Designing your starting area?

[Gwazi Magnum]

I'm designing the starting zone for my players and I feel I've already got enough to have a Session 1 and 2 going, but I like to have my bases (and options) covered.

So mainly as DM's, how do you design your starting areas? What buildings/NPCs do you consider important to create? What kind of quests do you leave for your players? Do your players start off knowing each other already?

To answer those questions in regards to my current world. I currently have a black smith, herbalist, church, recruitment station and Inn sorted out. Each with an NPC running them with their own personalities. Surrounding the town I currently have two main quests to persue, a Goblin camp raiding trading parties. These Goblins were former soldiers in the nations army, so they're effectively deserters. And then a burned down town that the city initially believes to be the work of a rival nation, where upon player investigation will be discovered to be Drow, who were abducting slaves for some secretive work off in some mines further off (a mine that also contains Duregar and Illithids... Which may or may not be inspired off of a certain web series of voice actors playing D&D).

[Aembrosia]

No shame. The craghammer arch is beautiful.

[Naanomi]

So dependent on the campaign, I am almost reluctant to try to come up with this. Our last campaign started on a river boat; the one before that in an intentionally resourceless small keep (brigands had destroyed the local economy, even the 'noble' was basically starving)...

But if I am having the players 'home based' somewhere... you need someone to sell basic mundane equipment (clothes, tents, ropes, etc), someone to sell basic weapons and armor (though a 'low level town' doesn't need everything in the book)... somewhere to access the early level spells' material components... somewhere to safely sleep off long rests... maybe somewhere to get wounds treated that are challenging to low level characters (poison, etc)

And someone in a position of authority (either official authority, or a thief Guild master who doesn't like 'disruptions') that can shut down low level players who try to get away with acting stupid

[Gwazi Magnum]

No shame. The craghammer arch is beautiful.

As several skilled DM's have told me before "Steal. Steal. Steal".

[Laserlight]

So mainly as DM's, how do you design your starting areas?.

I calculated the total population and what that meant as far as number of businesses of various types, how many noble families, how many magicians, and such. I mapped the city. I put half a dozen quest lines in. I designed the government structure--who's in charge of the military, what the court system looks like, who handles espionage and state security.

The party started one quest, but then murdered the NPC they should have talked to (and her guards, elderly cook, etc) and left physical evidence high and low. They got exiled from the city without having completed half of the first quest line (which should have been short--four sessions at most). I've been improvising like mad ever since. And they've been ignoring plot hooks in favor of, say, rowing away from land, into the ocean, in an open lifeboat.

tl;dr don't overprepare, as your players will go in unexpected directions

[BW022]

So mainly as DM's, how do you design your starting areas? What buildings/NPCs do you consider important to create? What kind of quests do you leave for your players? Do your players start off knowing each other already?

All of that depends upon the DM, players, level of experience, etc. Lots of options work.

I typically use pre-made settings such as FR, Greyhawk, or such.

For newer players, I might select a more remote location (farm, caravan route, ship, etc.) so they aren't overwhelmed by options and you can make more linear campaign. For experienced players, maybe a larger city. Typically, I'll send the players some details above the setting and get them to ensure that their backstories have a reason why they are there. Sometimes, I'll do the session 0, where I meet with each player one-on-one and give them something which would bring them there. I've had players start with a 'share' of an inn, only to find out that some charlatan sold 240% worth of shares. I've had players shipwrecked. I've had them start in a bar brawl where an assassin used the distraction to murder a shopkeeper. I've had them in a caravan stuck in a waystation after a bridge was washed out -- and several merchants were wererats.

I tent to like starting locations somewhat remote, isolated, etc. which gives some reason why the PCs need to get involved. Remote settings make it easier to control the number of NPCs, buildings, aid, etc. and often makes it easier to explain why the PCs need to step forward -- rather than just calling the city watch. However, with more experienced players... I've had large cities, concept parties, complex social/political campaigns, etc.

[Gwazi Magnum]

Just got another idea...

Farmers are reporting odd behaviours from their livestock...
The livestock are zombified.

tl;dr don't overprepare, as your players will go in unexpected directions

Oh I know.
Anything I'm designing right now is simple enough I can input it elsewhere later if need be.

[Spiritchaser]

So far the most successful campaign I've ever conducted (and in fairness, all before this one were 20 years before this one) started in a ruined villa, on what the players discovered to be a not quite so deserted island, with all the players recovering from what they eventually deduced to be a poison, with no memory of who they were, no knowledge of the world, no resources but what they found in their packs, and no information but what they discovered.

