Yes, as part of the character building process, create some hard bonds between the characters. Instead of staring them off as a dispirit group of randoms who meet up at a bar and somehow go on a quest together, start them out as a newly formed, but still functional group of friends or allies who are off to adventure for whatever reason.
During character creation, pose some leading questions that help your players think about how they are part of the group. Some example include:
You know that (insert player name) totally has your back because when you were young, they saved your life when you both were attacked by wolves in the forest. What did the two of you do to escape?
You know (insert player name) mostly as a friend of a friend who always seemed to know just the coolest places to get drunk no matter what town you were in. One night the two of you got wasted and, if the stories you heard are true, quite literally painted the town. Neither of you really remember much about it, but what stories have you both pieced together?
One time you and (insert player name here) were sent on a supply run for the group and you both managed to lose your bag of funds along the way. How did you two manage to scrounge up supplies and gear for the next adventure without the rest of your party finding out and getting mad at you?
Little things like these that allow the players to collaborate together and build a sort of pre-narrative of how things came to be before the game begins go a long way towards building camaraderie between your players.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
That is an excellent way to dissuade them from murdering each other. When it comes to murdering townsfolk you can use that for an assassins guild to maybe approach them while they languish in a prison cell.
"You my friend fit a particular... profile with a flexible conscience. We can get you out but there is something we will need you to do for us."
Or even a noble needs someone that they have no overt connection to help them with some underhanded deeds that need to be done. The noble doesn't have to be evil themselves, maybe they have knowledge of an influential person who needs to be dealt with discretely. Or needs someone to lean on a particular merchant who is making trouble over the tariffs in their domain. Turn them into a Bron, or Hound from GoT type character that does what needs to be done.
Getting arrested doesn't have to be the end. Make it the start (maybe even start them in a jail cell). Friends don't let friends go to jail alone.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Sometimes I tend to take 2 minutes and layout a "DM & Player" contract if you will when I have new players. I point out that we all realize we are here to have fun. The heroes agree to be heroic and try to play the game not abandon life and setup a chain of underdark wal-marts or something. I in turn agree to do my best to support that fun as best I can and not 1 shot them or force their decisions. A 2 minute mature conversation tends to go along way.
A few hard rules like "no-pvp work well too. house rules. etc...
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Yes, as part of the character building process, create some hard bonds between the characters. Instead of staring them off as a dispirit group of randoms who meet up at a bar and somehow go on a quest together, start them out as a newly formed, but still functional group of friends or allies who are off to adventure for whatever reason.
During character creation, pose some leading questions that help your players think about how they are part of the group. Some example include:
Little things like these that allow the players to collaborate together and build a sort of pre-narrative of how things came to be before the game begins go a long way towards building camaraderie between your players.
That is an excellent way to dissuade them from murdering each other. When it comes to murdering townsfolk you can use that for an assassins guild to maybe approach them while they languish in a prison cell.
"You my friend fit a particular... profile with a flexible conscience. We can get you out but there is something we will need you to do for us."
Or even a noble needs someone that they have no overt connection to help them with some underhanded deeds that need to be done. The noble doesn't have to be evil themselves, maybe they have knowledge of an influential person who needs to be dealt with discretely. Or needs someone to lean on a particular merchant who is making trouble over the tariffs in their domain. Turn them into a Bron, or Hound from GoT type character that does what needs to be done.
Getting arrested doesn't have to be the end. Make it the start (maybe even start them in a jail cell). Friends don't let friends go to jail alone.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Sometimes I tend to take 2 minutes and layout a "DM & Player" contract if you will when I have new players. I point out that we all realize we are here to have fun. The heroes agree to be heroic and try to play the game not abandon life and setup a chain of underdark wal-marts or something. I in turn agree to do my best to support that fun as best I can and not 1 shot them or force their decisions. A 2 minute mature conversation tends to go along way.
A few hard rules like "no-pvp work well too. house rules. etc...