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Topic:
Different ways to start the game
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Koohii
Title: Games: RPG d6 GM
Registered:
May '03
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Date Posted:
2/16/07 2:34pm
Subject:
Different ways to start the game
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One of the big things with starting an RPG is "How do the characters meet?" The long standing sollution to this has been in a Tavern (D&D/Fantasy games) or Cantina (SW). The party members meet and for some reason, even though they are frequently scum, borderline scum, or just really weird beings from disparate backgrounds, they instantly trust each other with their lives. This gets old very quickly.
"Hi, I used to be an Imperial Captain"
"Hello, I'm a wookie. RAAAHR"
"Any of you got a bounty on your head? What? Just asking."
"Shut up or I'll stuff you into the hidden compartment on my Stock Light Freightor."
"Beep Beep Woooo-ooooh"
"Ug, not another droid... Can't you buy the speech converter?"
"Arr, avast Thar. I'll 'ave you keel-hauled if y' don't shut yer gob."
So, how about some alternate ideas for getting started? THis is different from adventure ideas because these are strictly intended as a way for the party to meet and get to know each other. While they can lead to and be background for adventures, this is for introductions.
Here are a couple of mine. Please add any you've come up with.
1) On the Run. One party member is running from the bad guys (IMPs, Hutt enforcers, whatever). If two characters already have a relationship of some kind, they are the ones in trouble. Along the way, they bump into one of the other party members. Using guilt-by-association, the persuers open fire on this person too. A couple of baddies get taken down, but they have re-enforcements show up. A passing repulsorlift carrying one of the other PCs goes by at just the perfect trajectory for the PCs on the run to jump in & hijack it. Keep the string of coincidence going until the PC group, who now have a common enemy shooting at them, make it to the ship. If none of the PCs own the ship, the owner/captain will not be happy with people shooting at him and his pride&joy, and will charge the PCs a lot for transport, but will be happy to get away from the firefight, and may admire their combat abilities. By this time, the PCs all have a fair assessment of each others abilities and maybe personality.
Alternately, one of the PCs may have a safe-house or hide-out to direct the party to, once they shake the persuit. This could be a good recruitment drive for the Rebel Alliance.
2) The Simulator. The players are in an unfamiliar place with no real idea of how they got there. Suddenly enemy forces walk arround the corner/through the door. After a second's hessitation, the enemy forces order the players to halt&surrender, then drop into combat possitions.
Turns out that (The Rebellion, Jedi Council, Whatever) had put together the team based on skill resume, and wanted to put them to the test in a sophisticated VR system. The party should pass with flying colors, and impress the people in charge of reading the simulator results.
3) The Escape Pod. The members of the party are all travelling on a less-than-stellar-quality personnel transport. Suddenly alarms start going off. The captain orders all passengers to Escape Pods. Any PC trying to help will get yelled at to get out of the way & into the escape pod. The pods are all equipped to carry 20-30 people, so the entire party should fit on board with a bunch of other people. The ship blows up within seconds of escape pod launch. Players get a look at the fighters attacking the ship--they have pirate emblems on their wings. The pod drifts down to the nearest planet, with a mildly dangerous atmosphere. The party has lots of time to get to know each other, try to survive, and find a way off-world while keeping the other passengers alive. Depending on how well they do will decide how many of their fellow passengers make it.
The only down-side I can think of to this is that those player templates that start with ships or speeders or droids may feel a little cheated, but they can always acquire those once they get back to civilization. Sure, the smuggler doesn't get his freightor. On the other hand, he doesn't start with the 100,000 credit bounty on his head either... (now, the ship he eventually gets may have a "history" to it that has unsavory characters interested in previous owners who attack the PC because of the ship...)
Also, the PCs will have every reason to hate pirates... Lead in to future adventures?
Other ideas??? 
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Create happy mediums: Free prozac to all psychics & Jedi
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dp4m
Registered:
Nov '01
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Date Posted:
2/16/07 2:47pm
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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1) Mission Assignment. Everyone's called in (they're serving roughly the same organizational structure) and are given a mission briefing to work together.
1a) The Mission. The GM informs the characters ahead of time they're already on a mission assigned to them.
2) The Nameless One. Characters wake up having been captured and need to team up to bust out.
3) The Emergency. The characters are all in a setting other than a cantina and an emergency (fire, imminent explosion, terrorist attack, robbery, etc.) breaks out.
