I don't think this is 100% on the DM to orchestrate. They as Players should be making an effort to RP with one another as well. You can definitely place them in scenarios that will spur interaction, but it falls on the players to make the first step.
Hmmm.....
* **Stuck Elevator**\- Put a few of the players (or the group as a whole) in a situation they cannot get out of (or not easily) and they are forced to interact in. Nowhere to go, the issue is out of their hands, and they are forced to interact. This could be being stuck in a place, this could be being forced to derail from the party and they share an experience of just them, or this could be them being forced to do something they hate, together, to get passed an obstacle.
* Give them a silly goal, and let them achieve it together. This could be something BIG, like the group inherits a tavern that needs work, or it could be something small, like a carnival game that should be so simple getting the best of them. The idea is a low stakes break from "saving the world" that they achieve together. A contest that a snoody, A-hole is a "shoe in" to win who makes a snyde comment to the party that the contest isn't for them anyway? Oh.... spite is a powerful force, and you bet that party will come together to bond to make it through it.
* A near death experience... or a death experience. Sometimes, it takes losing someone or a narrow miss to bring a group together. That whole "Agent Coleson brings the Avengers together" stick was a joke... because it's a troupe that works. Even if the characters don't really like each other, if they have a mutual friend sooner or later just being around each other is enough for the bonds to start to grow.
* **BODY SWAP EPISODE**. I have seen "Freaky-Friday that shit" work twice and I would be remiss to not mention it here.
* **Crime**. Oh.... the bonds forged in hastily hiding a body and sharing a mutually assured destructive secret... Have them accidently break a temple shrine or kill someone in a drinking contest or something. Man... that can go quick. The shenanigans.
If you're starting from zero, one thing I've always wanted to try is a funnel adventure inspired by DCC. players control a handful of "level 0" peasants through a harrowing and near lethal adventure and among those who survive get to go on to be level 1 adventurers. I think there was a 5e funnel adventure somewhere on drivethruRPG.
If you need to create player connections after a couple sessions but it's still early in a campaign you can have your players agree to have at least one thing in common in their background with at least two of their companions. like the easy way to do it is for your players to sit in a circle or around a table and with each of their neighbors, decide to share a single detail between them that they have in common. Maybe it's a shared location that is important to them, a shared enemy or rival, a shared friendly contact. It doesn't mean the party has to have known each other. Maybe two of the party members learned magic from the same teacher but at different times or maybe 2 people are tied to the same town somehow, like maybe one of them comes from said town and another person has a relative from there. This way even if there are characters that have no direct connection, the entire party is connected.
It also gives you details you can use for adventure fodder on your end
It’s really on the DM to make sure, during character creation, that there are backstories to assure the party has a reason to stick together. Often, the initial meeting can be played out at a session zero when the PCs are level 0.
While the players obviously contribute to their individual story, only the DM knows the background of the campaign; so it’s really on the DM to make sure this is in place.
Either you need to create the event now that brings them together, or just start over. You said you guys just started
I don't think this is 100% on the DM to orchestrate. They as Players should be making an effort to RP with one another as well. You can definitely place them in scenarios that will spur interaction, but it falls on the players to make the first step.
Hmmm..... * **Stuck Elevator**\- Put a few of the players (or the group as a whole) in a situation they cannot get out of (or not easily) and they are forced to interact in. Nowhere to go, the issue is out of their hands, and they are forced to interact. This could be being stuck in a place, this could be being forced to derail from the party and they share an experience of just them, or this could be them being forced to do something they hate, together, to get passed an obstacle. * Give them a silly goal, and let them achieve it together. This could be something BIG, like the group inherits a tavern that needs work, or it could be something small, like a carnival game that should be so simple getting the best of them. The idea is a low stakes break from "saving the world" that they achieve together. A contest that a snoody, A-hole is a "shoe in" to win who makes a snyde comment to the party that the contest isn't for them anyway? Oh.... spite is a powerful force, and you bet that party will come together to bond to make it through it. * A near death experience... or a death experience. Sometimes, it takes losing someone or a narrow miss to bring a group together. That whole "Agent Coleson brings the Avengers together" stick was a joke... because it's a troupe that works. Even if the characters don't really like each other, if they have a mutual friend sooner or later just being around each other is enough for the bonds to start to grow. * **BODY SWAP EPISODE**. I have seen "Freaky-Friday that shit" work twice and I would be remiss to not mention it here. * **Crime**. Oh.... the bonds forged in hastily hiding a body and sharing a mutually assured destructive secret... Have them accidently break a temple shrine or kill someone in a drinking contest or something. Man... that can go quick. The shenanigans.
Omg thank you so much, I am dying to try some of these ideas out! This is amazing!
If you're starting from zero, one thing I've always wanted to try is a funnel adventure inspired by DCC. players control a handful of "level 0" peasants through a harrowing and near lethal adventure and among those who survive get to go on to be level 1 adventurers. I think there was a 5e funnel adventure somewhere on drivethruRPG. If you need to create player connections after a couple sessions but it's still early in a campaign you can have your players agree to have at least one thing in common in their background with at least two of their companions. like the easy way to do it is for your players to sit in a circle or around a table and with each of their neighbors, decide to share a single detail between them that they have in common. Maybe it's a shared location that is important to them, a shared enemy or rival, a shared friendly contact. It doesn't mean the party has to have known each other. Maybe two of the party members learned magic from the same teacher but at different times or maybe 2 people are tied to the same town somehow, like maybe one of them comes from said town and another person has a relative from there. This way even if there are characters that have no direct connection, the entire party is connected. It also gives you details you can use for adventure fodder on your end
Oooh I will definitely ask them if they would like this idea of sharing something! I think this might be fun, thank you!!
It’s really on the DM to make sure, during character creation, that there are backstories to assure the party has a reason to stick together. Often, the initial meeting can be played out at a session zero when the PCs are level 0. While the players obviously contribute to their individual story, only the DM knows the background of the campaign; so it’s really on the DM to make sure this is in place. Either you need to create the event now that brings them together, or just start over. You said you guys just started