Meeting in a tavern IS cliché... but it's faster. The question is, do you really believe that you'll stick with it long enough to bring everyone together, and (more importantly) will anyone ELSE believe it?
Yes, it's faster but it would be detrimental to the story I want to tell. I'm not interested in telling a story where a group of characters venture into a tavern, meet each other and say "Hey, you know that evil wizard that's taking over the world? Let's do something about it. Sure is lucky I met you guys!"
I want a story where the characters have a reason for meeting each other because of events which have occured.
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(The following is an example and won't actually be used in the story) Wouldn't it be better if the Priest is sent to find half of an ancient talisman by his Order only to find that the Thief has already stolen it for an employer? It then becomes apparent that this employer is looking for both parts of the talisman in order to resurrect a long forgotten deity.
After surviving an assassination attempt by the employer, the two characters arrive at the location of the second half of the talisman only to find the tribe which was protecting it destroyed and The Warrior (the only survivor) seeking vengeance. Following the destroyers of The Warrior's village across the land, the three encounter both a secret Temple and The Wizard whose bride has been captured by a mysterious cult who are now seeking to sacrifice her during a ritual. The four break into the temple and confront The Thief's employer only to realise that he is merely the pawn of Queen Marauder who was banished from her kingdom years earlier and has been raising a secret army to do so...
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(End of example)As to whether I'll stick with it, would
you stick with it? I have to trust the players just as much as they have to trust me. Why do any of us join stories on this site, if not because we hope that the story will conclude eventually and that the others involved won't suddenly disappear before that conclusion is reached.
