I wrote this on another forum in response to a new DM trying to figure out what to do with the characters at the start of a campaign. In other words, how do they meet or already know each other, and how did they end up in this place at this time? He was worried about how to integrate the PCs into the world in a meaningful way that actually made sense to them at the very beginning of a campaign. I think the topic is a good enough one to make a whole post out of it… here is my answer:
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There are two things that I routinely do before the start of a campaign that helps me lay things out (at least in my mind) with regards to opportunities to make the world a richer place for the PCs…
A) I ask my players for a couple of things when I have them create their character:
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1) What are the character’s goals? And I don’t mean this in a vague way, I want at least two concrete goals from the player – these I will use as fodder for quests.
These can be things as powerful as “I want to avenge my parents, who were killed by a rival clan” or as seemingly undramatic as “I want to prove to my older brother, and myself, that I can make a difference in the world“ or something that highlights a character flaw or tries to improve a reputation, like “I want to try and stop drinking and do a major good deed every month”
2) What is the main driving force for the character? And in this I mean to ask, what is the main thing that the character likes to do? Do they like to fight? Do they like dramatic conflict in PC-NPC interactions? Do they just like to hoard stuff and have the most fun when they are gathering the loot after the battle is over?
I use this to make sure that I have enough of the things in the game that will make each PC happy and allow them to work towards their goals.
B) I give them a short bit of background info regarding the first session.
For example, I started my last group out by telling them that they would start in a small town by the name of Treemore. They have arrived there after a long journey and they are basically penniless.
I then asked them to tell me how they got there and what circumstances led to them being penniless. I then leave it up to them to decide if they know each other and if any of them are related.
Before they write their background, I work with them to determine their town of origin and things like that. This won’t be as big a deal for you if you are starting in a well known established world, but my players needed help with it since they didn’t have the entire world laid out for them. I gave them a handout that described the region they would be in and the pantheon of gods that were known and worshipped in the world, plus some basic information about how the world works (what races there are, which ones are common, is magic allowed, etc.).
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I find that these two things cause the players to be more invested in their characters since they are the ones who have created the backgrounds. They know their personal goals and they have almost 100% of the say in how their character developed in the past (according to their background). And they also have, in their minds, some reason why they are in the exact spot they are in at the beginning of the very first session.
My next best piece of advice to new DMs: Don’t worry – you’ll do fine as long as you make at least a small effort to work their characters into the world. Which brings up a point I wanted to make about a long running campaign… Make sure that you have the actions of the PCs actually affect the world – their actions have consequences and they should be good and bad – you have to follow through to show them those consequences in-game.
For example: If they make a mistake and hurt the son of the town mayor, they will cause hard feelings in that town and probably be hassled by the guards every time they go back there. So… make sure they get hassled every time they step foot in the town.
If one of the PCs inadvertently got engaged to a rich merchant’s daughter, then he should be pursued when he leaves town, and told of the sorrow he has caused the daughter. So… perhaps the men sent by the merchant will try and persuade him to return, or perhaps they will break his legs?
Also, if they reach high level, and they start doing really powerful things that affect the entire world, or at least a large region of it, perhaps a bard should start following them around and recording their deeds.
Perhaps the bard will become famous himself for singing and performing about the famous adventurers, perhaps a book will be written about the exploits of the group – perhaps they will begin to be targeted by more powerful clans, or they will be summoned to perform all sorts of deeds for high level royalty… all of which could be good or bad depending on your perspective.
The point is – make the actions the PCs perform actually matter – it’s a lot more fun that way and they will feel integrated into the world!
What do you do to get your players into the first situation in a campaign? What are the best stories you have about how a campaign started?
That’s all for now, until next time, I wish you good gaming.
~DM Samuel
