Once all players have created a character and the group is gathered ready to play, the referee will describe the characters’ starting location.
Base town: Play often begins with PCs lodging in a town close to an adventure site. The town usually presents the opportunity to buy equipment, hire retainers, and sell treasure. A local temple may provide magical healing (in return for a donation or service), and a sage or other expert may be able to help PCs identify magic items.
Adventure hooks: Typically characters will hear of a dungeon or other adventure site to explore. They may be contacted by an NPC with relevant information about the site, or may hear rumours about it from local folk in inns and taverns.
Reaching the adventure site: When characters are of 1st to 3rd level, the referee may allow them to safely travel to and from a dungeon, without risk of dangerous encounters in the wilds. When characters are 4th level or higher, it is recommended to play out any travel to and from adventure sites using the rules for Wilderness Adventuring.

Typically each player runs a single PC at a time. When the number of players in a session is low, the referee may allow experienced players to run multiple PCs each. The group should make sure that each player’s characters are still treated as separate individuals. They should not share money and equipment any more closely than they would do with another player’s character.