Is a fine way to start a DnD campaign! It's a classic and the most common opening for a reason! Taverns have many opportunities for NPC interactions, are places where people come together, introduce gossip and rumours to the players and often have 'wanted' boards, so are places adventures go frequently. You can make the setting uncanny, like there is something wrong with the tavern itself or the people inside, or maybe have a recurring character who is first introduced in the tavern.
Starting in a tavern can be done effectively, but there are alternatives if you want to mix things up and try something different. There are many way to start campaigns, and endless possibilities. There are many popular beginnings that can be adapted in order to make them more engaging and unique
When having characters meet in the prison, maybe speak with our players first to establish why. Did they steal something? Were they wrongly accused? With many openings there can be a lot of unanswered questions if it is not thought out. Waking up in a prison cell with no context to why is strange, so make sure to justify it! Maybe a character is visiting the prison, while another is a guard there, one is there for a crime, while one was framed.
Having characters be there for different reasons creates a more interesting dynamic in the party! What does the prison look like? Is there writing on the wall? Why is a player's cell door left unlocked? Are there NPCs there? Maybe the prison is in a small town, or part of a huge building in a prosperous city.
Within medieval settings, or in particularly hostile towns, executions do not sound like a far-fetched concept. Maybe a character that is from a different area is shocked at the cheers of the crowd and wants to save the executed. Maybe a player knows the executed. Maybe a player is the one scheduled for execution. How does the crowd react to the party trying to stop the execution? Considering the different roles of players is something I love to do, it adds depth, and like I've already mentioned, it creates interesting dynamics.
This one is pretty self-explanatory - maybe a town was destroyed, forcing your party to band together. I use this one less, but it's still a great option! Maybe a town is burnt down, and the party has to choose between seeking revenge, looking for answers or escaping the flames to seek security first.
Perhaps there is an object that the party, or some of the party, are hired to protect. While guarding the object, other members of the party come to steal the object, only for both sides to realise that the object is not what it first seemed. Maybe the object holds powers no one knew were possible to harness, or is not an object at all, and they were protecting a creature with the potential to destroy cities. Do they destroy it? Take it? Escape and warn people about it? And what are the implications of their actions?
- Following a trail/signal
All characters notice something, which leads them to the same place. A loud noise, maybe a light in the sky or an object crashing into the earth draws them to this location. One of the players could be the cause of the signal, causing the party to be formed. They were the only ones that noticed it... they think. This is great since there are so many options for what to do - what is the trail/signal they followed? How do their reactions differ? Why was there a signal/trail? Did anyone else notice? Do they find an object when the trail ends?
The party members could all receive an invitation from someone they all know. The friend could be mysterious in some way to draw the attention of the players, although they don't have to be! Maybe each player is given a different fact about the friend, so they eventually piece together what they know about them, plus the way the friend acts, to form a bigger picture.
Similarly to a tavern, starting in a marketplace allows for many NPC interactions and easy explanations on why players are there. A marketplace also opens up the possibility for different NPCs like a shady vendor or pick-pocket. Maybe a player is a thief, and the others all try to stop the player, only to realise that they have a reason for stealing that goes beyond normal explanations, leading the party to help. Stealing from a stall of suspicious items could be because the player was offered a high reward for collecting it, and threatened if they refused, or get into a fight with a vendor due to a past grudge. A simple task like collecting groceries could turn upside-down when the market becomes labyrinthine, the stalls rising to form walls and the people panicking, with vendors becoming trapped within the confines of their monolithic booths - why is this happening? will they try to save the vendors, if they can? how will they escape this maze? who is behind it?
Just remember that regardless of whether you're making your party meet in a tavern, prison, marketplace or anywhere else, justify why they are there, try to involve a sense of mystery, consider giving your players different roles at the beginning and hook them! If the start is exciting and fun, then they'll want to keep playing.
If you have any other ideas for the start of a campaign, feel free to comment them! I'd love to know any other ideas people have π€
