I think Seth is the best RPG KZitemr hands down. I'm always shocked at how much exposure he gets compared to some of the bigger names.
@dirus3142
2 жыл бұрын
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
2 жыл бұрын
He's amazing, but I can see why he's not as popular as some, he's not quite as flashy as other KZitemrs, he's more like you're favorite uncle to me, awesome, but not necessarly as crowd pulling.
@rpeterson9182
2 жыл бұрын
@Jeff Adamo Are you “Jeff: The greatest dungeon master of all time?”
@samsampier7147
2 жыл бұрын
Best videos. I come for the funny skits and for stay great content.
@jeffreyadamo
2 жыл бұрын
@@rpeterson9182 No I'm Jeff the worst DM of all time lol
@Chuckler127
2 жыл бұрын
Eating the character sheet had me laughing out loud for real. Way to commit to the joke, my man!
@oz_jones
2 жыл бұрын
Seth is method, gotta respect that.
@tunkatodd4539
2 жыл бұрын
I would have to ditto this comment. 😂🤣😂
@kirkkerman
2 жыл бұрын
@@oz_jones How is it that I keep forgetting that all of those characters are just Seth in different outfits?
@fallocritico
2 жыл бұрын
@@kirkkerman dude, i got the same problem D:
@smeefman6923
2 жыл бұрын
One of my players died in game so he just decided to eat his character sheet
@mathsalot8099
2 жыл бұрын
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
2 жыл бұрын
“The reason that clichés become clichés is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication.” ― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
@hangarrat
2 жыл бұрын
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.
@foxross
2 жыл бұрын
I once had a game where the whole campaign was set in a tavern. It was a lot of fun.
@alejandrorivas4585
Жыл бұрын
Oooooo tell me more
@foxross
Жыл бұрын
@@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.
@Pile_of_carbon
2 жыл бұрын
Seth's banter with his characters is so on point I almost forget they're the same guy.
@oz_jones
Жыл бұрын
I mean, the DM is also a charcater
@vanessaeve925
2 жыл бұрын
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
2 жыл бұрын
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
2 жыл бұрын
So, you're saying that they wake up on an island, and there are no coconuts left...?
@MonkeyJedi99
2 жыл бұрын
@@telemarkaeology Bard: I try to enlist the aid of the gazebo on the overlook.
@Fuzzy_Barbarian
2 жыл бұрын
One of my openings was the players all arriving in a town separately during a festival and trying to get INTO a tavern (to establish what their character is like and show off skills) for the different plot hooks I made from their backstories. That's how much I don't mind taverns.
@zenovkayos5811
2 жыл бұрын
You can start the game with the characters already on their first quest. Like Phandelver starts with a transport quest
@Tecmaster96
Жыл бұрын
I’ll be honest, I usually don’t love the skits, but the opening one here was so hilarious.
@user-hd1ul6od2x
2 жыл бұрын
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.
@CommadoreGothnogDragonheart
2 жыл бұрын
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.
@jamestanzer9188
2 жыл бұрын
I prefer the "You're locked in a dungeon together" approach.
@grizzlednerd4521
2 жыл бұрын
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.
@kevinkrueger7479
2 жыл бұрын
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
2 жыл бұрын
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.
@AndyCandyZeroSugar
2 жыл бұрын
While watching another video I put KZitem 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.
@skylarking12
2 жыл бұрын
I had one of the character meet-ups actually happen *outside* the tavern: One was inside getting his rear handed to him by an NPC, the PC was running out of the door, pursued by a much bigger foe... and one of my PC's is near the door, sees the predicament, and trips the bad guy into a face-plant at full-tilt, effectively stunning that guy. The other PC's are either outside having a smoke, or walking towards the bar. You could also play the bar staff to open with, instead of patrons. Young Jim Hawkins meets Blind Pew this way in Treasure island, and that encounter leads to more and more party members getting added to the adventure as you go. If the players can be patient enough to wait their turns, this could seem very organic. The way I open Death Station, the team selected to fly up to the lab ship are basically conscript workers in a planetary gulag, who hear there's an "audition" for players to go do an assignment that gets them off planet... but they each have to fight other "applicants" for the job slots first, while the guards lay bets...
@EryxUK
Жыл бұрын
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.
@violetsunprops
2 жыл бұрын
Some great tips. Thanks Seth! The end skit made me laugh a lot, poor Dweebles 😂
@sagamer3594
2 жыл бұрын
Great advice Seth, especially your point that it's the adventure which matters, not the opening.
@adrianwebster6923
2 жыл бұрын
the movie Centurion has a situation similar to Vultures of Shem. A bunch of legionaires all meet as survivors of a battle in hostile territory and need to rescue their commander and escape to friendly territory. Good fun.
