Exciting Ways to Start Your Campaign

“So let’s begin. Our epic adventure starts with you all sitting at a table in a tavern …”

This would be about the point where the players groan internally, or possibly out loud. If your message is this campaign will be like every other campaign, then they heard it loud and clear. D&D and other roleplaying games are full of tropes and predictable behavior, and sometimes that’s not a bad thing. But your first scene is extremely important. It can set the tone and the pacing for your entire campaign.

More than anything, that first scene can implicitly set the expectations for the campaign. The first thing you need to do is identify the tone and scope of your story. Will it be light-hearted, comedic, scary, mysterious, etc.? And what about the scope. You can run a globe-trotting epic to save the whole world, an intimate mystery that takes place in a small town, or anything in between.

Once you get a good grasp on the type of adventure, you can write the first scene as a microcosm. Think of the opening scene in Star Wars: A New Hope. Even without the scrolling text, the audience understands that the story is galaxy-wide, that the Rebellion in presence compared to the overbearing Empire, but they’re willing to give their lives for the cause.

… make your introduction engaging, give an immediate call to action for your players, and set the tone for an amazing story …

EXAMPLES

1) For a Mystery: “It’s the third night of this storm, and everyone is wondering when it’s going to let up. The streets are quiet, except for the endless percussion of the rain hitting the cobblestone. Lightning flashes briefly to illuminate your group of heroes standing over a fresh corpse with a slit throat. This is the fifth murder this month that happened in the same way. Everyone has been thinking it, but now it’s time to admit it. We have a serial killer on the loose. Let’s take a look for clues.”

This scenario gives a decent visual, and presents the party with an immediate problem to handle. Keep in mind that the serial killer may have absolutely nothing to do with your main plot (or it could), but it doesn’t matter. The point is your players will understand the type of game you’re running, and what they need to do without an awkward session of finding a quest.

2) For an Epic, Combat-Heavy Campaign: “The bounty was supposed to be for a small Drake. Your party followed the tracks through the woods to a cave entrance so small that most had to crawl into. Now, as you each attempt to hide behind boulders and stalagmites, many questions are going through your minds. Is that a full-sized Dragon sniffing the air? How did it get in here? How much more gold is this going to be worth?! ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!”

So what do your players understand from this intro? One, this is more than likely a higher level adventure, so expect to take on monsters far more powerful than your average Goblin. There’s also a high-risk, high-reward sense. The combat encounters are going to be tough, but the loot will be worth it.

3) For a Post-apocalyptic Zombie Campaign: “For the third time this hour, your party makes your rounds through the house. You tug on the boards nailed across the windows, make sure the barricade is holding steady on the back door, and check your meager food rations you have remaining. Someone’s stomach growls in the dimly lit house to drive the point home. It’s been months since the dead started rising as an unholy army. A floorboard creaks, and all heads snap to see an underfed mouse scurry away. How much longer can you all survive like this? A loud, panicked knock is at the front door. Not the knock you all know to be the code. What do you do?”

There’s a sense of dread and desperation in that intro. If you present it well, all eyes will be on you, not on their cell phones. It immediately draws the players into the scenario, and gets their minds racing on how they’re going to survive the session!

CONCLUSION

Overall, make your introduction engaging, give an immediate call to action for your players, and set the tone for an amazing story you all make together. I hope you found these examples inspiring! Let me know some of the best ways you’ve started an adventure before. Thank you all very much!