#dnd story tip: At low levels, “The characters are the only people who can accomplish this quest!” is a really hard sell, because the world is full of more powerful, more experienced characters. “Wrong place, wrong time” is almost always a better hook at the start.
— Scott Fitzgerald Gray (@scottfgray) October 6, 2021
TClarifying because a bit of vagueness was pointed out to me: The hook I have reservations with is where the 1st-level characters are specifically hired to take on a job that many others could have been hired for, and would be in a better position to pull off. 2/here are lots of ways to have fun with that trope (including one of my favorites — having the characters mistaken for more experienced adventurers). But played straight, it can create verisimilitude issues in a big way. 3/3
— Scott Fitzgerald Gray (@scottfgray) October 6, 2021
Wrong place at the wrong time, right place at the wrong time, wrong place at the right time, or right place at the right time, it’s all “you stumble onto adventure.” 99% of the time it’s a lame, lazy hook that defies disbelief. So, it might be a better hook, but its rarely good. The best hooks for any adventures are personal ones for the characters, from “Hey! I found this treasure map in my grandpa’s attic.” to “Our village is in danger. We should do something.” Those hooks require a little extra work at intraparty relationships and. personalization.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) October 7, 2021
Wrong place wrong time is 100% how my party ended up fighting a massive death cult because the lackey of the bbeg *blew up the church and stopped time* while we were just vibing and catching up with a paladin friend from a neighboring church It can work, especially when it has personal connotations. But too many times, these hooks are, "You round a corner on a rural road, and bandits!" or "You just stumbled into town. You're drinking in the tavern when a farmer Stranger One runs in, yelling, 'They got Bessie!'"
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) October 7, 2021
Bounty Boards have better personalization and foreshadowing than that.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) October 7, 2021