D&D: Five Places for the Party to Meet that Aren’t a Tavern
Starting off a new campaign? Here are five places for your party to meet up that aren’t the taproom of a tavern.
When you’re starting a campaign, nothing is quite as iconic as the smoky taproom of an unassuming inn tucked away in some quiet corner of the map. And I’m not here to knock that. If you haven’t had that experience, it can be quite fun. The sleepy little town. The sense of adventure brewing.
But, if you want to capture that magical start of the campaign feeling, and you’ve been in the inn a few too many times, here are some other places to start a campaign that give you that “endless adventure” feeling without making the party roll their eyes.
Arcane Academy
This is another classic. And a great way to get the whole party together. Have them be in school. There are plenty of places that could be an arcane academy or some other institute of higher learning. It’s how Strixhaven starts off. But you could be at any of D&D’s many magical colleges.
Or invent your own. Nothing creates an immediate shared purpose like having mid-terms coming up. Plus it lets you tie everyone’s backstories together pretty readily, and has some built-in side quests. Go out and gather the materials for the test. Try and track down the missing professor.
Even the Fighter can get in on the action, after all Eldritch Knights gotta come from somewhere.
Heroes’ Guild
Or go a step further and take queues from fantasy stories where bold adventurers are required to register with a local chapter of the Heroes’ Guild, and do that. Make the party come together to register their adventurers’ group.
Or have them be new recruits, hoping to head out and make a name for themselves. If the adventure begins with a training mission (that may or may not go awry) then you already have something for them to do together. And then they can spend hours talking about their secret backstory as they travel back to the guild.
On a Boat
The thrilling spray of sea salt can help bring any adventure to life. With the wind filling the sail of a fast but quirky sailing ship, you’ve got a story start ready to go. Where are they traveling? Are the party members passengers or part of the crew? Or are they pirates ready to plunder the next ship they come across?
There’s plenty of opportunities when you start off on a boat. Plus, that way the DM can use some of those all-too rare aquatic monsters before you level up past the point of ever needing to travel anywhere ever again.
In a Dungeon (Not Prisoners)
Maybe everyone in the party is already in a dungeon together. This is kind of the trope of how Indiana Jones often starts at the end of one quest, right before another, implying a greater continuity where he’s this adventuring professor, even though we only ever see him do three things.
Start your narration off with something like “you have been traveling for days when you finally found the ruby idol of Dendar deep within the temple of the Night Serpent” and you can get right to the action. Complete one quest, cement the party, and imply a lot more lore about the world.
Then when the real adventure starts, you already have some shared history to joke about because you just lived it.
Hey You, You’re Finally Awake
The party wakes up on a wagon in the middle of the road. They were trying to cross the border, right? But then they walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as the other passengers on the wagon, and that thief over there.
Call it the Skyrim special. But the party starting off as prisoners is a cliche the Elder Scrolls uses time and time again for good reason. May as well do it for yourself.
How do you like to start your campaign when it’s not in an inn?
