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<blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7453741" data-attributes="member: 6801286"><p>This is an excellent point. The trick is to have varied content so that your game connects with all players, and these mini-plots can possibly all connect to the same over arching plot. But as you say, some may also be completely separate adventures.</p><p></p><p>My players once decided to just explore an island, and see what they could find. This lead them to a dungeon (which was a random encounter). It wasn't until they started exploring the dungeon, that I was able to sprinkle some plot points around that loosely connected it to the main plotline.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>This is where I feel world building can help a lot. While you don't have to constantly shove the lore in the face of your players, it gives you something to fall back on. It's sort of like your Silmarillion to your lords of the rings. Whenever you need a quick side plot, you can grab something that is loosely tied to the lore of the world. This makes it seem to your players as if everything is coherent and connected, when in fact you're just making most of it up on the spot.</p><p></p><p>So what I did in said dungeon, is have my players discover wall-carvings that portrayed various mysterious things that I was planning to introduce later in the campaign. It was a perfect moment to foreshadow future plot lines. And every now and again I would throw a callback to those ancient carvings into the plot, which would make the players go: "Wait a minute, this is just like what we saw on those walls in the dungeon!"</p><p></p><p>Then at the end of the dungeon they found a coffin with a girl sleeping inside, who was to be the new 'vessel' of an evil goddess that had not yet been introduced at that point (but would be later on in the plot). This npc joined their party, became a love interest, and every now and again I would have the evil goddess try to reclaim the girl. The girl being this vessel for the evil goddess became a pretty important plot-line that is still relevant in the campaign today. But it was originally just a side quest that was only loosely connected to the plot.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Imaculata, post: 7453741, member: 6801286"] This is an excellent point. The trick is to have varied content so that your game connects with all players, and these mini-plots can possibly all connect to the same over arching plot. But as you say, some may also be completely separate adventures. My players once decided to just explore an island, and see what they could find. This lead them to a dungeon (which was a random encounter). It wasn't until they started exploring the dungeon, that I was able to sprinkle some plot points around that loosely connected it to the main plotline. This is where I feel world building can help a lot. While you don't have to constantly shove the lore in the face of your players, it gives you something to fall back on. It's sort of like your Silmarillion to your lords of the rings. Whenever you need a quick side plot, you can grab something that is loosely tied to the lore of the world. This makes it seem to your players as if everything is coherent and connected, when in fact you're just making most of it up on the spot. So what I did in said dungeon, is have my players discover wall-carvings that portrayed various mysterious things that I was planning to introduce later in the campaign. It was a perfect moment to foreshadow future plot lines. And every now and again I would throw a callback to those ancient carvings into the plot, which would make the players go: "Wait a minute, this is just like what we saw on those walls in the dungeon!" Then at the end of the dungeon they found a coffin with a girl sleeping inside, who was to be the new 'vessel' of an evil goddess that had not yet been introduced at that point (but would be later on in the plot). This npc joined their party, became a love interest, and every now and again I would have the evil goddess try to reclaim the girl. The girl being this vessel for the evil goddess became a pretty important plot-line that is still relevant in the campaign today. But it was originally just a side quest that was only loosely connected to the plot. [/QUOTE]
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