The island had many interesting traits which make it central to the campaign's main plot for the duration, though some of the finer points have yet to be discovered. They'll come back, and one of the clues they found in the first play session will eventually be central to the final conflict. It's part of a shrine, so I can mention it at need as they swing by the place.

Oh yes... and I had them all prepare multiple backgrounds/backstories they would be happy to play, each with identical stats (I was willing to be a bit flexible on background skills), at least one of the backgrounds had to be evil. I selected who they would be from options they had pre-approved, but they woke up literally not knowing who they were.

Oh yes... and there was a corpse on the floor when they woke up.

Because the island (now rather more completely deserted (but still not quite) is so central, both geographically and for the metaplot, they'll keep coming back. They've started to make it their own, and if they actually manage to capture and sell that damn trireme, they'll have the money to do so in earnest.

I'd worry about how the central story works with where they begin. The players will find their own home where it makes sense, they'll create more than what you give them, and they'll go looking for their own adventures.

[Azgeroth]

put them on a coach heading from one city to another, have the coach ambushed (by those goblins you mentioned), or stopped in a town because of said goblins (they are poaching the only road from that town to the city they are heading toward), or maybe they stop in that burnt out town at night, because they have to stop at night... mwahaha...

its a good way of doing it as it means the characters dont have to know each other prior to session 1, it gives them reason to stick together, and encourages them to follow the initial narative (they all have individual motives to get the next city, so working together to make that happen makes sense.)

else have them meet at the inn/recruitment centre.

EDIT : Realised i gave no description as to how i would go about inventing a starting scenario.. oops, so here it is!

first things first, they need a place to be, come from, go to.. and not just one of each either. where they are from is in their background, where they are your about to decide, and where they are going is up to them to decide..

so lets breakdown what a settlement is,
city large/medium
township large/medium/small
village medium/small
hovels,outpost,shacks, other POI


so you have points of origin, and where you are right now, aswell as anywhere between that connected them from their point of origin to here.. did they (each) come from a city/town/village/hovel or wilds. and how did they get to where they are?

place names, general size of settlement, things of note relevant to the characters. THATS IT. dont try fleshing out a full city on day 0, thats insane.. leave room for growth (and reasons to bring them back)

NPCS!!!

who did they meet on the way? did some one point them in this direction? again, some of their backstory will tell you this, dont worry too much, you need only a few names per place they have visited, who else are they/have they travelled with? all told you probably want about 15 NPC's as full characters, by that i mean a visual descriptions, basic character traits, and a name. how they fit into the world (fellow traveller, street entertainer, baker, blacksmith, trapper, bartender, guardsmen) dont worry about what roll they have now, just build semi generic NPC's and use them as they come up.

where are we again??

okay, so you have a rough idea of what kind of settlements are around, but what kind of settlements? are we in a desert? a mountain range? forest, plains, jungle, swamp? times for some lore. depending on your region you can dictate what kinds of societies exist here, from the ruling class to the faiths, the peasantry, and the clergy.. dont re-invent the wheel, just steal everything from anywhere you can that you like, just remember to keep it thematic, and simple.

hopefully, by now, you have a base line of the imediate world around, enough to flesh out the immediate area and interactions, with enough detail to let the players roam and not give you too much work to do, or work wasted..

RECAP

you want only as many cities or large towns as are detailed in character backstories, thats it.
townships and villages, same as above, with the addition of any they traveled through again, keep it basic.
hovels/shacks/wilds/other - come up with a few of each, these are going to be the basis for your encounters.
NPCS - 15 of em with faces, personalities, and names. you might spend a good 5 or 6 just getting the players to session 1.

now its time for the hooks, i originally used the example of a traveling caravan as its a very easy way to explain how these people who dont know each other are in one place and have a reason to work together. they could just as easily be traveling seperately, to arrive at the same place then something horrible happens, banding them together.

really, the hook is toughest part to advise you on, as i dont know the players or the characters, hopefully you do so this bit should be easy enough for you, commonly wave a big bad with lots of loot and they'll be all over it..

[lunaticfringe]

I jot down some basic demographics, just broad strokes. I flesh out important or places likely to attract Murderhobos Heroes: Shops, Libraries, Taverns, Inns, Brothels, Temples, Jails, & Plot Important Areas. Then ad lib.