@jameskerr3258
2 жыл бұрын
I literally wait until the weekend to watch and enjoy these. Another fantastic video!
@rdmrdm2659
2 жыл бұрын
A sci-fi game in my own world I have started in a tavern - gathered around watching a newscast which was the opening ‘exposition’. I’d already written it up and sent it to them the week before the game so it wouldn’t be an in game exposition dump. It gave information regarding the civil war breaking out between the inner and outer worlds and set the frame for the campaign among the players, let the primary fault lines be exposed in the reactions of the other bar occupants, with a brawl soon breaking out among partisans of each side … and then the players being approached by a government official in the aftermath of the brawl.
@ericwhite1942
2 жыл бұрын
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
@synthweaseljw5038
2 жыл бұрын
"maybe they're all juggalos" . . . I had to rewind to confirm this is what Seth said as I had this playing in another window.
@joehonan1773
2 жыл бұрын
0:35 the constant eye contact really makes it
@ts25679
2 жыл бұрын
Okay, so here's a setup I'm considering. Your group of childhood friends have all enlisted to join an exploratory mission to newly discovered lands with the aim of establishing a staging ground for a new colony. There are a lot of interested parties depending upon your groups classes and moral leanings it is possible that the organisations your players belong to will be at cross purposes. You start by introducing characters one at a time with a vignette or scene of them interacting with their factions and suggesting the motivations and potential secret agendas. Those players who love to have some dark secret or intricate backstories have this scene to get the rest of the group as interested and excited as they are about their character. Think of it like a solo Marvel movie before the big team up. This way when they meet at the tavern, docks or caravan before they head off we know a bit about each of them, how they know each other and what some of their motivations and potential conflicts are. You could also let them decide as a group things about their shared history and about the setting as they introduce their characters.
@TheDarkOne629
2 жыл бұрын
Sounds interesting. I just hope that you planned the session length right. Giving any player out of 4 more than 30 minutes is not good if the session is only 3-4 hours long. Good luck either way!
@robbabcock_
2 жыл бұрын
It's always a great day when one your videos shows up in my notifications! 👻😎👍
@DocEonChannel
2 жыл бұрын
I've never started a campaign in a tavern. But if I can get my players interested in The One Ring, you bet we're doing the opening scene at the Prancing Pony!
@elianisthebrave6988
2 жыл бұрын
the best ''you start in a tavern'' begining i dmed was in a game where the players played monster hunters. I described the tavern, how nothing really out of the ordinary was happening when suddenly some suddenly opens the door and yell ''TAKE COVER'' as a GRIFFON crashes through the roof being ridden by the fighter trying to choke it out with his chain whip (because of course someone was going to make a belmont knock off) and the other players rushing in to help finish the job, i actually had each player roll to see who would be on the griffon when that happened and it happened to be the fighter.
@elfbait3774
2 жыл бұрын
This one got a chuckle out of me because nit only did my currebt campaign start in a tavern (inn), the inn in question was the home of one of the PCs who's family owned it making it the hangout for the other PCs who grew up together. They are 5th-level now, having played from 0-level, abd have returned to the inn as the campaign progressed, getting new adventires out of it as well as character development
@wesleywalker2831
2 жыл бұрын
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.😎
@indestructiblemadness8531
2 жыл бұрын
My current campaign started with us entering a ship. The ship has another group of advanturers on it. No story. It was ment as a short 0 session introduction, but after 2 Sessions we're still here. xD The right players, the right charakters and some good NPCs and you'll need no hook. Especially when first playing the system, its just fun hanging around, making bets, playing drinking games upside down and brawling.
@richmcgee434
2 жыл бұрын
I honestly can't recall the last time I played or ran a campaign where the PCs didn't know each other before the game began. Maybe sometime in the early 90s? Even if not everyone knew everyone else, there'd be connections between pairs or trios of people from their backstories and the group would shake down into a team over time in game. Personally, I'm notorious for making characters who are relatives of another PC. You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family, and keeping an eye on cousin Joe is as good a reason to adventure as any.
@kevinsullivan3448
2 жыл бұрын
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.
@rdmrdm2659
2 жыл бұрын
Tavern is a common social gathering spot. You could use a carnival similarly. A cliche isn’t a bad thing to start with. A cliche eases you into game in a comfortable way and sets you up to receive the beginning of the game. It evokes a certain flavor and mindset and gets you started.
@zenovkayos5811
2 жыл бұрын
Taverns in a fantasy setting is an amazing opening
@pedronovaes5993
2 жыл бұрын
I love your videos. I also appreciate that you give tips for every system and mention a variety of games besides 5e.
