5 Ways to Start Your Campaign in a Tavern
Not every story begins with a mysterious hooded figure (but it should start in a bar)
Whether you're running a gritty heist, a classic dungeon crawl, or the start to an epic multi year campaign the tavern remains a timeless starting location. Here are 5 creative ways to kick off your campaign, all beginning with clinking mugs, questionable stew, and trouble on tap.
1. The Tab Slap
A grumpy barkeep slams a parchment on the table, the combined bar tab of every party member. A mystery benefactor covered your drinks that night and they've left a note requesting a meeting at dawn. Outside the city. Bring weapons.
2. Open Mic, Closed Doors
It's amateur performance night. One of the party members gets heckled offstage by a heckler who suddenly clutches their throat and collapses. The doors magically seal shut. Someone in the tavern is a killer. Good luck finding them before the charm fades.
3. Buy One, Quest One Free
The tavern is running a promotion: Complete a quest, get a free pitcher. The quests range from "retrieve a lost goat" to "steal a noble's wig." It starts silly, but clues in the fine print reveal something larger is going on behind the scenes.
4. Drinks on the House (Literally)
A loud crash erupts from the upstairs rooms, followed by shouting, the clanging of metal, and a small fireball. The innkeeper just yells, "That's the third room this week!" Players are offered free room and board if they can resolve whatever's haunting Room 3B.
5. Wanted: Not Dead, Yet
Each character notices a WANTED poster that features themselves. Same name. Same face. Same bounty. When they confront the barkeep or guards, no one seems to believe their denials. And whoever posted the bounty is arriving at midnight.