I learned the term, 'In Media Res' back in college during a film study course. I've used it to great effect since.
In short, skip the tavern. Skip the mission briefing. Skip the long setup where everyone politely introduces their character. Drop them straight into the storm instead.
The middle is where play lives. Start with the wagon overturned; the aliens bursting through the vault door; the chief of police already bleeding on the floor. Let the crisis define who the characters are. Their choices in that heat will say more than any “my name is…” monologue ever could.
Why? Because beginnings drag. Crisis forces decisions. And decisions build character faster than backstory.
You can still give context later - flashbacks, rumors, aftermath. But if you start in the middle, the players are already in motion, already hooked, already deciding what kind of story this will be.
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