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Description
I was a (more or less) first time DM handling a group of nine players, a mix of stat-maxing vets and roleplaying beginners, in a 1st level campaign. I'd set up a behind the scenes plot dictating interaction between the characters and was going to slowly tie it into the main plot when we got there. we never did.

The Town Orrin had put out a call for heros, the mayor promised a hefty award from his own treasures to any who could successfully answer the call. Any interested were to meet in the towns largest tavern for him to explain the situation to all interested.

And so the players in ones and twos came to be sitting around the same table at the crowded inn. A hexblade and a warlock sat first, followed by a gnome thief who carried a lute for no reason and was just slightly special needs, an elvish bard who carried unspeakable things in her backpack, a female cleric that believed in free love as the source of all power, A red-haired androgynous ranger wearing padded cloth armor, bandages, carrying a scythe with red granite insets, and trying its best to keep to itself, a variant druid that spent more time as wolf than man, and finally a half-orc druid acting as protector for a very Roy Mustang-esq sorcerer with had gloves that allowed him to cast burning hands a number of times each day.

Because there were as many newbies as vets I decide to start everyone off with something easy to show the general idea of how the game is played and what roleplaying is like. A tavern wench comes to the table and offers mugs of weak ale (If you bought a mug that's a silver piece off your character sheet). Many order, then go back to waiting for the mayor and now their drinks. At this stage the cleric starts hitting on the redhead, much to its discomfort (roll diplomacy vs. will) and the gnome starts tuning his lute. The maid comes back and hands out the mugs and people decide whether to drink or pass theirs to others (if you drank make a fort save to see whether or not you become drunk). One person got tipsy and the warlock, who was going all in on the roleplaying, ended up getting drunk enough to buy two rounds for everyone in the tavern.

This continues for a short while longer and then the mayor walks into the tavern, two guards behind him, and demands silence so h can explain the situation. Naturally once he starts the gnome starts playing his lute, causing one of the guards comes to the table and (several intimidate and counter intimidate rolls later) forces him to stop. The mayor starts again. The town had been suffering break-ins beyond the capabilities of the guards to either stop or figure out who was behind it, and things were going missing to an extent where the towns economy was at risk of completely falling apart. He could not offer any clues personally but the heros were encouraged to ask around the towns shops.

As the mayor attempts to make his leave the warlock buys him a round of mug as well before promptly passing out on the table. A wench rushes to get it to the mayor and reaches him just before he steps out the door. The mayor takes the mug, upends it over the wenches head, and leaves the tavern, guards in tow. This was an event meant to spark alignment discussion as the majority of the group was neutral but many were evil and one or two lawful. Instead it sparked major events.

The variant druid decided he wanted nothing to do with the town and left to go prowl the woods in wolf form.

The cleric decided the mayor had committed such an affront to her beliefs that he must die, and recruited the bard and gnome to help her track him.

The warlock continued sleeping and the hexblade watched over him.

The redhead stared at the warlock, and was being stared at by the half-orc and sorcerer.

The wolf ate a few rabbits and laid down to sleep.

The trio, cleric in lead, track the mayor to his house, and after a failed scouting attempt by the bard that caused security to be increased unannounced to them (natural 1 on a move silently roll) they begin discussing plans on how best to get into the house and murder the mayor.

The redhead figured out that the warlock sleeping on the table was a magic user and decided he must die (Scythe was cursed, plot device) and decided to "kick" him under the table (Me: Kick? Player: Yes, kick. Me: Alright roll a d20. *20* Roll again. *20* Again.*6* Roll a d4. *4*) The kick landed directly on the warlocks privates and was hard enough and painful enough to wake him up briefly only to gasp in pain before falling unconscious again. The redhead orders a room, gets up from the table, picks up the warlock, and carries him with it to the room. Once inside it closes and locks the door, then performs a coup de grâce. The redhead then flees out of the room's window.

