You all meet in an inn.

Probably one of the most traditional roleplaying elements: the fact that the player-characters just happen to meet one another within an inn, tavern, bar, what have you. It's cliche, probably used up, and the least exciting way to start a roleplay. But it is my favorite way to start a roleplay. the idea of a bunch of people drinking at the local tavern before agreeing to team up and go off to do something always made me feel better about the roleplay; call me old-fashioned.

But I've always wondered... what sort of stuff would realistically cause a group of random strangers to suddenly decide "better team up"? Just tell me what you think.

Well, it depends. Sometimes, one of them is recruiting for a mission and what they're offering is pretty worth it, and they seem able to provide what they offer as well. Sometimes, it can just sounds particularly interesting and manages to appeal to all the characters, either because the person giving the task knows them well enough to manipulate them so or by pure luck.

And sometimes it's just a bit of 'well this sounded like a good idea when I was tipsy/drunk but now we're miles away from town and if I turn back now I'll look stupid'.

I think I like the 'well this sounded like a good idea when I was tipsy/drunk but now we're miles away from town and if I turn back now I'll look stupid' bit.

Teaming up to secure vast riches is a good one, but this increases the odds of backstabbing occurring.

I never liked the idea of a group teaming up for 'riches'. Sounds like a lot of greedy adventurers to me.

I like them to be moving towards a lot of different things, but they do it using the same path. A dragon out in the mountain range? Some seek it's scales, others want the glory, some want the safety of the people, while some want to uncover its treasure hoard.

The idea of people teaming up for a goal to be tricky since I've run into characters created who aren't meant for a group situation and those are a pain to deal with. Either intentions aren't pure, trust is hard to gain, they're a loner, whatever issue they have is hard to factor into a group. Sure, in real life not everyone is a team player but sometimes there is a bad apple or two that the whole group may need to gather around to rally them to give a fuck. For me, this issue comes up often and is a drain on interest and motivation to push past the beginning stages of meeting and giving characters trust to grow. So the fantasy quest/Inn/whatever RPs tend to be more miss than hit from what I've encountered.

TJByrum said
But I've always wondered... what sort of stuff would realistically cause a group of random strangers to suddenly decide "better team up"? Just tell me what you think.

Well, really, you don't need them to "team up"... they don't need to use the tavern/inn as just the starting place for a "Quest." Think of the series "Cheers." Just a group of guys/gals who visit the tavern for a drink, perhaps even a bite to eat, along with a room for the night. The whole point is the tavern/inn "experience" where you can go to drink, eat and gossip, whether you be stranger or regular. Perhaps even share a room for the night, if you are so inclined (please remember to black out when you do).

That's what I think. But if you want something more to happen, say something "Orient Express" in nature, have at it. Taverns/inns can be fun places to have an adventure, in and of themselves.

Tavern meet-up is indeed a classic. It needs to have a clear plan for afterwards though. Otherwise you will almost inevitably end with people not getting anywhere. Mind you, you can just as easily start in a brothel.

I like forcing them to work together. Like...

"You all met in an inn... ... ... And now you're all targeted by assassins. Better stick together and work for survival, eh?"

That's a little less thought-out and a little bit more forcing than I usually do, but the bottom line is; find a circumstance of fate that ties the characters together. This goes especially well when the characters have a choice and choose to work together using this choice which actually isn't a choice at all because all the players are conspiring to get the characters cooperating. It is really easy to form a party from circumstances tying characters together when all the players desire it to happen. And after the circumstances which tied them together are dealt with, the only excuse left needed is "They're friends now!" or "They've become used to working together!". ... And if that doesn't work, you just magic up some new circumstances. Lesse, just because I feel like it. that example I had above, if I feel like developing it...

"This guy was in the inn, having traveled across the land to seek a new land to seek fortune in. He's targeted because of rumors that he's rich."
"This girl is an experienced thief who's famous on the street. She's targeted because her ability to sneak into bases is seen as a threat."
"This mercenary worked under the wrong boss and cost the bad guy a lot of money. He's targeted due to that."
"This noble girl needs to die in order for the bad guy's plan of inheriting a fortune to work." (Oh, I bloody love mixing in character's personal families and such into the story~!)
"They all met in an inn, and a stupid assassin was like 'Hey, I can kill all four of them in a single stroke!'. ... Obviously, he fails."
"Random note of an order taken from the assassin's mangled corpse shows the four of them are targeted, along with a list of clues for them to track."
"The four of them" complete with (and impossible without) their player's cooperation "agrees with one another to work together to safely navigate through the threat of imminent death in order to survive."

For example. I pretend that the four of them are characters created by their players, even if I whipped them up on the spot here.

Now that would be an amusing roleplay if it worked out. Hahaha.

There are as many effective methods for doing so as their is Creative DMs.

One idea that pops to mind instantly though is working together to escape Jail and/or inslavement.

we joined an RP some time ago that started in jail... unfortunately the GM went AWOL before it really got moving.

Ellri said
we joined an RP some time ago that started in jail... unfortunately the GM went AWOL before it really got moving.

Funny, I had the same thing happen when I joined a prison RP. Small world...

indeed it is.

I suppose you can call my gundam roleplay a sort of Tavern based rp. Everyone's stuck on a ship or they're going to be forced to go find somewhere else to go and then the people they find may not even want them. So they're all forced to work together to get through all of this mess they are in.

Tavern meet ups aren't really unique most of the time but it's a simple way to get everyone together and it's better than just having the characters meet up in a street and saying 'sup guys time to go on a quest because fuck it whatever the bad guy is doing is bad."

Ellri said
indeed it is.

And this is why history repeats itself. Heh...

TJByrum said what sort of stuff would realistically cause a group of random strangers to suddenly decide "better team up"? Just tell me what you think.

Meeting-engagements, not-literally bumping into somebody, overhearing loud emotional conversations in a social-setting.

So pretty much: detention, boot-camp, and getting caught passing-gas in an airliner.

Foster said So pretty much: detention, boot-camp, and getting caught passing-gas in an airliner.

lol... ha... hahaha... snrk!

As one person wrote earlier, the whole 'let's meet up randomly in random tavern/inn/bar and we just happen to have the same end goal for our perspective adventure' seems like a hit or miss. They either work out great or something happens and it flops. Though like the op said, I do prefer the tavern/inn meet up point for fantasy adventure rps.

As one person wrote earlier, the whole 'let's meet up randomly in random tavern/inn/bar and we just happen to have the same end goal for our perspective adventure' seems like a hit or miss. They either work out great or something happens and it flops. Though like the op said, I do prefer the tavern/inn meet up point for fantasy adventure rps.

Sorry for the laugh before, but, really, someone's gotta start an "adventure" RP based on the passing of gas. I don't think it's ever been done...