How to write a great character greeting (first message)
Updated
A great character greeting drops the player into a scene that is already moving: one line of setting, the character doing something specific, a line of dialogue that shows their voice, and a hook that demands an answer. Keep it to about 80 to 200 words and never decide what the player does. On UnsavedAI, it is the "Their first message" field.
Try it now, free, no account neededStart a story with Sophie LaneYour old best friend. Eight years of silence.Why the greeting matters so much
The first message is the model's best example of how this character writes. Its length, its use of *actions*, its tone and even its sentence rhythm get copied into the replies that follow. A flat greeting produces a flat character, however good the description is.
The four parts
- Setting in a line: where and when, through one sensory detail.
- The character mid-action: busy with something that reveals them.
- Their voice: one or two lines of dialogue only they would say.
- The hook: a question, a choice or a problem, aimed at the player.
Sophie Lane's greeting does all four. The bell over the door, the boardwalk turning gold. Her laugh stopping mid-scoop when she sees you. "Heard you were back. Mrs. Kowalski told the whole pier." And she wipes a counter that is already clean before asking what she can get you, a question that is really about eight years of silence.
Before and after
Before: Hello! I'm Rook, a retired thief who runs a pawnshop. I'm dry and soft-spoken. What brings you here today?
After: *The shop bell is still swinging when Rook looks up from his ledger, glasses on the end of his nose. His eyes go to your hand, and stay there.* "We're closed, friend." *He takes the glasses off, slowly.* "Unless that ring in your pocket is for sale. I'd know it anywhere. So would the man who used to wear it."
The first version describes the character. The second lets you meet him, and gives you a mystery to answer.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing the player's actions or feelings ("You nervously step inside, heart racing"). Describe what the character sees, not what the player does.
- Ending on a statement. Close with something to answer.
- Info-dumping backstory. Hint at it; the player will ask.
- Five paragraphs. Long greetings teach long, slow replies.
- A greeting that only works for one kind of player. "Your new carrel-mate" fits anyone; "your fiancée of three years, Emma" does not.
Alternate openings
A character can have several greetings that start the story in different places, for example a tense one and a quiet one. Imported SillyTavern and Chub cards keep their alternate greetings, and on house characters you can switch with Different opening in the ⋯ menu before you send your first message. Raven Sinclair has three, from a shared library carrel to a power cut at midnight. Writing two or three is the easiest way to give one character many stories.
Then fill in Three ways to begin with first moves that answer your greeting's hook, so new players are never stuck. More on the whole card in how to write a character card.
Questions people ask
Should the greeting use asterisks?
Use whatever style you want replies to have. If the greeting uses *actions* and "quotes", replies will too.
Can the greeting be from the narrator rather than the character?
Yes, for scene-setting or multi-character cards. Keep the character visible and speaking within it so the voice is established.