The sorcerer, druid and hexblade all follow the two to the room (Sorc is tracking the redhead, hex is warlocks friend), get hated at the door try to listen in (roll listen) and on hearing suspicious thuds the sorcerer uses burning hands to melt the door's lock and break in the room. All three discover the body.

The hexblade immediately leaves the inn in pursuit of the redhead, while the sorcerer jots down notes in a journal, loots the warlock, and closes the door as best as possible before going to sleep, with the druid standing guard.

Meanwhile, the trio have come up with a plan. The cleric and bard would assault guards at the front and rear entrances respectively while the gnome climbs into a second story window. They will then go room by room, taking out anyone the met and meeting up at the stairs.

The gnome tries to climb the building and fails Me: Roll a d20. *2* Player: With my climb bonus that's a five..), falling to the ground and making a thud that alerts a guard at the rear door, who goes to investigate.

The cleric attempts to sneak up on the two guards at the door, gets clearly spotted (natural 1 on hide) and decides to flee into town. One guard pursues.

The Bard attempts to climb a fence into the back yard and while she succeeds, falls flat on her face, alerting the remaining guard (successful climb check, natural 1 on acrobatics check) She stands and readies herself to fight, shortsword in hand. (Me: Roll initiative) Before the guard can do more than ready his greatsword, she closes the distance to him and slashes (Me: roll a d20. *17*) Her blade connects, but unfortunately can not penetrate the guards plate armor. The guard swings with his greatsword (*19* *16* *8*) And cuts the druid in two.

As the bard is being shorn in half the other guard comes across the gnome, puts the gnome's hands behind its back and marches it inside via the front door to be interrogated. The gnome was too awed by the taste of dirt to put up a fight.

I called this a good place to stop, and everyone agreed. With three bedded down for the night, two players dead, two hiding in own one hunted by at least one other player and the other by the town, one being interrogated, and one doing the hunting. I asked opinions of the group and everyone said it was way too chaotic but they had a lot of fun.

Description
I was a (more or less) first time DM handling a group of nine players, a mix of stat-maxing vets and roleplaying beginners, in a 1st level campaign. I'd set up a behind the scenes plot dictating interaction between the characters and was going to slowly tie it into the main plot when we got there. we never did.

The Town Orrin had put out a call for heros, the mayor promised a hefty award from his own treasures to any who could successfully answer the call. Any interested were to meet in the towns largest tavern for him to explain the situation to all interested.

And so the players in ones and twos came to be sitting around the same table at the crowded inn. A hexblade and a warlock sat first, followed by a gnome thief who carried a lute for no reason and was just slightly special needs, an elvish bard who carried unspeakable things in her backpack, a female cleric that believed in free love as the source of all power, A red-haired androgynous ranger wearing padded cloth armor, bandages, carrying a scythe with red granite insets, and trying its best to keep to itself, a variant druid that spent more time as wolf than man, and finally a half-orc druid acting as protector for a very Roy Mustang-esq sorcerer with had gloves that allowed him to cast burning hands a number of times each day.

Because there were as many newbies as vets I decide to start everyone off with something easy to show the general idea of how the game is played and what roleplaying is like. A tavern wench comes to the table and offers mugs of weak ale (If you bought a mug that's a silver piece off your character sheet). Many order, then go back to waiting for the mayor and now their drinks. At this stage the cleric starts hitting on the redhead, much to its discomfort (roll diplomacy vs. will) and the gnome starts tuning his lute. The maid comes back and hands out the mugs and people decide whether to drink or pass theirs to others (if you drank make a fort save to see whether or not you become drunk). One person got tipsy and the warlock, who was going all in on the roleplaying, ended up getting drunk enough to buy two rounds for everyone in the tavern.

