Get to the Good Part, or Starting ‘in media res’

in medias res, (Latin: “in the midst of things”) the practice of beginning an epic or other narrative by plunging into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events

Start with the action. Start with purpose. Start with questions, start with answers, and start with movement. Just don’t start with boring. Get the story going in an exciting way and use that momentum to give the PCs new information, new allies, or new goals. Not only does it get the dice rolling at the start of a session but it also encourages player engagement.

Benefits of Starting with Action

Sure the PCs can interact in character while the wagon bumbles on down the road. Yawn. Do you know what would actually be exciting?

The horse drawn wagon speeds recklessly along the bumpy road jostling and rocking while the group is being chased by goblins and worgs with arrows flying overhead. Roll for Initiative!

In this example, you can have a goblin trade information in exchange for keeping them alive. Maybe the PCs learn where the main goblin camp is. Maybe they convince the goblin (now named Boblin) to join them and help them infiltrate the goblin camp. Maybe the players learn of more powerful factions that employ the goblins as a distraction from their real plans.

The point is: get to the good part. Get to the part where the PCs start making decisions. Get to the part where the dice start rolling. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes that can mean a nice wagon ride, or traveling through the wilderness. Just make sure it’s actionable and exciting. 

But what comes next? All this action should lead to something. You built this encounter for a reason. It wasn’t just to waste time on their way to the dungeon right? Why would you ever do that? Seriously, don’t do that.

Create Purposeful Encounters

When you start with the action you can build encounters with a purpose. Even if the PCs don’t realize it right away. Sometimes the PCs need more info for their quest. I’ll admit sometimes it’s because you want to give the players some cool magic items. (hint: put them in a gelatinous cube, no one will get hurt, I swear)

A good rule for your encounters should include the possibility of information, allies, or goals. What do the characters learn about their current adventure? The encounters they have on the road or in a city should reflect the current state of the world. If there is war, then soldiers and battalions will leave traces of their passing. If there is peace, maybe bandits on the road are scarce but powerful because they have to be strong to survive. If portals to other realms are open then weird elemental and fae beasts are seen roaming around causing havoc.

Secondly, what do the characters learn about the world? News and Rumors are great pieces of information for the players to learn about the world. Trickles of news about faraway lands that you plan on them traveling to later can foster immersion in the world for the PCs. False rumors based on truth can be overheard just as often as true tales woven at the local inn. Here you can do a little show and/or tell. Show just how ruthless the city guards are as they pick on helpless citizens or extort businesses to keep them safe. Have NPCs tell the characters how they have been directly affected by the corrupt guards via violence and extortion.

Lastly, what do the characters learn about possible future adventures? Maybe the current mission has nothing to do with your BBEG but they can learn about how they are changing the status quo as they travel around and see it in real-time. As I mentioned earlier, soldiers moving through the land, or mutated beasts that attack quiet villages and hamlets. They can learn the effects of the BBEG plans before they even know that they are the cause of the problem. Maybe they keep running into something and then they finally mention it to a high enough-ranking official the PCs learn of the necromancer who got booted from the council for nefarious deeds that sound eerily familiar.

Adapt to Player Choices

Once those three questions are answered in your plans it will be time to put them in action. While describing the initial situation make the problems and the goals as clear as possible. Provide details that provoke the players to investigate and explore. Hints and clues can explain the context of the situation while also reinforcing themes and plots. Be flexible and adapt while the players adjust and react to the encounter. Eventually, the PCs are going to do something unexpected so be ready to change the narrative if they throw the quest giver off a ledge or solve your mystery right away and confront the BBEG earlier than planned. Embrace the chaos and improvisation while using player choices to create the story.

Furthermore, it’s ok to slow it down a bit if you sense the players are overwhelmed. If the players seem confused, provide extra details or clarification to further their understanding. When needed, you can tell the players you’re about to start with some action so they can be prepared. Encourage a collaborative playstyle with all the players to get them actively involved in creating and shaping the story.

In addition, any good advice is going to have benefits and drawbacks. Using this technique you should expect immediate engagement from the players, a fast-paced tone for the session, quick immersion for the characters, and plenty of opportunities for decision-making and problem-solving. Best of all, it creates a sense of urgency and high stakes right from the get-go.

However, if the context is unclear the players may get disoriented and disconnected. Starting with the action requires careful planning and has the potential to overwhelm players with too much information or too much action. If you start a campaign like this you may have a hard time establishing character relationships right away as it doesn’t necessarily provide good opportunities for character introductions and roleplaying. A brief intro during a combat round can introduce characters or you can even work in a flashback scene to develop character relationships. In short, plan carefully if you’re going to start the campaign off in media res so that the PCs get the chance to interact and roleplay quickly after the action begins.

At the end of the day, be sure to use this actionable scene to expand your world and the PCs information that they can act upon. Answer these questions when you are planning your encounters.

Who can they meet? Where can they go next? What can they learn there?

Good luck with ​​your next session, I believe in you! See you in the future.

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