Sabledrake Magazine
February, 2004
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Gatherings - Starting a Campaign
Copyright © 2004 Brent Knowles
Introduction
The fireplace crackled and spat with good cheer, warming the cozy Inn that first evening as the young adventurers took their seats around a sturdy table in the corner. A buxom wench served hearty dwarven ale and seasoned meat as the adventurers spoke in hushed tones, discussing the great adventures before them. Back then the Inn was a marvelous place where anyone could meet everyone and a hundred tales unfolded into living adventure.
Time passes and another group of adventurers take worn seats around that same fire, now long burnt out and not much more than coals, as an ugly half-orc sells watered down wine and meat that tastes like burnt cockatrice. They too are just meeting each other and hope to embark on a grand adventure.
There were many great campaigns that began in the Inn -- the local meeting place for all freshly created characters. Unfortunately, each time that the Inn was used, it slowly wore out its own welcome and finally, the last time that you began a campaign you realized how over-used the Inn had become.
The characters would meet, greet each other, and promptly head off in search of adventure. They forgot the Inn and they most certainly never visited it again.
Nor should you. Imagine that the Inn has burned to the ground and now you need somewhere else for your players to meet. Somewhere exciting...and not only that, you want this place to be important, this gathering to mean something to your players through the thick and thin of the adventurer’s road that their characters will travel.
Look no further.
This article will present suggestions on how to make certain that your players create characters they will enjoy playing. It then goes on to discuss various methods of getting characters together as well as keeping them together. It ends with some further suggestions for interesting gatherings.
Creating the Party
The composition of the party is one of the most important factors in whether a given campaign will be fun, challenging and rewarding. First and foremost, most players prefer playing a specific kind of character; maybe they like the rough and tough dwarf, the gentle cleric, or the reclusive wizard. Their preferred character is most often closely associated with the role they like to play in the party.
Always encourage players to play the types of characters you know they enjoy playing. A player who always wants to rush into combat should be discouraged from playing a traditional wizard. A take-charge player may often play a battle sergeant, a fighter who takes the other characters under his wing and leads them through all their adventurers. Another player may enjoy the role of healer, keeping his character in the background and assisting the rest of the party.
Most players can only play (and enjoy playing) a few types of characters. The more experienced players are, the more proficient they will be at playing a wide number of characters, but beginning players cant be expected to do this. When beginning a new campaign it is important for the DM to let any new players choose their character classes first. The other, more experienced players can adapt their playing styles to any holes that might appear in the party composition. If all the newcomers have chosen fighters, then an experienced player can try his or her hand at role-playing a wizard.
What follows is a discussion on the standard roles that players tend to play, and how best to fit these roles into your campaign. Whereas class can define a character type, roles are indications of the way in which the player plays. Remember, too much of one thing is never good, while balanced differences make campaigns exciting.
Gamer
These are the guys who want to play the game to see how high their character can advance and how many cool items they can get. This is one of the easier groups of players to keep happy, because no matter how the story is advancing, their happiness in the game is wrapped up in the advancement of their character.
Unfortunately for the DM, they may not care as much about the cool plot as they do about the fact they found the +3 Long-Sword on the body of their nemesis.
Actor
Normally Actors develop from another role, like a Gamer. After a certain amount of time playing, they become bored with simply getting items and they want instead to begin developing the personalities of their characters. For them, personal involvement in the story becomes more important than anything else. As long as there is a good story, Actors are normally kept happy.
Heroes
Heroic players need a personal plot to keep them motivated; this may be the main plot but it could also be a subplot as long as it is touched upon occasionally in the campaign. Heroes may either be item/advancement oriented, like Gamers, or like Actors, the story may be enough to keep them satisfied.
Leaders
If you have a player in your group who likes to take the initiative and seems willing to coordinate the group, encourage the player’s character to become the party leader. The DM has enough work to do without having to deal with every squabble that comes along. If a player can take the role of a Leader and a mediator it will free the DM up to concentrate on the big things.
When sacrifices need to be made, the Leader should be the one to make them. This encourages the other characters to respect the Leader, and if they respect their Leader, they are more likely to listen to what she or he has to say. Not all groups are lucky enough to have a skilled player who can be their Leader, but for those that do, it makes the game more enjoyable for everyone.
Storytellers
A Storyteller can be seen as a rival DM. This is normally a player who has done a lot of dungeon mastering in the past and is now playing a character. Every time the DM makes a mistake the Storyteller jumps on it and tries to exploit it. Eventually a Storyteller can usurp control of the DM's campaign.