@goyasolidar
2 жыл бұрын
I often prefer to start in medias res. One time, after the players had just sat down at the table with their shiny new characters (which were starting at 3rd level), I said without preamble "roll for initiative". I then adjusted everyone's hit points to reflect some random damage they had already received beforehand and proceeded to run the battle while narrating how the players had gotten into the current situation they were in.
@SerpenThrope
2 жыл бұрын
"Traveling adventurers meet in a tavern" is like saying "people sit in chairs." Sure, it's not the only place, but it works fine.
@MonkeyJedi99
2 жыл бұрын
True, they could meet in an Italian restaurant when fire mephits burst out of the kitchen. Or in line for a play which gets suddenly cancelled due to the lead actor going missing. Or on a ship about to come to port in the city which is a hub of adventure when the city vanished, leaving only a rapidly filling hole that smashed numerous ships together and requires mass emergency landings on the wooded shore.
@mrprogamer96109
2 жыл бұрын
For your make sure the players meet, I started a Twilight 2000 game about a month back, (I know bad timing, but the players are having a great time.) 3 of the 4 were all in the same unit and the last was a Russian who was defecting from the USSR, and the units last mission and orders were to pick him up, that went fairly well, i think it helped that the game has the same thing from the Alien RPG (Its made from the same company) where the one of them already knew one of the defector.
@SSkorkowsky
2 жыл бұрын
No kidding on the timing. Glad to hear you and your players are still enjoying it despite the current events. Many years ago a buddy started running us through Twilight 2000. We were 3-4 sessions in, having fun, and then September 11, 2001 happened. We lost the desire to continue with it and never picked it back up. Fast forward to earlier this year, same buddy gets the new Twilight 2000, is excited and wants to start a game. He has since determined that it's just a little too close to home and not the type of escapism world we want at the moment.
@mrprogamer96109
2 жыл бұрын
@@SSkorkowsky Honestly it was there encouragement that kept me from dropping it and I am glad they did. I had only had one session before the war started. but I made sure people were still ok being a part of the game and they all said yes, but I can't act like current events are not effecting how I am running it and I don't think I would have ran it if I had known what was coming.
@maproomgaming6886
2 жыл бұрын
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.
@DanielMcGillis-f3w
6 күн бұрын
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.
@liasisd6570
2 жыл бұрын
Listening to Damoren as an audiobook. Super hooked
@Number1masksfan
2 жыл бұрын
The relay game I am currently in It is a semi-modern dnd game and started with we all woke up in the back of a van tied up. We were then taken to a mysterious room where we were given our mission to take out a crime lord only known as the Hydra
@jakem72
2 жыл бұрын
Festivals are the best opening for players new to RPGs because we all understand a festival and they learn immediately to explore the parts of the world they are interested in. Creating fun stalls and eccentric NPCs for them to fall in love/hate always captivates a new group. For DnD, when the monsters inevitably attack, they can be going after the NPCs the PCs love which will help new players who don't know their characters well survive a bit longer than a direct attack on the PCs.
@paulh3892
2 жыл бұрын
Great advice! Tavern openings are awesome, and thanks to your advice my next one will be even easier to run. You rule, Seth. Your videos are entertaining and helpful for those of us who like board games and group story telling
@nicholaswallen8147
2 жыл бұрын
I'd love to start in a tavern. One the players own and run. They pick up on rumors and find people to take over while they go off adventuring
@Madkingstoe
2 жыл бұрын
I LOVE starting out in a tavern and have never understood the stigma behind it.
@Aaron-mj9ie
2 жыл бұрын
I've noticed that a lot of the criticisms people have about other people's playstyles come from people that don't seem to actually play the game themselves, or they're just parroting some youtuber they've watched a video from. Starting in a tavern is a time-honored tradition.
@MySqueezingArm
2 жыл бұрын
I think the most appropriate way to say 'system agnostic' should be 'system independant'. But honestly 'system neutral' is equally valid and easier to say. Thanks for all you do Seth!
@maciejkukla9615
2 жыл бұрын
Can't wait for this set of dice :)
@edwardromero3580
2 жыл бұрын
Great video. I’ve tried most of these openings to various degrees of success. Fortunately, my current group of players are all relatively new so I can recycle all of my favorites.
@skylarking12
2 жыл бұрын
The epilog was delightful:-)
@Tomyironmane
2 жыл бұрын
I've heard of Shadowrun GMs who completely unironically always run the introductory mission "food fight" "So it's 3 AM and you all meet in a stuffer shack...."
@squeethemog213
2 жыл бұрын
That opening bit was great xD
@georgecook83
2 жыл бұрын
I wasn't looking at the screen and had to back up and watch that part again. I thought he said it's like peeling a cat...and with the tshirt that says he's failed his sanity checks I had to hear it again lol.