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"Looks like you're about to get pwned" - Eric Cartman
"Awarding experience points for cleverly and creatively generating an enjoyable experience. How warped is that?" - Darths & Droids
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Koohii
Title: Games: RPG d6 GM
Registered:
May '03
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Date Posted:
2/16/07 3:33pm
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
- Date Edited:
2/16/07 3:44pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Koohii
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 Those are good. Glad to see that I'm not totally bonkers.  OK, good to see that someone else had ideas.
Shainghaid: the PCs wake up to find they've been drugged with no memmory of what happened after entering the TapCaf refresher. Now they've been impressed into service on board a Pirate ship. They will obey orders and serve the captain & officers, or be spaced. The choice is theirs.
Techs will be sent to engineering, maintainance, damage control.
Pilots will work flight deck & astrogation, as well as gunnery.
Combat beasts will find themselves doing grunt labor, acting as boarding party troops, and maybe gunnery. At all times, they will by monitored by at least one senior officer who is both better armed, and more skilled. During Boarding action, they will be given a blaster pistol, knife, and blast vest.
Party members meet because they are assigned to the same sleeping quarters, shift, and meal rotation.
Party may, depending on their actions, become associated with pirates and become wanted beings with bounties. Any encounter with authorities later could be complicated. On the other hand, if they somehow manage to seize control of the ship, imagine the irony of Rebels turning a pirate ship over to Imperial forces and receiving a reward. Who knows how long that refresher-trap will work, or how many pirates it serves...
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Create happy mediums: Free prozac to all psychics & Jedi
I'm met 6yo adults and 36yo children
Still working toward Ni-Kyu Go Ju Ryu
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Yuul_Shamar
Registered:
Nov '04
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Date Posted:
2/17/07 8:21am
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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this one isnt all that ingenuative(misspelled i presume) anyway this is how i started my jedi academy campaign series(for those of u that helped me a year or two ago on that one i posted this is it) i copied the opening cutscene from the game jedi knight jedi academy(except for the crashing(didnt do that)) so anyway i had the PCs as well as a dozen or so other potential force users heading to the jedi acdamy or praxeum as luke calls it give them a bit to meet each other or important NPCs.
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"Your power over others only relates to those who fear you. Look into my eyes, fool, and see no fear."-Darth Shadra, in response to the dread lord Delano
Most Eager Newbie - Spring RPF awards 2008
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NarCranor
Registered:
Mar '05
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Date Posted:
2/17/07 8:32am
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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When I GM a game, I like for there to be some kind of mystery for players to solve, as opposed to some target for them to fight. When I craft my adventure, I will take into account the characters created, and based on that com up with a way for them to be pulled into the game organically. Of course, it is sometimes much easier to just start with the characters already teamed up (either becuase they are a smuggling band, rebels, or pirates, or imperials, or whatever) and move foreward as a whole. Depends on the kind of game you are running, really.
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Dashade_Mercenary
Registered:
Feb '06
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Date Posted:
2/19/07 9:34am
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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When I DM, i like to have a semi casual getgo, but things usually get really interesting really quick. For example, in a DnD game i ran, the players were all in a tavarn(clechie) but none of them knew each other. That evening they were kidnapped and interigated by a necromancer who later sent them to her master, (a deasert landwyrm) who gave them each an unidentified item in exchange for thating care of a problem for him(In ravenloft no less) and then they would be free to go,( they were in a dire situation with some drow from the start.
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Aragorn327
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Aug '01
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Date Posted:
2/19/07 3:53pm
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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My first game: PCs are onboard a ship bound...somewhere. Attacked by pirates. Yes.
The one I typically use now with my various groups: Told they're members of the same organization beforehand, start from there. I've done this for the Jedi Order, and members of a mercenary crew that split up to lay low for a year, and regrouped to start the campaign, etc. Tends to work better for me than a random mix of people with my group.
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"Question not the ways of the script, there's always a bigger fish"
The singularity is about to explode.
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Rogue_Thunder
Registered:
Jan '03
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Date Posted:
2/20/07 4:30am
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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I'll admit until recently I always used the cliche "You meet in a cantina" bit, but I quickly realized it's much easier to have the party all know each other beforehand, simply because I don't know what character concepts they've come up with, since they usually create character the night of the first session, so it's hard to find a way to organically bring them into the campaign.
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And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain, but I will remain, and I'll be back again...