To deal with a storyteller you need to speak with them one-on-one on ways to make the campaign more exciting for them. You may also want to involve them in a secretive way in the plot; perhaps they become the betrayer of the party or act in some other sneaky manner.
If none of these solutions satisfy the storyteller, perhaps invite them to co-DM with you. Instead of playing a character, they could play several NPCs or help you with building the story for your campaign.
Hermit
The Hermit wants to play but also wants to stay as uninvolved in everything as possible. They don’t make good Leaders or Heroes but it is good to encourage them to be involved in the adventure as much as possible – as long as they are comfortable. You may want to give them tasks like moving miniatures or making the maps for the party. These tasks could serve to heighten their enjoyment of game and perhaps make them open up a little further so that they start being a little less quiet, moving from a Hermit to another role.
Teamwork
Once you’ve obtained an idea of what type of player, each player is, then you can start the task of making certain that the players will work well together and also that each player will be playing a character that they can enjoy playing.
At this point, there are a couple of obvious warning signs to look for. Two Leaders simply won’t work, unless they get along very well with each other. Likewise, too many Storytellers or Hermits will also disrupt the game, the former because they’ll talk too much and the latter because you’ll be the only one speaking -- ever. Gamers, Actors, and Heroes should make up the bulk of your party.
If the player roles do not clash, the DM should still be aware that individual personality differences between the players might arise and cause unwanted conflict in the campaign. In the Keeping the Party Together section of this article some potential problems are discussed along with possible solutions.
Even if all the players get along fine the DM is still responsible for ensuring that each player has a character that they like to play. Again, the player’s role is going to have a lot of influence here -- the Leader should not play the quiet, newcomer monk, and the Hermit should not play Sir Edward, the boisterous champion fighter. Examine the character’s past, present and possible future and see if the player will be able to handle the demands of playing that character. If the character is essential to your plot, a responsible player who is at least going to be vaguely interested and motivated by the story line should play it. Actors, Storytellers, Heroes, and Leaders make good choices for plot critical characters.
Now that the players have created their characters it is time to gather them and send them into a world of adventure.
Gathering the Party
A party requires a reason to adventure together and quite often the gathering, the event that brings the party together, will be what keeps them together throughout the campaign. If they share a common purpose, a goal that all of them cherish, they are likely to put up with each other’s eccentricities in order to accomplish the goal. What follows is a suggested scenario for bringing a righteous paladin into the company of thieves and rebels:
They are but women and children!
“We serve his lordship and through him, our god grants us what powers he may,” Commander Balin barks. “You are the right-hand of our lordship. Obey his orders and flourish. Fail me here and return at the peril of your immortal soul.”
Morgan clenches his gloved fist tightly as his stomach churns with the demands of his commanding officer. With a smart salute he turns and marches from the command tent, making his way to his troops.
"We march,” he says. The men cheer, eager to leap upon the rebels within the camp. Morgan begins his march to the base of the hill, upon which sits the wooden fortifications of the rebels encampment. He notices when the Friar N'ashtar joins the march, moving into line beside him. The two, friends since this campaign began, give each other a knowing glance.
Logical Parties
During the frenzy of a rebellion those loyal to a corrupt governing body may have to question their own values and beliefs. A paladin who is ordered to inflict suffering upon innocents may well step down from his order, taking up company with the very rebels he was ordered to kill. Once he becomes a rebel he may stray from his alignment and become stripped of his paladin abilities, or he may stay true to his calling. He could become the voice of moderation and honor within the organization, helping them move forward in their agenda but minimizing the conflict and chaos around him.
Joining a voice of law to a party of chaotic heroes appears to be recipe for disaster, but in fact this little spice more often than not adds excitement to the campaign. The key to remember is to make certain that all party members have a logical reason for working together. It would make little sense for Morgan to join the rebellion, if in fact the government he serves is just and righteous. All characters, regardless of class or race, need a reason to adventure other than the DM simply telling them this is the way it is.
In other words: encourage the players to play characters that they will enjoy playing; encourage characters that can be fun to play in the context of the campaign. Playing a house burglar that only wants to commit break and enters, may not be much fun in a heroic campaign where the party is traveling across the kingdom slaying dragons. The following presents some ideas on how to create adventures, within the context of the rebellion presented above.
A Rebellion Continues...
All new recruits would need to prove themselves. The leaders of the rebellion would assign the characters to work together, thus creating the party. Missions would come down from the rebels governing body, directing the party where they should go. They might seldom actually see the rebel army as a whole, only meeting with key representatives at appropriate times.
