[Longshot23]

Has anyone got any thoughts on best or preferred way to get characters together?  I think there are a couple of 'standard' ways, but i'm looking for alternatives.  One i like is the characters come together because of a threat to a mutual friend.

[FastJack]

The most common method is a mutual Fixer needing a well-rounded team for a job. Much like the old Mission: Impossible TV show, where the best people were brought together for the mission on hand (it was just coincidence that the same people qualified every week ).

[GBL]

An idea i am toying around with at the moment. Debt. All the players owe money to the same shark, and they meet and decide that with their complementary skills they could more easily pay off that debt.

[Wayfinder]

After the hundredth time of having the players meet in game and having them try to explain what they do while painfully trying to keep their real skills hidden from these "strangers" they just met. I've just House ruled that they all know each other in at least a loyalty rating of 1 and if they want to be closer friends than that to work it out before game. Frankly game time is too precious to waste a half hour to hour on the getting to know you dance.

[FastJack]

After the hundredth time of having the players meet in game and having them try to explain what they do while painfully trying to keep their real skills hidden from these "strangers" they just met. I've just House ruled that they all know each other in at least a loyalty rating of 1 and if they want to be closer friends than that to work it out before game. Frankly game time is too precious to waste a half hour to hour on the getting to know you dance.

Either that, or their mutual fixer has sent them dossiers on the others so they know what they're working with.

[Longshot23]

See, one problem I've noticed is that when the PLAYERS know each other, the introductions by the CHARACTERS tend to get short-circuited.

There's a site for online Hero System games - HeroCentral.net - where the getting-to-know-you stuff comes across as a lot more honest.  Hell, I found out after a session that I knew at least one of the other players before i had played there.

now, if we could get a set-up like that for SR4, i think it would work wonders.

[Welshman]

The hand grenades into the bar they all happen to be at, that leaves only the players as the (mostly) unwounded does wonders for creating a common purpose...

[Doc Chaos]

'From dusk till dawn' style stand-off in a mexican, erm, aztlan style bar VS ghouls. Won't find friends much faster than that

[raggedhalo]

My next campaign, I want to start it all off by making them all take the Criminal SIN flaw and have them in the same prisoner-transfer van when it gets hit by a runner team to break out some NPC big bad guy who's also in the van.  Now they're on the run together and will be better as a group than alone.

[FastJack]

To expand on raggedhalo, there's always the "Dirty Dozen" route as well...

[Doc Chaos]

You will have to excuse the uneducated kraut, but... the what route?

[FastJack]

Never saw Dirty Dozen?

A group of convicts are brought together by the 'higher-ups' to go on a suicide mission to get their prison time commuted.

[Doc Chaos]

Jesus Christ on a flatline ride, how did I miss  that movie?? No, never saw it, but I plan to correct that mistake. Thx

[FastJack]

Okay... to go along with Dirty Dozen, I'm also listing Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. Hopefully you've seen them.

[Doc Chaos]

Uhm... erm... *cough* Sure! Sure I have. I mean, hey, who hasn't? Right? One would have to be pretty oblivious to have missed these two... yeah...