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Yuul_Shamar
Registered:
Nov '04
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Date Posted:
2/20/07 4:33pm
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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Rogue_Thunder posted:
I'll admit until recently I always used the cliche "You meet in a cantina" bit, but I quickly realized it's much easier to have the party all know each other beforehand, simply because I don't know what character concepts they've come up with, since they usually create character the night of the first session, so it's hard to find a way to organically bring them into the campaign.
ill admit ive had trouble with the same thing as my group makes their characters at the last minute or sepprately prior to the game.
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"Your power over others only relates to those who fear you. Look into my eyes, fool, and see no fear."-Darth Shadra, in response to the dread lord Delano
Most Eager Newbie - Spring RPF awards 2008
Most Eager GSE Player!
Sith Lord! Watch out!
John 3:16
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Koohii
Title: Games: RPG d6 GM
Registered:
May '03
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Date Posted:
2/25/07 10:48am
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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The Auction: all the party members are bidding on the same item, for different reasons... Family history, because they can afford to, key to a mystic puzzle or hidden treasure map, agent of another buyer, what-have-you. Of course, they aren't the only ones bidding...
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Create happy mediums: Free prozac to all psychics & Jedi
I'm met 6yo adults and 36yo children
Still working toward Ni-Kyu Go Ju Ryu
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Sith_UK
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
3/1/07 2:44am
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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I find the best way is to put them in a situation where they can't do anything but help each other. Put them under attack from the CIS/empire/Vong etc and get them to somehow escape or defend hostages. This starts the game at pace and then allows people to use their characters quickly and establish a relationship with the others of "they are all in this together".
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Goo_Child
Registered:
Jul '02
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Date Posted:
3/5/07 8:09am
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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One game I opened up with the 3 strangers under fire from the Vong. They had no choice but to help each other. Two of them were Jedi and they sort of butted heads with the bounty hunter type character... oh well... it was an interesting game.
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LeeroyJenkins
Registered:
Mar '07
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Date Posted:
3/6/07 10:36pm
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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For my current game set between Episodes 3 and 4, I set it up with an opening crawl where the players were all passengers bound on a transport to Naboo (which has become a police state). One of the characters grew up on Naboo and is returning home, the others were former employees of the shipping company vessel they were on and have been let go. They're all disembarking when outside the makeshift landing platform they witness Stormtroopers gunning down a 'helpless' ithorian...
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Koohii
Title: Games: RPG d6 GM
Registered:
May '03
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Date Posted:
3/14/07 3:19pm
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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Explosion in the middle of the street. All the witnesses (including the party members) are being asked to explain to the authorities what they saw. Given the fact that they're carrying weapons & even explosives (if they're anything like all of the players I've played with), the authorities detain them for further questioning. Meanwhile, they and their equipment are stored in a security speeder & holding vehicle. THe characters have several hours to get to know each other.
Of course, since they really didn't have anything to do with it (right?) they will be released. Unless they do something stupid, like attack the guards or break out.
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Create happy mediums: Free prozac to all psychics & Jedi
I'm met 6yo adults and 36yo children
Still working toward Ni-Kyu Go Ju Ryu
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The_Future_POTUS
Registered:
Mar '07
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Date Posted:
3/24/07 5:30am
Subject:
More Different ways to start the game
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1) You could always have them thrown in a holding cell together.
2) Here’s an idea that may or may not be good. Have them all on a ship that is attacked and venting atmosphere. They put on space suits and go out on the ship’s hull detach the locks and jump over to the other ship get inside and try to take it over.
I just came up with that ____/\_____ and it looks stupid right now. Oh well…
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As I watch the Jedi train and prepare endlessly for their self appointed role as saviors of the Galaxy
the Sith whom constantly strive and bicker with their comrades; always ready to prey on the weak,
I must wonder;
do none of these people have lives?
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Jedichrono
Registered:
Jan '07
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Date Posted:
3/24/07 2:10pm
Subject:
RE: Different ways to start the game
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We once started with everyone working at a record store on a crummy planet. Silly but funny, I think all the characetrs died or were mained in the first session due to a critical wild die roll after another! HA! Short but funny!
Usually our campaign is a massive year long ongoing, so the characters usually are connected to someone they know or can easily be hooked up with. We have smugglers, rebels, jedi, bounty hunters and more in our circle, so it gives us much range.
Could also try having them trapped during an invasion. Ran a game on Coruscant during the Vong invasion and that worked well having them survive and escape together.
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