Eventually the rebellion would end. It may happen relatively early in the players’ career with them having little to do with it other than some small adventures. When this happens, the party could decide to stick together and seek some common adventuring goals. Perhaps the paladin wants to complete a quest for his god to fully redeem himself or some of the other characters need to journey to their homes and see what has befallen their families during the war.
Alternatively the rebellion could become the entire campaign. The players would advance through levels and ranks in the rebellion army, until they assume the roles of leaders within it. The success or failure of the rebellion would then be in the players’ hands.
Hooks:
The party is assigned the task of escorting a captured leader of the enemy from one camp to another. He may be a paladin questioning the integrity of any lawful character that might travel with the party or he could simply add a sympathetic face to the enemy.
As the party gains fame for their actions they become noticed by the founding fathers of the rebellion. Perhaps there is a little jealousy; the original members of the rebellion start to worry that the party may take the limelight from them. Maybe they take actions to make certain that the party won't return from a particular mission.
The rebellion is doing well during small skirmishes but they are not able to field a large army because they do not have a capable commander. The party is sent to find an old war veteran who may be sympathetic to the cause and convince him to join the rebellion.
Keeping the Party Together
Even with a well-planned gathering, the DM will run into problems. Like any team leader, the DM needs to analyze the players and learn what they are capable of doing and what bores them. The key is to make each player feel like they are participating while at the same time making certain that no one is bored. Bored players tend to cause disruptions for other players.
Below, two of the more common problem situations are discussed: characters irritating other characters, and players irritating other players.
Character vs. Character
“Enough talk, paladin,” Shirk hisses. With one savage swing of her axe she ends the captive's life.
Morgan’s face turns as crimson as the blood spilling from the dead guard. “You fool! The man was our prisoner.”
The half-orc smiles, saying, “Are you clear as to which side you are on? There is them and there is us. You can’t have both.”
Morgan’s anger flares further. “Murder is murder. That man did not have a chance, he was tied to a chair!” Ignoring the protests from the others, he unsheathes his sword and points it threateningly at Shirk.
Situations like these, when rare and meaningful, add to the emotional level of the adventure. However, if the same situation happens after every encounter...the game risks being ruined. First and foremost you should not resort to out of character manipulation when the problem is one between characters. Don’t tell the players to stop it. You need to look for solutions within the context of your game-world to either interrupt the awkward situation, or to finish it.
Finishing it is sometimes okay. Let the two characters fight, even to the death if necessary. But only let it happen once and try and keep everyone else out of it. In this case, its a battle between Shirk and Morgan, and it can greatly increase the thrill of the adventure. Ideally you should let the two characters fight until one of them is heavily wounded and at that point have an NPC (or encourage one of the other players) to interrupt the battle.
Say, Morgan defeats Shirk, sending the half-orc to her knees. The half-orc is neutral evil and realizes that she has lost: she respects Morgan’s strength now, although she will harbor a hatred of him forever. A power structure has now been created in the party, and if Shirk is properly role-played she will become mindful of Morgan’s abilities as a warrior. In battle they may find themselves side to side against their enemies, although one day Shirk may take her revenge. But she knows not to push her luck on a day to day basis.
That is key. Battles between characters cant happen over and over. Every time the party is splitting up treasure there shouldn’t be a squabble.
Encourage the dynamic of the group to emerge early on, let everyone beat up on each other, establishing dominance over each other. Reward good role-playing and discourage bad role-playing.
If Shirk’s player continues to attack Morgan, or to steal from him, or to cause disruptions in the party, you may have to punish her; lessening the XP reward is the simplest way to do this. Introducing plot complications is a better way.
Player vs. Player
Often a player makes their character act annoying out of boredom with the game. Maybe Morgan is the main character and most of the plot revolves around him. The rest of the players, with the exception of Shirk’s player, are happy with this and enjoy themselves. Shirk’s player likes to be the center of attention and becomes disruptive when she isn’t.
Give her a subplot. Imagine another rebel revealing to her that he is a spy for the Kingdom and he asks her to help him. He needs her to dig up as much dirt on the Rebellion as possible, especially about its leaders and its heroes (like Morgan). As a DM you can encourage Shirk to take a softer approach when dealing with Morgan. Fighting with him constantly would only reveal that she is a spy, and when that is known the entire party would have to kill her.
