13
Aug/2008

by StupidSmurf

Captain Khel's recent blog post asking for suggestions on a dwarf-oriented campaign got me to thinking about my own campaigns, specifically in how they begin.

Let's face it....many campaigns seem to start in or around an inn. Why is that? Well, inns are natural gathering places for crowds, and crowds produce adventure hooks. It's really as simple as that. In a fantasy setting, an inn is like a combination restaurant, bar, social club, and community center. So why wouldn't an inn be a natural starting-off point?

But come on, having yet another "You're all sitting around this inn when this old man comes up to you" gets dull, dull, dull if used too much. Break out the deep sighs, the eye-rolling, the "cliche alert" neon signs. This is why for the last ten years or so I've been damned determined to come up with new, creative spins on the ol' "Inn-launched campaign".

This becomes apparent when you consider that I'm about to launch a new D&D 3.5 campaign that starts off in, you guessed it, an inn.

So, for your edification and possibly cheap entertainment, I present to you my favorite "Inn-stigations". Wanna use any of them? Be my guest!

The Frame-Up
Campaign: Ex Libris
The group gathers at an inn on the southern coast of the Moonsea, guests of a wizard who at one time or another had a connection with each character, and now needed their help. As everyone sits down, the wizard pitches forward and dies. Screams erupt from NPCs, and people point at the PCs as the strangers who've killed their town's benefactor and protector. Right out of the gate, the PCs have been set up as villains to be arrested and punished. Can the PCs clear their names?
TWIST/SITUATION: A rival wizard was lurking outside the window near where the party was sitting, and managed to get a sighting of the wizard and assassinated him. Both wizards are looking for the same arcane book.

I See Dead People
Campaign: The Chosen
None of the PCs know each other; they're all simply at the same inn at the same time. The door opens and a group of people walk in, with a richly dressed nobleman in the middle of the pack. The man singles out each PC, asks them to meet him in the inn's private dining room, and in fact tells the PCs to make arrangements with the innkeeper to hire the room, and he'll pay them back. The group does this, and the man walks into the room as one of the PCs holds the door open for him. The man gives the PCs a "mission" to accomplish, and also tells them that he has buried a small strongbox nearby, with enough funds for a good-faith down payment, as well as recompense for them hiring out the private room.
TWIST/SITUATION: The nobleman is actually a ghost, and no one in the inn except for the chosen ones can see him...hence why the man walked in with a group of people, walked into the private room with someone holding the door for him, and had the group rent the room instead of him doing it.

SMASH!
Campaign: Some AD&D 2nd Ed campaign of mine whose title I've forgotten
Not so much IN the inn but in its vicinity. The party's walking through town and they pass an inn with a big picture window. Suddenly, the window shatters and two people come flying out, wrestling and punching each other furiously, one of them say "You take that back!" They land in front of the shocked PCs, wrestling and swearing.
TWIST/SITUATION: The NPC yelling "You take that back!" has a relative who's been unjustly accused of a crime. He hasn't the means or opportunity to go get the proof of his kinsman's innocence. Perhaps the PCs will do it??

Search Party
Campaign: The Legacy
The party, again a bunch of people who don't know each other, are all resting at an inn called the Sleeping Cat, in the Dalelands village called Whisperdale Crossing. Suddenly, the captain of the village watch bursts in, announcing that two of the village's children have wandered off. Frantically, he begins breaking up the inn's common room crowd into search parties. One such party turns out to be the PCs.

And here's my favorite....I have yet to duplicate the "WOW!" factor that this one produced in my group. It's still talked about.

Fire Sale- Everything Must Go!
Campaign: The Belgaroth Campaign (AD&D 2nd Ed)
"It all begins at this charming inn, the Sleeping Boar. All of you are strangers to each other, scattered around the common room, enjoying some refreshment and taking a load off for a little while before heading off on your respective journeys. It's your typical roadside inn, filled with travelers, pilgrims, laborers, merchants, mercenaries and the like. The place is hopping, the innkeeper busy, the tavern wenches and table-boys racing about here and there.

"The door opens, and in walks a noble-looking gentleman in splendid armor and a rich cloak. He is clearly a man of power and breeding. Flanking him are a pair of swordsmen who are of marked less social stature, in fact they seem to vacillate between looking intimidating to the crowd, and acting sycophantic towards the nobleman.

"The nobleman and his two retainers look around, then the fashionable man steps forward and clears his throat. 'Excuse me? Excuse me, good people...a moment of your time?' The murmuring of the crowd subsides as everyone looks at the well-dressed stranger. 'Excellent, thank you. My associates and I are looking for a friend of ours. Human, brown hair, early 30's, wears armor, has a nasty wound on his right thigh, answers to the name of Colin. The man answers to Colin that is, not his right thigh!' The man laughs at his own joke. The two sycophants giggle. Everyone else in the place just stares blankly at him.

"Seeing that the joke didn't work, he goes on. 'Right. Well then. This friend of ours, Colin, is badly hurt, and we have reason to believe he came by here. In fact, he may have hired a room here to recover?' He looks over at the innkeeper who shakes his head and goes back to work. Slowly, the rest of the crowd takes his cue, and starts going back to their food, drink, and talk.

"The man looks exasperated. 'None of you then? No? Is everyone sure?' The crowd is now ignoring the gentleman. One of the two grubbier warriors steps forward, and it's obvious he's trying to impress his leige-lord. 'Is everyone positive they ain't seen Colin?' the man growls. 'It's not like we're going to do anything to him!' 'That's right!' the other one adds eagerly. 'We just wanna....talk to him, like. No intentions of hurtin ol' Colin, nossir! We just need to get some information outta him!'

"Some of the people in the inn begin looking rather suspiciously at the nobleman and his two warriors. The nobleman rolls his eyes, hands on his hips, a look of exasperation on his face. 'Oh splendid! Just splendid! You had to go and open your mouth, you oaf!' he sighs. 'Now everyone here knows too much!' The man walks back to the front door and makes to leave. 'Kill them,' he says with a bored, dismissive wave. 'Kill them all.'

"The nobleman walks out as the two sycophantic warriors leer, drawing their swords. Before anyone can get up, they cut down two customers. A window breaks and a flaming torch sails through. Then another window breaks, and another. One customer runs for the open front door and dashes out. You hear a 'thunk! thunk! thunk!' and the man staggers back, screaming, clutching at two arrows in his stomach and one in his face. It's clear that there's more men out there.

"The two warriors inside start hacking through the crowd, cutting down surprised patrons, tavern boys, and wenches alike. Flaming arrows sail through the front door, setting the alcohol behind the bar ablaze. A burning arrow takes down the innkeeper. People are screaming, panicing, trying to mount a defense, but the assault is swift and relentless. Now, to recap, you have a pair of psychotic and clearly very experienced fighters hacking their way through people, more fighters outside armed with flaming arrows and watching the front door and windows, and the place is now ablaze. Smoke fills the room and the floor is slick with blood of the innocent bystanders.

"So. What do you people do now?"

Anyways, those are the ones that leap to mind. As for my newest one, well, I can't say anything about that one, as a few of the members here are also in my campaign.

Tags: DM Inns Adventure Hooks Campaign

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