Hello and welcome to this series of articles where we challenge a whole bunch of assumptions about DMing. Today we're looking at beginning your adventure in a tavern.
One of the cliches in DnD is that you all begin a big campaign in a tavern or bar. It's as old as the proverbial hills. But here's the thing...I personally think that taverns can be a pretty bad way for some adventurers to commence an adventure and can genuinely start people with a bit of a bad taste in the mouth.
But Vectron!! I hear you cry, Surely the tavern is a great way to sample the local flavour of the area!!
Indeed it is and in my Worldbuilding: Tavern article (which will be up shortly) there is plenty of tips for this, and for several scenarios it can be a great place to start an adventure. However I would do this IF and only IF both the players and the DM are experienced!!!
The issue that I have for taverns for those who do not have experience with DnD is that most of the time it requires both the players and the DM to do some lifting to drive the plot along and both have to kinda rely on each other. The DM may have a great idea for a quest out of the gate by talking to some shadowy figure in the corner, but if the players are kinda overawed by the idea of roleplaying (and let's face it, many new players may be) then the game can stall. Conversely if the players are experienced and start asking heaps of questions of a DM who just wanted to have a little colourful place to begin their adventure, then the game can stall as the poor DM has to think on their feet as they begin talking to the music act for the evening.
It should be stressed that in both scenarios it isn't really either player or DM's fault (admittedly the DM could prepare more and be a little bit more accomodating) but rather the fact that you are really starting the game in a place where both player and DM are assumed to know how to negotiate the setting.
So what are some alternatives? For me I like the idea of going somewhere, where the players have an idea of a destination and an immediate quest- to get there. A friend of mine did this recently in a game that I was playing and it immediately put all the players at ease- despite the fact we had played before. He had us travelling on a caravan to a city where our real adventure began. By doing this he was able to introduce the more novice players to combat and to experiment with the strengths and weaknesses of their class in a way that felt natural but not pressured.
If you are really wedded to the idea of a tavern, however, then change the circumstances. One idea I have used was to set the first scene in a military tavern, where the players were essentially being signed up to some sort of mercenary militia. Again, this allows players to not feel like they have to take responsibility for driving the plot of the adventure to begin with. Another option is to actually get one of your more experienced (and trustworthy) players to 'bring the quest' with them. That way, players can feel like their party can gel from the get go.
And that's my two cents about this particular myth! Let me know what you think!
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