In general, problem characters are easier to deal with than problem players are. In both cases try and create an in-game solution to the problem. This may involve you playing a couple of one-on-one situations with a player, developing their character to the point that they can be excited about playing it in the context of your campaign. Look at fiction books for how authors have handled complex character relationships. How does your favorite fantasy writer deal with the thief in the group who only wants to steal from the common folk?
Most heroes have good intentions and at the very least they are interested in the common good. Build on this. Maybe Morgan’s character needs to be reminded as to Shirk’s usefulness in the party.
Some players enjoy playing truly evil. This is fine, as long as they are role-playing correctly. Beginning players often think that evil equals homicidal. This is not true. It is easier to integrate an evil character into the party than a mass murderer. Players who want to play truly evil characters should be allowed to do so.
A character that is truly evil would in most cases hide his evil nature from the party. Remember; evil is not a side. It is a motivation, normally a selfish one. The evil mage in the party would not suddenly turn on the party during the final battle, simply because they are fighting the bad guys. Instead he would serve his own interests. If he believed that the party could help him with his goals, he would do so, even performing good deeds when necessary.
For example, imagine the evil wizard Relonar. He plans to gain power and return home to usurp the head of the wizards’ council, making himself ruler of his home duchy. For the time being he has aligned himself with a party of do-gooders who are traveling the countryside, righting wrongs.
This is not a contradiction for Relonar. Because he needs to amass both gold and experience to complete his goals, he must perform adventures and to be rewarded for them. That doesn’t mean he has to go around murdering people, simply because he is evil. Since his motivation is selfishness, a deed such as rescuing children is an evil deed, as long as he is paid for it, and as long as this gold goes towards his taking control of his duchy.
Hence, an evil character when played properly fits into any party. There will be a time when they have to separate and go their own ways, and that is fine. That time may be a long way down the road. Now, Relonar would never endanger his life without the possibility of reward. If he starts doing this, then he risks becoming a good person, and this is fine as well, for it is all part of character development.
Keeping the Party Together...by Splitting it Up
Although role-playing is normally a group activity sometimes DMs need to take the time to help players develop their characters without the interruptions provided by the entire group.
To do this, set aside a night to have a short session with a custom adventure just for that character. During the session you may emphasize aspects of the characters past and how she fits into the larger campaign as a whole and why she needs the help of the other party members. By doing this, you increase the players desire to play the standard campaign.
For example, say the player playing Damien OneKnife, a notorious evil thief, is having trouble fitting into a mostly good party. While they are busy rescuing maidens, he would rather assassinate the people who’ve betrayed him. By having a solo session with Damien’s player, the DM can intervene.
By using people from Damien’s life, he can drop hints that the party is in fact searching for the same person that Damien is -- the man that Damien has a score to settle with, is the same one that the party seeks to rescue.
By doing this you may escalate role-playing conflict in the group (what happens when they find the man, does Damien kill him, or does the party rescue him?), however you will also be drawing everyone further into the plot, making it stronger and hopefully making everyone have a little more fun with it.
What matters most is that every player and every character has some reason to be in the party, and that they are having fun.
More Gatherings
What follows is a quick summary of several party gathering scenarios. Each scenario is introduced, discussed, and then some points are made on how this scenario could be continued into a long running campaign.
The Shipwreck
Dar the exile shook his head as he watched the Sorrowful Sea rise up, its waters churning, as if to the frenzied beating of the tribal drums that sounded off in the distance. Drums that once belonged to Dar, taken from him the day his own people had turned on him.
Burying that shameful memory Dar stares out with concern at the large many-sailed ship that is being tossed about as if it were nothing more then a child’s toy. Before his eyes the ship begins to break apart, the solid hull crying out like a wounded animal as masts fall and decks are torn apart. Tiny forms leap from the ship into the sea.
The shipwreck is a useful tool for beginning a campaign. The ship that is destroyed could contain any mix of characters and classes (perhaps the ship is an orphan ship, meant to transport the characters to a new orphanage).
To create a little conflict, the ship may have been divided into a poor class and a rich class, with a mix of both surviving the storm (the player characters). Once on the island they will have to depend on each other, and the DM should force this fact upon the players quickly.
Perhaps a small group of island people attacks the party immediately, fearing the shipwreck survivors. This battle should make it clear that any one character going off on their own will die a long and painful death, but together they may have a chance.
Additionally, a tribal exile may jump into the fray and help the party. The exile would know local geographic knowledge of the island and could possibly become the party leader.