[Finieous]

I love frontier boomtowns, so my prep usually consists of re-watching HBO's Deadwood. Have a few established businesses and then a market where PCs have a chance to find just about anything (or not much of anything) from peddlers, caravans, locals from the surrounding area, etc. Build a random goods table, or just set a percentage chance for various items. Create a random peddler table, or flesh out a collection of motley peddlers and traders so you can use this to introduce interesting new NPCs (and possibly adventure hooks). The market should really be hurting with those goblins raiding...supplies should be low and prices sky high. Someone should do something about that... (Although someone in town is probably profiting handsomely from it.)

Most importantly, the town should have its own recent history and politics. It should have its share of knaves who are nevertheless town fathers (and mothers) with prominent positions in the town. There should be rivalries, feuds, and schemes. The town should have plenty of secrets. There should be skeletons in closets. Even a tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere should have an interesting story for the PCs to uncover. The place should have personality.

[Bloodcloud]

I like to do "elder scrolls" opening, starting the player in jail, launch them in a remote location, give them a quest to redeem themselves. Gives a narrative backbone, limits initial freedom while opening the world rather drasticly after a bit of script. It has worked decently so far.

Also, don't be afraid to strongly push them in certain directions. Use plenty of inception. Suggest certain paths. Build frameworks, and bring in the details when you think you'll use it next session.

Also, I find building shopekeeper is mostly a loss of time. Shop from the book, it's useless busywork otherwise.

[Scripten]

I jot down some basic demographics, just broad strokes. I flesh out important or places likely to attract Murderhobos Heroes: Shops, Libraries, Taverns, Inns, Brothels, Temples, Jails, & Plot Important Areas. Then ad lib.

This is generally my approach as well. Throw in some events in the area as well, but don't predicate anything on the players actually doing anything. Just let the world run as a background process and keep everything as broad strokes. When the players do accomplish something is when I start filling in details. That way they feel like they are both part of a larger world and also driving the adventure.

But of course, that's just my methodology and my specific party, so take with the requisite grains of salt.

[Coranhann]

The "starting area" in my campaign had NPC related PCs' background:

- Some for instant uses (the orphanage where some of them were brought up by a cool old NPC - to be saved).

- Some for later uses (the local hero "castle", with the hero being the mentor of one of the PC - to warn them of new development in the area).

- Some for even later uses (the local druid / ranger, and the local sage (wizard/Bard/Sorcerer) mentors of PC with matching classes, meant to help & direct them through first quests, before leaving the village to, later on, ask them for help and work as hooks for far away scenarios)

[Gwazi Magnum]

RECAP

you want only as many cities or large towns as are detailed in character backstories, thats it.
townships and villages, same as above, with the addition of any they traveled through again, keep it basic.
hovels/shacks/wilds/other - come up with a few of each, these are going to be the basis for your encounters.
NPCS - 15 of em with faces, personalities, and names. you might spend a good 5 or 6 just getting the players to session 1.

now its time for the hooks, i originally used the example of a traveling caravan as its a very easy way to explain how these people who dont know each other are in one place and have a reason to work together. they could just as easily be traveling seperately, to arrive at the same place then something horrible happens, banding them together.

really, the hook is toughest part to advise you on, as i dont know the players or the characters, hopefully you do so this bit should be easy enough for you, commonly wave a big bad with lots of loot and they'll be all over it..

This helped a lot. Gave me some additional ideas that never would of dawned on me! :D

Should be noted though, this is taking place in a world I've spent a year or so developing beforehand during free time... So a lot of the bigger cities and towns were created a while ago. XD

[Laserlight]

Have a list of 10 or so pregen names for NPCs from each culture the characters are likely to encounter, so that when they run into a dwarf you're not scrambling for "His name is Thorin, um, no, it's...uh...". Remember that "gutter scum" and "middle class" and "noble" are likely to have different names--"General Sir Evelyn Balasingham" vs "Thomas Threadneedle" vs "Red Johnny"--and may be from different ethnic groups as well.

Likewise place names. If each building has a symbol on it (rather than street names and numbers), you can just tell them the business type and pick a symbol from your list: the House of the White Goose, the Inn of the Black Horse, Two Hammers Goldsmith.

[Bahamut7]

My current campaign started on a boat heading to a new land. I ran a combat as a tutorial and so they could try out their chosen classes. When they reached port, I offered the players a chance to switch classes if they wanted to. It made sense as they were other people on the vessel and it wouldn't break immersion for their current characters to leave for other adventures.

From there, the port town had the standard sights. Tavern, blacksmith, merchants, curio shop (potions), local government, and plenty of plot hooks. It also allowed me to throw in some foreshadowing for future stuff.