This continues for a short while longer and then the mayor walks into the tavern, two guards behind him, and demands silence so h can explain the situation. Naturally once he starts the gnome starts playing his lute, causing one of the guards comes to the table and (several intimidate and counter intimidate rolls later) forces him to stop. The mayor starts again. The town had been suffering break-ins beyond the capabilities of the guards to either stop or figure out who was behind it, and things were going missing to an extent where the towns economy was at risk of completely falling apart. He could not offer any clues personally but the heros were encouraged to ask around the towns shops.

As the mayor attempts to make his leave the warlock buys him a round of mug as well before promptly passing out on the table. A wench rushes to get it to the mayor and reaches him just before he steps out the door. The mayor takes the mug, upends it over the wenches head, and leaves the tavern, guards in tow. This was an event meant to spark alignment discussion as the majority of the group was neutral but many were evil and one or two lawful. Instead it sparked major events.

The variant druid decided he wanted nothing to do with the town and left to go prowl the woods in wolf form.

The cleric decided the mayor had committed such an affront to her beliefs that he must die, and recruited the bard and gnome to help her track him.

The warlock continued sleeping and the hexblade watched over him.

The redhead stared at the warlock, and was being stared at by the half-orc and sorcerer.

The wolf ate a few rabbits and laid down to sleep.

The trio, cleric in lead, track the mayor to his house, and after a failed scouting attempt by the bard that caused security to be increased unannounced to them (natural 1 on a move silently roll) they begin discussing plans on how best to get into the house and murder the mayor.

The redhead figured out that the warlock sleeping on the table was a magic user and decided he must die (Scythe was cursed, plot device) and decided to "kick" him under the table (Me: Kick? Player: Yes, kick. Me: Alright roll a d20. *20* Roll again. *20* Again.*6* Roll a d4. *4*) The kick landed directly on the warlocks privates and was hard enough and painful enough to wake him up briefly only to gasp in pain before falling unconscious again. The redhead orders a room, gets up from the table, picks up the warlock, and carries him with it to the room. Once inside it closes and locks the door, then performs a coup de grâce. The redhead then flees out of the room's window.

The sorcerer, druid and hexblade all follow the two to the room (Sorc is tracking the redhead, hex is warlocks friend), get hated at the door try to listen in (roll listen) and on hearing suspicious thuds the sorcerer uses burning hands to melt the door's lock and break in the room. All three discover the body.

The hexblade immediately leaves the inn in pursuit of the redhead, while the sorcerer jots down notes in a journal, loots the warlock, and closes the door as best as possible before going to sleep, with the druid standing guard.

Meanwhile, the trio have come up with a plan. The cleric and bard would assault guards at the front and rear entrances respectively while the gnome climbs into a second story window. They will then go room by room, taking out anyone the met and meeting up at the stairs.

The gnome tries to climb the building and fails Me: Roll a d20. *2* Player: With my climb bonus that's a five..), falling to the ground and making a thud that alerts a guard at the rear door, who goes to investigate.

The cleric attempts to sneak up on the two guards at the door, gets clearly spotted (natural 1 on hide) and decides to flee into town. One guard pursues.

The Bard attempts to climb a fence into the back yard and while she succeeds, falls flat on her face, alerting the remaining guard (successful climb check, natural 1 on acrobatics check) She stands and readies herself to fight, shortsword in hand. (Me: Roll initiative) Before the guard can do more than ready his greatsword, she closes the distance to him and slashes (Me: roll a d20. *17*) Her blade connects, but unfortunately can not penetrate the guards plate armor. The guard swings with his greatsword (*19* *16* *8*) And cuts the druid in two.

As the bard is being shorn in half the other guard comes across the gnome, puts the gnome's hands behind its back and marches it inside via the front door to be interrogated. The gnome was too awed by the taste of dirt to put up a fight.

I called this a good place to stop, and everyone agreed. With three bedded down for the night, two players dead, two hiding in own one hunted by at least one other player and the other by the town, one being interrogated, and one doing the hunting. I asked opinions of the group and everyone said it was way too chaotic but they had a lot of fun.