@Xingmey
2 жыл бұрын
My last starting locations... my Shadowrun 5 campaign started in Chicago - it started in a church when a priest summoned them to deal with some insect ghosts then we started a Das Schwarze Auge / the Dark Eye Campaign, and that started on s hip moving along the coast and entering the harbor of a city next i had a star wars game set up... it started on 'space titanic' right before the empire approached to be the 'iceberg' (shamelessy taken that opening from the old 'knights of the old republic 1' intro ;D then we started a warhammer fantasy campaign, which started on a market place, right before everyone was thrown into jail and was conscripted into the imperial army/guard and my newst shadowrun campaign started... in a tavern/bar - and people love it. just depends on how you start a campaign... if it always a tavern it just becomes a trope to make fun of ^^ but it isn't cursed
@jamessmithson99
2 жыл бұрын
Military characters meet in predischarge class on (travel pay) and learn they are interested in the same job/task while chatting during the many breaks in the two day long class. Merchant characters meet in a long customs line.
@StarlasAiko
2 жыл бұрын
Last time I ran a SpaceMaster campaign, the campaign started with the characters waking up in the shattered remains of shattered bio tanks...no indication if those were healing tanks, clone incubation tanks or whatever... on board of a space station with the light flickering and life support alarm blaring.
@toko099o
2 жыл бұрын
A quick guide to things to add to a tavern so your PCs will explore a little before an initial hook in 5e: Artificer: A grandfather gear clock that isn't working Barbarian: An arm wrestling contest that the loser buys the winner a drink Bard: A band who sounds horrible Druid: A strange tree in the center of the room (embellish details about this thing) Fighter: A group of mercenaries loudly bragging Rouge: Some form of gambling game being held Sorcerer: A hunter's trophy mounted on the wall of their bloodline (A corrupt magic crystal for wild magic) Warlock: A salesmen with a once in a life time deal (my go to is a stolen +2 weapon that costs exactly all of that PC's gold, but taking the deal puts bounty hunters on that player) Wizard: A patron has a magic scroll, but is not willing to sell it. Now that you have one or all of these, flesh it out. Don't do this if you have a more specific adventure planed, but use it to introduce something (mercs bragging to introduce that company, a type of contract, and how to gain fame for more jobs down the road). This sort of stuff works better for an exploration game, but can still help with starting up RP, introducing an important element, or establishing a tone. Don't use any of this if it would be a better opening to just say that the party is talking to their employer about the first mission you had planned for the game.
@slayer0235
2 жыл бұрын
Better still, Dragonlance also starts with everyone meeting at an inn and (in the novel at least) sets the theme for the whole campaign/trilogy.
@Thundarr100
2 жыл бұрын
You made a lot of really good points, Seth. However I would like to point out that the “You all meet in a tavern” doesn’t always work well with all characters. For example, I had a character once whose backstory was that he was a fugitive on the run and he had a price on his head. As a result he was very paranoid of strangers and wouldn’t have simply blindly accepted some rando’s invitation to “go adventuring together”. He would need a much better incentive than an invitation from someone who he had never met before. Something like he gets attacked by bounty hunters and is getting his butt kicked, and the other PCs come to his rescue. Then he might have a reason to trust them.
@Lochaby
2 жыл бұрын
Can attest, mountain of dagger is pretty fun.
@TonyJ1776
2 жыл бұрын
Great ideas, Seth.
@onlineprof13
2 жыл бұрын
My current game is set in a college, and my players are roommates and have classes together. It is simple, and it worked
@anthonyragan2696
2 жыл бұрын
I'm a big fan of "in media res" introductions.
@TheTkhhwilliams
2 жыл бұрын
"...maybe they're all Juggalos." 😂😂😂 We're all going Chicken Huntin'!
@AdorkableDaughterofNyx
2 жыл бұрын
i commonly use Maid Cafes and Other Themed Eateries. like the "10th Hell Diner" or the "Wonderland Casino" or the "Salty Shark Inn"
@Disc147
2 жыл бұрын
The Tavern is a Fritz Leiber stamp of authenticity.
@writerguy911
2 жыл бұрын
The Call of Cthulhu campaign I am running at the moment had the two characters butt heads initially over the investigation and over the past year they are now best friends. The whole thing started in front of a police station.
@Davidhadar81
2 жыл бұрын
My ongoing Spirit of 77 campaign started with all the characters playing the new fangled game called Dungeons and Dragons in games shop.
@Davidhadar81
2 жыл бұрын
And then the cops came...