With the party being relatively restricted to a small geographic area, the DM can easily control the flow of the adventure while the characters develop. The island adventures could be used to build the party to 2nd or 3rd level, after which point the exile may tell them that he knows how to either build or steal a boat that could take them to the mainland. The exile wants to go with them; his life with his tribe ended the day he was exiled.
Hooks:
The chief of the tribe may be a tyrant whom the Exile urges the party to destroy to free the tribe. Perhaps the Exile knows the party wont be able to do this while on low-level, but after they return to the mainland and gain more experience it might be an adventure that they can come back to (creating a goal for the player playing the Exiles).
While seeking a hiding place in the hills of the island the party could be attacked by any number of normal animals (tigers, ravenous baboons). The Exile may explain that a mad old hermit (a mid-level druid) has been turning the animals against people. The party could go and destroy the druid and perhaps along the way they encounter his apprentice (another potential party member).
Deep in the heart of the slumbering volcano rests an ancient weapon, a powerful icon of the tribe of the island. The Exile may urge the party to retrieve it with him, an adventure taking them across the old lands of the island, where dinosaurs roam. Since the party is at such a low-level this adventure would have to involve a lot of creative avoidance of massive dinosaurs.
Caravan
Delbin smirks. “You’re certain then?”
“Yes, master, the wheels are in motion,” the tall, thin rogue called Whip says. “But, are you sure that this will be worth it?”
Delbin leans back in his chair and says, “The cost of a few wagons and hired hands is nothing compared to the boon I will be granted by the Empress when she learns the son of her most hated enemy is dead.”
“We’ll need to leave this place, soon.”
“Of course, my old trusted friend, the King will soon be searching for our heads to put on pikes. Do not worry my Whip, the Empress treats those loyal to her most generously.”
The party members are hired on for a caravan heading North. The entire caravan would likely consist of player characters, with maybe a couple of NPCs to round out the hired goons. A cleric or wizard might be the driver, while the more martial characters would serve as hired hands and guards.
While racing through a narrow canyon someone comes rushing down the hill, warning the caravan that they are about to be ambushed. This could be another player character, either a prisoner escaped from the brigands or a brigand who decided to turn away from a life of murder. The party has some time to prepare for the ambush, or perhaps they might be able to sneak up the canyon and ambush the brigands.
It turns out that one of the hired caravan fighters is actually a prince and that the whole caravan was just a setup for him to be assassinated. He wanted to adventure so his father arranged for him to join up with what was supposed to be a trusted friend (the caravan master).
Now the party is far from the borders of the Kingdom and must adventure to return there, if they even wish to. Perhaps the prince may convince the party to enact revenge against the corrupt caravan master before returning him to his father.
Hooks:
Having survived the caravan attack the party could bring the caravan in to its destination and pick up more caravan contracts, sending them deeper into the enemy kingdom.
When the party catches up with the caravan master they may discover that there is an assassination attempt planned against the king. They’ll have to race quickly back to warn him, or by examining the caravan masters plans they might note the route the assassins are taking and try to intercept them.
For a twist the party might discover that the king had setup the whole assassination attempt against the prince, because he feared that his son would one day betray him.
Reluctant Heroes
“On my oath as a member of the Order I cannot rest until I know what has happened,” young Derek Daleson says.
Elik, lean and tanned from many days in the sun, replies, “My father followed the same Path as you and look where it has gotten him. His body probably lies in some forest clearing, back to nature but fouled by the beasts that have slain them. I have little interest in following another foolish knight to certain death.”
With that a round of arguing begins, and the half dozen young people, barely out of childhood and frightened by the loss of their families, voice their anger towards each other.
Liza silences them as she pounds her fists against the wooden table. She says, “My master sent me to assemble you. We have no time for this pointless bickering. He has scryed the future and although he would not tell me what he has seen, he knows that we must do this.”
”We’re not like them,” says Tomay, a large, soft boy. “I’m no warrior priest, I’ve hardly even handled a weapon in all my life. We’re not adventurers, not like them.”
“That does not matter,” Derek says. “For now, we must be that which our parents were. Heroes.”
The dark gaze of evil has blinded a kingdom. A marauding band, dealing death and destruction, taking slaves and murdering the innocent, has been tearing a path of dread across the land. Several old adventurers renew their oaths and set off again on one last final adventure. The evil reign of terror ends but the party of old heroes never return.
Now their children must search for them. In this case the party starts off knowing each other, although not well, and several of them may actively dislike each other. They are the children of Heroes and thus were very much like the children of celebrities, always in the spotlight. Perhaps their parents tried forcing them to be friends, and like all such attempts they ended up hating each other instead. Now a loyalty to their parents forces them to search for them.
