off, and immediately having to abandon ship. Campaign went on pause before they had to chance to do more than semi-stabilize on a nearby planet after a crash landing. Looking forward to getting back to that campaign someday.

[@charlesmidair]

"Getting the characters to meet is like pilling a cat..." Omg, I spit out my water laughing when you said that!

[@Imerias2]

I love the attention to detail on the skit. I just noticed that you can see the two different character sheets. The descriptions are funny too.

[@Fredministrator]

Man the sketch intro/outro where just gold. I would like to add one point to starting in the action. You should be careful that whatever leads to the action doesn't seem much more interesing than the adventure itself to the players.

[@wesleywalker2831]

I really enjoyed that opening scene! It truly has to be watched twice to appreciate the nuanced brilliance. I may have enjoyed it even more the second time! Absolutely brilliant.😎

[@ericwhite1942]

In the pathfinder adventure paths they usually have really good openings. Rise of the Runelords starts off at a town festival that's attacked by a Goblin raiding party and in The Mask of the Pharaoh opens at a mass meeting of adventures at the start of a huge organizational exploration of a unearthed old city ruins

[@t3chblog296]

Thank you, Seth! Just the info I've been looking for! And I ordered the dice! Looking forward to them!

[@charlesmartinez5869]

I like the idea of a prompt based start. I've always wanted to start a game with the first encounter. "A small village tavern is attacked by a trio of minotaurs. Four people stand up from their tables and leap into action."

[@sagamer3594]

Great advice Seth, especially your point that it's the adventure which matters, not the opening.

[@joehonan1773]

0:35 the constant eye contact really makes it

[@Atariese]

Before I add more to the topic, ill plug Seth's writing. I did read "Ashes of Onyx" and it was pretty good. Action filled, adrenaline pumped, and balls to the wall action that only slows down to look around at the world(s) the characters are in and show why it(they) are awesome. I told my friends "Its kinda like harry potter... if harry potter was an adult crime drama on HBO." I like the tavern trope, the expected and familiar to work in and let everyone get settled. Then pulling the campaign on them, weather that be a goblin attack, an npc who is planning a job, or everyone gets arrested! (that one was great... had the players arguing with the local authorities for nearly a half an hour as they bring them in front of a judge then to throw the party down a pit and seal the entrance. The players all agreed it was because of racism and i totally played into that.) I also like starting right outside the action: "The party has a hot tip that a valuable artifact is in this building, and while setting up surveillance you notice several black SUV's pull up, and guys in suits and sunglasses get out." Or another one : "The party is tracking down the infamous kobold "Snivvy." For several days you track him to an area in the hills. You wake up from your camp, the npc made breakfast, and as you are putting on your gear, a twig snaps!" One of my favorites was to kinda acclimate the new players to the idea of a fantasy world. I had them start off already on a job guarding a Halfling caravan. And i narrated the Halflings jovial nature, sharing food, singing songs (about dragons, hint hint) and how friendly and open these common people were. That they got to see lush scenery as their path followed next to a river with woods sprouting about here and there. But as they approached the new town the mood went a bit more somber, and the Halflings checked their supplies and their tools. The party officially start their actions overlooking a large coastal city that was recently devastated by a dragon attack. The Halfling leader talking to the now Sherrif (to organize the Halfling caravan for rebuilding the city) , the Halfling paying off the party and the sheriff turns to the party with a few quests to help out the city. I tried the amnesia trope once. I was faced with 11 players and i needed to get them to start. So i had them all come to with their backs to each other, weapons drawn, and surrounded by 25 bandits. "You don't remember much, but you all feel like you have trusted one another before." Wasn't bad all considering. One more. I had a "new world" campaign where a king was organizing parties to map out a new continent, and there were hundreds of adventurers who heeded the call. The party starts off in a giant line waiting to go in and see the king. I just start throwing weird people and adventurers from other campaigns and games ive been in to interact with the PCs. Eventually culminating in the party getting assigned together. They have one final night in civilization where more random stuff can happen and they all just goof off while other adventuring NPC's egg them on. It lets people let off steam and really be idiots for a bit before they have to settle down and get to the campaign. RP during these times usually lead to interesting items the party can pick up as well, since they will not ever have a chance to shop once they land on the new world.

[@tay-dor7147]

The game I'm running, I started with the party already hired as caravan guards as a way to safely travel the the city that they've been drawn to in search of adventure. It allowed me to have an encounter attacking the caravan for a fun cold open. By the time they reach the city where everything is supposed to kick off, they've already met and been together for a week (in game time).

[@lilcwa]

Great video, as always, sir! A couple of months ago I ran a sci-fi one-shot for my players as a “palette cleanser” between arcs in our regular medieval fantasy campaign. The PCs were all independent notorious outlaws, roused from hypersleep on a prison shuttle after each of them had been apprehended when the transport vessel was forced to set down at a correctional outpost on a remote planetoid in order to effect repairs. During their transfer to the planetside cell block, the outlaws seized their opportunity to surprise and overpower their attending guards in a covert fashion. I started the game and allowed the players to introduce their characters by describing their “finishing moves” on their respective prison guards as they overpowered/murdered teem. Then, free of their cells but they are still weary from hypersleep, the group now had none of the belongings listed on their character sheets (presumably in evidence lockup somewhere back on the shuttle or around the outpost), and they needed to work together to find a way out of the secure cell block and devise a plan to get offworld gain their freedom before they were discovered and recaptured. It was a pretty fun and somewhat unusual “hot start” that led to some fun and memorable RP.

[@jingisukhan7988]

My first campaign as DM start at a tavern... The players heard locals gossiping about haunted house on a hill, but nobody take initiative to ask or interact with other PC. Then the bard want to perform to get some pocket cash, and he roll well, so I see my chance to railroad... The song invoke bravery and heroism on villagers heart, they begin a torch and pitchfork mob to burn the haunted house, and all PC just swept by this. Then when they arrived just in front of haunted house, the villagers return to their sense, and return back to village out of fear, leaving the PCs alone in front of haunted house

[@imofage3947]

Damn fine advice. I particularly like the "crowded tavern due to big game and you all end up sharing a table" variation. "So who're you betting on and how much?"

[@oldsoul3539]

One version I like is all the adventurers turn up outside an adventure location like a dungeon or evil castle, all holding help wanted parchments to meet a guy there. Saves a lot of time and you can get to know each other in an area where you can demonstrate your skills instead of just talking about them.

[@mrtin9128]

my last campaign as gm as for Legends of the Five Rings and it started in a tea house, the twist though was the PCs were all old and retired and were here to recount the tales of their youth and so the whole campaign was one huge flashback

[@jalzahn4404]

Great video. Helpful too. In my most recent Star Wars d6 game, I made all of the characters for my players and had them know each other at the start. They were all Mandalorians with specific skills. My group gelled well not only with each other, but with the characters. I took that risk with this group and it paid off. I'm so grateful for them. 🥺 Other groups I've had wouldn't have gone so well.

[@thedndwannabe]

This is some of your best work, Seth! You're an inspiration to those of us just starting out on the platform, and still have great advice for those of us who have been running for years!