@Nethar6
2 жыл бұрын
I once started a campaing with "You wake up in a tavern, whit no memory of how you get there. As you lift your head of the table you look around and see everyone else in the room slumped over tables and chairs. Mugs spilled and faces in plates of half eaten food. As if everyone in here had just suddenly slumbed over in the middle of what ever they have been doing. Your Characters are the first one up but you can already see others stirring. What do you do?"
@ricardoreis7298
2 жыл бұрын
Great video, as usual. Maaan, I really wish you uploaded content weekly. >.
@SSkorkowsky
2 жыл бұрын
Part of the cost of being a 1-man operation. Back when I tried to do the weekly schedule I started burning out because the average video (writing, making image slides, shooting, and editing) takes several days, so I pulled back. As a result, I think the quality of the videos improved.
@danbrown8731
2 жыл бұрын
"You wake up in prison" is my "you meet in a tavern." I use it waaayyyy too much
@toddrohrer8680
2 жыл бұрын
Good pick with Casablanca
@TheHeartlessAlchemist
2 жыл бұрын
The 5E version of Curse of Strahd has the characters having some sort of relationship with other 2 characters.
@tigercrush2253
2 жыл бұрын
My favorite campaign opening I've run thus far started with me handing the players pre-built characters who were an established exploration party in the middle of an adventure, following an old journal to a mysterious island. I billed it as a very low-magic setting, no fireballs or monsters. They got to have a few encounters to roll some dice and get used to the setting, and then they ran directly into a demonic force that defied the setting's rules, and their premade characters got slaughtered. Immediately cut to the characters they built being recruited into a mundane job and going on to establish themselves as adventurers and explorers in this low massive world, taking on missions and making friends and gaining levels until, bam, they find an old water-worn journal detailing how to reach a mysterious island rumored to be haunted by demons. But of course, demons aren't real, right?
@thegneech
2 жыл бұрын
Always good stuff. :)
@AuntLoopy123
2 жыл бұрын
The first time I DMed (so, this campaign), I started in a tavern. But I did it with a twist. The BARD started in the tavern, and then was hired to perform at a wedding at the local temple, where she met the cleric, who was entrusted to deliver a letter, by her father, a higher-ranking cleric. The two travel to Phandalin, and deliver the letter to the person in charge there, who is currently in conversation with an old monk, who is expressing her desires to Do Stuff and HAVE an ADVENTURE, and FIGHT! The letter is revealed to be a request from the cleric's father (We are clerics of CHAOS, and our daughter, shamefully, not only raises a garden, but has it all planned out IN TIDY ROWS! Please help her learn chaos by sending her on an adventure, and telling her that she is not allowed to come home for at least a year). The temple dude says, "The TownMaster posts jobs for adventurers on a board near his house. Why don't you go there? And please, PLEASE, take my acolyte with you. She needs some adventure, and there's safety in numbers. She has been trained in fighting techniques, but never did more than spar." So, the three of them go to the Jobs board, to see a fighter and a wizard, reading the postings. They all agree to work together (safety in numbers), and off they go on their first adventure. Now, because I was a newb, and most of my players were newbs, I basically narrated the majority of that. I said, "You do this," and "You say that." But ONLY to the point to get them where they needed to be to MEET everyone. Basically, a 5 minute "cut scene" after which I said, "So, you're all together now, and ready to start your first adventure. What do you do, now?" Since then, I have NOT said, "You do this," or "You say that," once. And my players didn't seem to mind, at all, since they had no clue how to get started, either. Sometimes, I REALLY wish I could say, "You do this," because these guys miss my plot hooks, but oh, well. I just re-skin the plot hook, and use it again later on. To be fair, this same group, with me as a player and my brother as the DM (we alternate weeks, unless we have to stop in the middle of a battle, take a picture, and start up again as soon as possible, to maintain the momentum) wound up missing THE VERY SAME PLOT HOOK THREE TIMES. Yes, Starter Kit, our first combat on the way to Phandalin, when the goblins ambush us, we fight off the goblins, say, "Cool!" and then forget to even loot the bodies. We just head on our merry way. Then, when we have to start PAYING for stuff, I say, "I wonder if the goblins had any money on them. DANG! We forgot to loot them! Let's go back, and see if there's anything to be had." So, we went back, saw no goblins, thought, "Well, I guess someone else got our loot, and just as we were about to turn back, we were ambushed AGAIN! So, we kill the goblins, LOOT them, and go back to town. BOTH TIMES, the DM arranged to have one goblin run away, and then go down to a ranged weapon, but not quite dead. So he can be questioned. "He's down, but not unconscious. What do you do?" "Well, it says here in this pre-made character sheet that my character is REALLy angry at the goblins for mucking up a temple, so I guess she's a bigot who hates goblins, so she kills him." "Are you sure?" "Yep!" After the second ambush, and killing the goblins, we loot the goblins and