None of them really knows what to expect. All they ever heard from their parents was that adventuring was something they should never do. Their parents wanted to protect them from the hardships that they themselves had endured. However, some of the children grew up listening to tavern tales where only the exciting parts of the adventures were recounted and to them the idea of riding across the countryside, slaying great beasts is exciting and they don’t understand why their parents warned them against.
Soon, their worst dreams and their worst nightmares will become reality.
Hooks:
The parents may still live, having been taken prisoner by the dark riders. The children may rescue one at a time, slowly advancing towards the heart of evil.
The parents may have fallen in battle, but this fact is only revealed after several months of adventuring. It may turn out that the host of evil is something that has moved on. At this point the party may decide to stick together, to adventure and to prepare for the next time that the dark host returns.
One of the old Heroes betrayed the old party, to save his own life. When the party finds him and learns this it will create tension in the party: should the child of the traitor be trusted?
Assassination
Joli shuffles uncomfortably on the ledge outside the Senator’s upper story window with her face near the glass, peering in at the silhouette of the target as he rests on a long bench in the corner. She doesn't even hear her master as he moves across the ledge to the window directly behind the Senator. She watches as he pulls a long blowpipe from his vest. Soon it will be over.
All of a sudden the door against the far wall bursts open and several figures run into the room, sending the Senator to his feet. Joli loses her balance and falls through the window. A powerful crash from behind her tells her that her master has followed her in, the quick and quiet assassination impossible now.
“What...is this?” the Senator asks, standing in the center of the room, the small group from the doorway blocking that exit, Joli and the master blocking the windows. The Senator’s lavender robes billow with the wind from the open windows and smoke curls from the pipe still clenched in his gesturing hand.
The master says nothing as he moved towards the senator, a hooked blade in his hand. One of the fools from the doorway shouts. “My revenge will not be denied!” He draws a greatsword from a sheath on his back.
“Enough,” the Senator says as he stretches his hand out towards the master and a fiery spray issues forth from it, covering the master in flames and sending him to the floor. Joli blinks and the Senator is gone.
She rushes to her master’s side, but finds him dead. Looking up at the young would-be heroes around her, she wants to scream at them for their stupidity, but she can’t find the words.
A powerful and corrupt Senator may be the target of several assassination attempts (some professional, others merely acts of attempted vengeance) one evening. As the Senator, actually a powerful wizard, teleports away, he may leave a spawn of summoned creatures to attack the party. The thrown-together party has to help each other defeat the creatures and afterwards they share their stories.
Reasoning that strength in numbers would be the best way to track down the Senator, they gather together. Searching the Senator’s house might reveal some low powered magical items and a dungeon below in which the party could cut their teeth.
Hooks:
One group of would-be assassins may have consisted of an apprentice thief (a player character) and a high level professional assassin (an NPC). The Senator might kill the master as he flees, giving the apprentice a reason for wanting to continue a vendetta against the Senator.
Maybe the Senator orchestrated the encounter, having summoned several city guards to the place to arrest the party after they barge in. The party might have to flee into the labyrinth beneath the Senator’s home and find evidence of his wrongdoing.
Early on in the campaign the players may encounter the Senator and battle him to the death, only to discover that what they killed was only his simulacrum.
At a Glance
Below are some quick ideas to help you think of other ways in which to gather the party:
Circus: A new circus is in town. Some of the players might go there just to watch it, others might be newer members of the troupe, and others still might be trying to join. Just as the first show begins all the wild animals suddenly escape, wreaking havoc and killing the circus leaders. After stopping the animal rampage the party might decide to go after whoever released the animals (perhaps a druid who has since fled into a large forest).
Murder Mystery: The players are all participants in the events surrounding the murder of a minor duke’s son. One of the players might be the prime suspect, another a low member of the town guard assisting on the case. The party will be thrown together often and they might eventually discover clues that lead them to an old mine. To discover the evidence to clear the suspect’s name they must enter the mine and find the true culprit.
Parting Advice
The best way to make certain you will have a strong campaign is to make sure that the party bonds well at the beginning. Hopefully the ideas presented here will assist you in developing your own gatherings. The main thing to consider is that every player should have a role or a personal attachment to some event in the campaign. The gathering will set the mood for the entire campaign, so make it strong and very personal to the party.
When difficult times threaten to break the party apart, subtle reminders about the time that they first met may be all that is needed to make them remember why they choose to adventure together in the first place.