How can I get my player characters together and move towards a new town?

Question

That might seen like an oddly worded question but hear me out.

I am starting a new campaign soon and I kinda jumped the gun a bit with the pre-planning. None of my player characters know each others characters and I want them to all meet up organically (or just meet up). However all the planning for my adventure starts with them all together walking into a town that's under attack.

The problem is I don't know how to get them from meeting up (or where they'll meet up since I kinda wanna try something different from "you all meet in a tavern" since I've done that 3 times already) to entering the town as companions, or at least together.

How can I get my players together and move towards a new town, without directly forcing them?

RE: "I want them [the PCs] to all meet up organically (or just meet up)." Out of curiosity, why? — Hey I Can Chan, Jun 12 '18 at 01:04
Because none of my players know each others characters and they seem to enjoy the mystery of it. — Youjay, Jun 12 '18 at 01:18
Yes we've played games before, they just don't know each others characters — Youjay, Jun 12 '18 at 01:25
added some clarification on the "characters" part. The way it was worded before could be confusing, thinking that the players don't know the characters (which wouldn't exactly be a problem, I guess). — HellSaint, Jun 12 '18 at 02:01
I think this is currently Opinion based and unclear. One might lead to the other. What do you mean by "organically"? Why can't they just "coincidentally" meet up when they are getting to the town's gate? Is there a nearby smaller village or settlement where they could be just before your main campaign, where they would create some kind of bond? Do you want the "going to the town and start the main campaign" to be the very first thing to happen? — HellSaint, Jun 12 '18 at 02:14
Possible duplicate of How to get players to do something without them feeling railroaded? — Premier Bromanov, Jun 12 '18 at 02:27
@KorvinStarmast there was a better one that I thought I had selected, but I've lost it — Premier Bromanov, Jun 12 '18 at 15:48

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 16 '20 at 10:23

Depending on whether you've got time for this - running a one-shot solo game for each of them (or pairs or whatever) that ends with sending them all off to the same town would allow you to build up to the game, flesh out some back-story and may even kick start some of the role playing relationships between PCs.

If you can't actually run these, the quick version is having a conversation with each of your players, coming up with a reason that they'd go to this specific town. An example might be something like this:

PC1 has a life goal to become the greatest fistfighter in all of history. He discovers there's a brawler in a nearby town who's creating a bit of a name for himself - somewhere to start his reputation perhaps?

PC2 met a girl he liked and was sent by her to get a specific perfume in order to earn a date. The nearest vendor of this perfume has a shop in this specific town.

PC3 is part of a group of highway bandits that hits a caravan PC4 has been paid to protect. One of them convinces the other to join them instead, and the destination the caravan was headed for is the town in question.

Of course, the specifics of these situations (that can be played out in a one shot game or just worked out and agreed on beforehand) is limited only by your collective imaginations!

@PremierBromanov I have, and it works if your players get on board with. — KorvinStarmast, Jun 12 '18 at 02:31
@PremierBromanov Hmm, looks like I can't offer what I used to do (worked most times, failed miserably once) ... as it is now closed. — KorvinStarmast, Jun 12 '18 at 02:43
I understand it's also what Matt Mercer of Critical Role does, more or less. — Isaac Reefman, Jun 12 '18 at 02:49

How can I get my player characters together and move towards a new town?

1 Answers1