go back. It wasn't until we were having fun, imagining that we were getting drunk in a tavern, and actually asking for rumors (Yes, I am a video gamer. This is what I know), that we REMEMBER that someone in the party was looking for some specific people, and we DISCOVER that they went missing along the road where we were ambushed. "Hey! There were dead horses at that ambush! I bet that the guys we're looking for were riding those horses, and they were ambushed!" "Let's go back, and look for clues!" So, back to the ambush site. We find next to no clues, but after about 30 seconds, the goblins shoot at us from behind the bushes, in ANOTHER AMBUSH! FINALLY, we actually QUESTION the last remaining goblin, and find out about their hideout, and. how they like to ambush passers-by, for loot. He drew a funny map, indicating where the "doggies" were, the "fud" was, and the "Big Boz." So, we go to the goblin hideout, and get in far enough to kill the guard dogs, and a couple of other goblins, before we are tapped out. That was the session, where we went TWO WHOLE ROUNDS without ANYONE hitting ANYTHING. Not us, not the goblins. Just misses all around. It was frustrating, but hilarious. Also, my sister-in-law realized she was rolling a d12, and might have hit, had she rolled a d20, because she'd actually have a mathematical CHANCE, but we didn't retcon it, because it was too funny. My group likes funny. So, we went back to the tavern to rest, and went back to the goblin hideout, (by way of an AMBUSH at the bushes) where we found three goblins in rough wolf cosplay outfits, barking and growling, and pretending to be guard dogs. They were chained, just like the old guard dogs, wearing tails and ear headbands, made from the tails and ears of the old dead dogs. We killed them, and took the cosplay stuff, because FUNNY! Then, we followed the map, and killed the goblins cooking the "fud," before moving on to the "Big Boz." We figured the fights were a bit easier this time, since there were fewer goblins than before. After clearing out the goblin hideout, we went back to town, very happy. We did some other things, and then, on our way to another job, we passed the same route, and... WE WERE AMBUSHED AGAIN! My goblin-hating wizard SWORE VENGEANCE. On the bushes. After we killed the goblins (questioned the last one, who said that the REALLY Big Boz, back home, hadn't had any reports from this place for a while, so he sent replacements), we DESTROYED THOSE DANG BUSHES, ONCE AND FOR ALL! Then, we cleared out the hideout again, killing the real guard dogs, and in the process, luring out ALL of the goblins, including the Big Boz. We had frightened the guards at the entrance, by having fun with Mage Hand, Light, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, and the threat of a yucky, half-decayed Nothic skull "Coming for your potatoes!" (Note, this is after our group adopted another goblin, because he was too cute, and he loved potatoes). The threat to the potatoes sent the guards scurrying inside, screaming, "It's coming for the potatoes!" So, while we were fighting the guard dogs, the entire goblin horde came to the defense of the potatoes, chanting, "BAKED potatoes, BOILED potatoes, MASHED potatoes, SMASH!" over and over. My goblin-hating wizard made good use of burning hands, after half the goblin gang had been tripped into a single pile, by use of a trap that the cleric set up (Yes, the cleric, not the bard. This player thinks so far outside the box, she doesn't even see it. I LOVE her!). So, big pile of gobbos, burning hands, that battle ended quickly, but we were HAPPY! Then, we went to loot the place, got sick from eating goblin-cooked potato stew (my fighter actually took damage), and then went to the Big Boz room, where we found an accountant, threatening us with his pen. "I don't know what I'll do to you, but they say this is mightier than the sword!" We adopted him, too, because he was too cute, and he told us about his "kolleegyoo. I can spell!" (colleague) back at home, his partner in accounting, and how the hobgoblins really didn't treat either of them well, and we decided we had to save the other accountant. On our way out, we figured about how long it would be before the REALLY Big Boz would send reinforcements again, but we said, "The bushes are gone! At least there will be no more ambushes! HUZZAH!" Then, we went to Neverwinter to spend the next THREE sessions shopping, with our pet goblins in tow. We got them each their own bag of potatoes, named ourselves "The Spud Studs," and commissioned some magical brooches, lovely blown-glass potatoes, enchanted to be able to be used for communication, so we could tell our goblin friends (and my goblin-hating Wizard was only the SECOND person to attach herself to the first one, and pretty much the one to suggest we adopt the second goblin, because CUTE! Goblin accountant! With glasses!), "It's dangerous. Keep hiding," or "We cleared out the dungeon. Come on in." My wizard gave them each a pretty, because she had bought a pretty for herself, and she wanted them to feel like part of the family. DANG, we have a good time! Oh, and by the way. In the Spud Studs game, which my brother DMed, our start was "You meet at a tavern, looking at at the bulletin board there, and decide to join up on the mercenary-protect-the-caravan posting." That was it. We didn't even play out the tavern, in either scenario, but both campaigns happily began in a tavern. TL;DR: Starting in a tavern is FINE. It's all in what you do after that.
