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How Do I Make This Interesting?
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<blockquote data-quote="arwink" data-source="post: 3496081" data-attributes="member: 2292"><p>Keep the trail of clues relatively simple, unless you've got a party of folks who really like solving mysteries and making big leaps in logic. I normally find that the key to a fun RPG mystery game isn't the train of clues you need to follow, but how interesting the individual scenes that deliver the clues to you are </p><p></p><p>Make the cultists active. If they're doing something with a time limit in the city, it cuts down on the amount of dithering PC's can do. Time limits also mean that the characters will make quick decisions, and the catastrophis spectacle of what happens if they fail to track down the cult can ensure there's still a satisfying fight scene even if the aftermath isn't entirely positive.</p><p></p><p>Use the local law to your advantage: the PC's can't turn to the guard for help, but that doens't mean they can't compete with locals who are trying to track down the same cult for a different reason. A suspicious investigator who'se sure the PC's are up to no good can provide an interesting foil, since they'll have to give him the slip every time they need to advance the plot.</p><p></p><p>Make finding the bad guys easy, but getting to them hard. All they need to do is show up at the temple of Denier and figure out some way of eliminating a dozen respected priests without anyone noticing.</p><p></p><p>Fights in interesting locations and confrontations with opponents that can't automatically be resolved by fighting. Give the party some time to fence verbally with an opponent that they're trying to lure into a dark alley, or force them to come up with a plan that lets them knock an informer unconscious and remove him from the local library without attracting attention. Anything that causes a big scene in the city will attract the guard, which your players are probably trying to avoid. </p><p></p><p>Avoid encounters in taverns and inns. Unless that's the place that the cultists come to try and kill the party in their sleep <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="arwink, post: 3496081, member: 2292"] Keep the trail of clues relatively simple, unless you've got a party of folks who really like solving mysteries and making big leaps in logic. I normally find that the key to a fun RPG mystery game isn't the train of clues you need to follow, but how interesting the individual scenes that deliver the clues to you are Make the cultists active. If they're doing something with a time limit in the city, it cuts down on the amount of dithering PC's can do. Time limits also mean that the characters will make quick decisions, and the catastrophis spectacle of what happens if they fail to track down the cult can ensure there's still a satisfying fight scene even if the aftermath isn't entirely positive. Use the local law to your advantage: the PC's can't turn to the guard for help, but that doens't mean they can't compete with locals who are trying to track down the same cult for a different reason. A suspicious investigator who'se sure the PC's are up to no good can provide an interesting foil, since they'll have to give him the slip every time they need to advance the plot. Make finding the bad guys easy, but getting to them hard. All they need to do is show up at the temple of Denier and figure out some way of eliminating a dozen respected priests without anyone noticing. Fights in interesting locations and confrontations with opponents that can't automatically be resolved by fighting. Give the party some time to fence verbally with an opponent that they're trying to lure into a dark alley, or force them to come up with a plan that lets them knock an informer unconscious and remove him from the local library without attracting attention. Anything that causes a big scene in the city will attract the guard, which your players are probably trying to avoid. Avoid encounters in taverns and inns. Unless that's the place that the cultists come to try and kill the party in their sleep :) [/QUOTE]
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