Your First Session

Now that you and the other players have your characters in hand (and a set of Dice), you are ready to play Quest of Destiny (see Organizing a Game for tips on organizing a gaming group). Every Gamemaster will have a slightly different way of getting you started, depending on his experience, the player's experience, and his storytelling style, but generally you can expect the following out of your first session.

Before you begin

Either at the start of your first session or before you begin, your GM will typically review player's character sheets and answer any last minute questions. He (or she) will then ask each player to give a brief description of their character to the group, including general appearance, personality, a brief background, and why they've chosen to become an adventurer. This last part is particularly important, as it determines your character's motives, goals, and helps to drive their decisions. Some character's seek honor and glory, while another may simply be curious about the world. Others are hiding or running from something, or in search of riches and power. Some are simply thrill seekers, looking for the exciting and new. Whatever your character's reason (and there are many), make sure to keep that reason in mind when making your character's decisions.

After players describe their characters, the GM may ask if any of the characters want to know other characters before the story begins. Building relationships with the other characters is an important part of telling your story, and sometimes it makes sense to start out with particular relationships intact. Perhaps you and the Wizard were childhood friends before he began to develop strange abilities and was whisked away. Or you've heard of the Assassin by reputation alone, but that is enough to convince you of his abilities. Perhaps you and the Barbarian were rivals in the past, both tracking the same bounty. Common backstories can help you to build relationships with other characters, or you can have developed a specific relationship with another player ahead of time (playing siblings is quite common), with your GMs permission. Sometimes, the GM will have predetermined relationships for your characters, but often the players will get to choose.

Before you begin, your GM may select or allow you to choose your own Destiny, which is a small sub-plot to the story that is specific to your character. Destinies are typically presented in the form of a theme and brief piece of information to kickstart your character's individual journey. Depending on your GM's storytelling style, he may have these predetermined or develop them as the story progresses. In the latter case, your destiny will likely be presented after the first few sessions, instead of before the story begins.

Setting

As you begin the story, your GM will describe the setting, both for the world in general and for your specific location at the time. This setting may include previous information the character knows, such as information about the location, why you are there, and a description of recent history and events. The GM may place you in a specific location, such as "you wake up in a prison cell." Alternatively, he may place you generally in a small town and let you choose where you are.

Your GM will also set out some expectations for the story at this time. Sometimes, the story is open and up to the group to follow which quests or leads are interesting and leave others behind. Other times, there will be a specific goal to the story, and if the characters choose not to follow it, the story ends prematurely. It's important to know what's intended by the GM so you can respond appropriately to events and quests that are meant to drive the story forward (are you expected to follow one, or choose from many?).

Starting the Adventure

Once your GM has given you an overview of the setting and background for the story, he will begin the adventure. Sometimes you will be thrust into a story already in progress, and other times the GM will slowly weave the characters together towards a goal. For example, all characters could be traveling with the same caravan when a Wyvern attacks. It could be that each character is in the same town for different reasons, but they are brought together to track the duke's kidnapper. Sometimes a GM will start with all of the character's together in one place, and other times may slowly bring the characters together a few at a time.

Once it has been established where each character is, there will typically be an event or incident (or multiple incidents) that kickstart the story. Sometimes this is as simple as someone hiring the group for a specific task, maybe it could be spurned by an investigation of a recurring problem for the town, or your group may find themselves choosing sides in a battle between two forces. As you get started, explore your environment, interact with the characters around you, and be on the lookout for clues to the story and opportunities for adventure.

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