@vrslayercat
2 жыл бұрын
Casually name drops Zanzer Tem's dungeon. I have used prison cell openings multiple times.
@majorpain8569
2 жыл бұрын
I started a new D&D group with some friends. Everyone had made up characters prior to the first session (Second Edition). I decided to make it easy they would meet at the local tavern. First guy, a wood elf ranger wearing a cloak walks in. Says he is going to sit in a corner and keep to himself while watch the crowd. Second guy, a human wizard in a cloak walks in. Says he is going to sit in the corner and keep to himself. I mention to the elf that a mysterious cloaked figure sits in the corner opposite him. This plays out 2 more times I have 4 characters eying each other suspiciously. I was a little miffed looking at each of them in turn waiting for an opportunity for role play. I needed the serving wench to nudge them together....
@MonkeyJedi99
2 жыл бұрын
I would have let the four corner lurkers watch a party of four characters without crippling social problems gather at the center table, get a quest and a map and head out of the tavern. Then tell the players that nothing else really happens that day, and the place closes for the night. Let them corner-lurk for a few days until the other party returns, tired, dirty, and being cheered by the town. The town alderman provides them with a feast and a reward and they ride off to the next town. The tavern remains quiet.
@thebolas000
2 жыл бұрын
Have the cloak salesman come in and spend his hard earned cash on drinks.
@Anthony_Culotta
2 жыл бұрын
That shirt is awesome.
@howdoilogin
2 жыл бұрын
My character's backstory is that he's on the run from the law for burning down a tavern after being approached by an annoying and needy old man in a tavern who expected him to risk his life for a paltry reward.
@anthonyblister3064
2 жыл бұрын
I love starting a game in a tavern.
@NefariousKoel
2 жыл бұрын
Taverns are a good locale for some purposes. Starting characters off in one, without knowing each other, is an awkward introduction and wastes too much time fumbling around in doing so. Was on the receiving end of that long ago, decided it wasn't something I'd do when GM'ing. Would rather establish prior character connections pre-game or session zero and, hopefully, start with something 'in media res' as early as possible. Let's get this boat sailin!
@kalleendo7577
2 жыл бұрын
Awesome!
@bobavontanelorn5713
2 жыл бұрын
"Like every Friday night, you sit at your regular table in your regular tavern. What was the name of the tavern again? Who is the host and who brings you the drinks, as always? And what is the name of the bard who is playing tonight? Please describe the location. Oh, and who are you?"
@malcolmcampbell3912
2 жыл бұрын
I played in a Pathfinder game where the GM had us all start on our and wanted to bring us together in the first session. The rural city-hating Grippli Ranger heard a commotion in the distant city and said "I don't want to go there..:" Cue the GM having to do some pretty brutal railroading to get him to the rest of the party. So, since then I try to avoid such beginnings. The potential for failure is too high.
@mr.makepeace3465
2 жыл бұрын
Best tavern skit ever🤣
@misad6308
Жыл бұрын
Personally, I like not starting out in a tavern. "The Tavern is the session Zero. All your characters get to know a little bit about eachother, they all agree to go on a quest together, and Session One can start with y'all having already accepted a quest or being en-route somewhere where there will be a quest." Easy as pie, gives direction, prevents too much shenanigans going on before the players know how the world works, reducing the chances of them becoming murder-hoboes.
@lsdths82
2 жыл бұрын
I was listening to the glass Cannon podcast and Skid came out and stated that he enjoys washing your videos on KZitem. I thought it was an awesome call out. So if you haven't heard on latest glass Cannon podcast.
@SSkorkowsky
2 жыл бұрын
Funny you should mention them. Our collaboration should be coming out soon. We played a little Call of Cthulhu together and it was awesome.
@lsdths82
2 жыл бұрын
@@SSkorkowsky I can't wait
@SSkorkowsky
2 жыл бұрын
Weird but true story. About 2 months ago, a buddy of mine was visiting a building in Denton as a potential place for his daughter's wedding reception. As they're entering the building, a Scott Brown agent walks past. My buddy follows her, much to his daughter's annoyance because she's already stressed hunting for wedding reception venues and because her dad spun around and followed some random real estate agent just to exclaim "Scott Brown, motherfucker," at her, which made zero sense to the daughter who understandably thought her dad went spontaneously crazy. Anyway, the agent started laughing. She just so happened to be the same agent who discovered the video last summer and sent me Scott Brown schwag. The agent's assessment of the whole thing was, "Seth made us sound a lot cooler than we really are."
@Klomster88
2 жыл бұрын
Funny is that my campaign i'm running now, started in a tavern. I also by mistake (or clear intelligence, myeees....... or not) followed basically all the above suggestions. This campaign is our groups longest running campaign so far. The group find themself in a tavern along the stormy road, night is approaching and the warm tavern is looking mighty cozy. The archmage magitechnician, the wandering hedge knight whom also has birthright to a powerful nation and a frickin dread queen of the fae find themself there. The tavern goers are oddly non-emotional and most tables are filled so they have to sit down next to a pair of other guys. They walk, find each other agreeable, all agree that the zero emotion other bar-goers are spooking them out. The weather outside soon ramp up and without a warning, the roof is torn asunder, a massive storm with violent lightning is outside and without warning lightning strike the ones around that table, marking them all with strange lightning scars. And then the other bar goers ripped their skin of, revealing themselves as draugr. Roll for initiative. They were outnumbered, and one of the two friends that they sat with were killed by a powerful draugr boss and the other slain by an undead mammoth which charged in from the tree-line outside when they all tried to flee. But what was different now, was that now, they were gods. Godbound. My other godbound campaign did have a completely different opening. The oracle dragon is sitting near her chosen village, she is its protector, it is a calm day and she is catching fish. Some distance away, a magical flying ship is going to the Rakene Confederacy, a magitech heavy society where all the players are going for different reasons. The magitechnician going home, and the young barons son is escaping the baronies because he slept with the wrong lady. Suddenly, heaven is kleft asunder as an 8 kilometer tall blue crystal shard of heaven falls out of the rift. It is falling straight upon the dragons village! It tries in vain to stop the massive shard, the others in the ship can see the dragon trying to stop the inevitable, but as the tip touches the village, the entire thing explodes with no sound sending a bassy shockwave of shards flying. With a crash the dragon crashes through the ship, cleaving it in two. The crash is inevitable and all of them are impaled by shards of heaven. But not killing them. They awake once more, with 1'001 angels descending from heaven to gather up the shards, one of the survivors confront the leader angel and it promptly annihilates him with a sunspear bolt. The dragon quickly picks up the others and they flee the scene, the angels more focused on claiming all the shards, so no one gets hold of their innate powers.
@mikep6263
2 жыл бұрын
Some of my best real life adventures started out in a bar...
@wolf1066
Жыл бұрын
I generally have the team (Cyberpunk) meet when they're employed to do a job e.g. they all have the same fixer, they're all low on cash and hoping _their_ fixer will find them a paying gig - and the fixer just happens to have been approached by someone looking for a _bunch_ of skilled, reliable people and is willing to pay cash. Or maybe some company's been having a recruitment drive and they've all been recently hired, wind up on the same work team.
@pdubb9754
2 жыл бұрын
My advice - don't complicate it. I started my current game giving overly complicated justifications for the characters to meet, dropping lore teasers and mysterious clues. It took too long, required extended narration, and stole focus from the players. No one complained, and we are mostly still playing together, but it's something I'll consider the next time I start a campaign.
@Coyote-oy1oo
2 жыл бұрын
My next campaign that Starts in the next month will start straight in some High Speed Action. Players are Super Powered Heroes, jumping on the Back of a hijacked train that is rigged with bombs and chemical waste... Its heading for the Station at City Hall ....
@Joshuazx
2 жыл бұрын
Very fun skit!! System Neutral is good. System Agnostic doesn't make sense when you know what gnostic and agnostic mean.
@ericwhite1942
2 жыл бұрын
Funny enough, I started a D&D 5e home rewatch adventure I called Return Of The Serpent God, I had it start in a Tauren in Baldurs Gate. The PCs get a message to meet a Dwarf paige who serves a High Lord that wants to hire them to find a micguffen Yada Yada. But in the middle of the pitch, a message boy arrives and whispers in the Dwarfs ear telling him another servent of his lord is waiting outside in the back alley . He tells the PCs to wait 1 moment and goes out back. After waiting 10 rds, they get worried and follow, finding a gang of Thugs lead by a mercenary beating the Dwarf, trying to get info about the micguffen. The plan being the Dwarf had 23 hp and the PCs gained bonus XP equal to x10 the Dwarves hp.....it was only 30 btw lol
@oldhatAN
Жыл бұрын
I have an absurd backlog of Kindle books I bought on impulse but haven't read. I shouldn't buy any more at all so, naturally, I bought everything and Audible narration on Mountain of Daggers and Ashes of Onyx.
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