Plot Cards, or How To Write Intrigue in 3 Easy Steps

[Rechan]

I came up with a fun method for creating plots for intrigue-based games. This includes Pulp, Noir, or any game where you have multiple organizations or entities that can cross paths during the course of the adventure. I will use Standard Fantasy elements for this, but it's easy to do with contemporary, or Nobles, Spy games, and mysteries.

I fully admit that this just came to me, and that it's likely been done before. Really it's just a variation of a plot web, or brainstorm bubbling, but even so, I'm excited so I'll write it out.

Step 1: PC cards

You need PCs with a little bit of background, preferably background that is tied to anything within your setting.

Take an index card, or a cut piece of note book paper, and write the PC's name on it. Then underneath, write certain things affiliated with the PC's background and identity. Let's take Kars the Wizard for example:

Kars
Wizard of Order of the Blackened Coin
Mentor: Talsthana of Ravendale
Secret: Grandfather consorted with demons. Magical Power Source?

Step 2: NPC cards

Ask yourself, "In the course of this campaign, who do I want the PCs to meet, fight, and ally with?" Write down various organizations, governments, NPCs, and bad guys on some index cards. This could range from "Lord Efnar" to "Archdevil Demigorgon".

For an example, here's a few:

Talsthana of Ravendale.
Oculos Sinister (Enemy of The Order of the Blackened Coin).

It's okay if you aren't absolutely certain who all those individuals should be. You could leave the affiliations blank, and not give a lot of clues as to who the NPC or organization is until you decide to flesh it out. Such as "Assassins w/ poisonous thorn tattoo".

In addition to the cards above, write in "Wild Card". This could constitute anything from another PC's aspect, to an honest NPC seeking the PC's expertise, to "Wildfire in area you're in".

Step 3: Deal the Plot

This is the step I'm still putting together, but here's what I have in mind.

Shuffle the PC and NPC cards into separate decks. Draw two NPC cards. Then a PC card.

The first is the Plot Group card; the group or badguy that the plot revolves around. Second is the Other Group card. This means that somehow, the second group has entrenched themselves into the plot. Finally, the PC card, is the Complication card. Take an aspect from the PC's card, and have that come to bite the PC.

Example

This will be a Kars-specific plot, because he's my sample PC card. However, I encourage you to have your PC card not be the same as all the plot elements, just so it feels more engaging, conflicting, and makes everyone at the table feel their character is relevant every adventure.

Let us say that I drew the Oculus Sinister card, Talsthana of Ravendale, and Kas's card.

Oculus Sinister is our Plot Group card. They are enemy to Kars's order, and are up to something. Let's say they are digging up an ancient artifact that allows the harnessing of storms to give extra power to their spellcasting. Somehow in the course of wandering around, Kars has discovered they are in the area doing something, and being a PC, he investigates.

Talsthana of Ravendale is our Other Group card. Perhaps she is betraying the Order of the Blackened Coin by giving information to the leader of Oculus Sinister. She is on-site at the time. She, hearing that Kars is in the area, works to slow him down, give him mis-information, or otherwise try to complicate the situation because she doesn't want to mess up her relationship with her once apprentice, and still keep her deal with Oculus Sinister.

Kars is our Complication Card. Looking at his card, I see an interesting aspect: his grandfater consorted with demons, and that might be the source of his power. Conveniently, the other PCs do not know this. So I create Saarthan, Knight of St. Athmas, Demon Hunter. He has discovered Kars's family secret, and has been hunting the wizard.

So, we have Kars investigating Oculus Sinister's plot. Talsthana somehow works in the background. And, during the course of the adventure, Saarthan shows up when it's inconvenient for the PCs, confronting Kars about his demon-tainted magic, and wishes to put him under an Inquisition (by force if necessary) to discern the extent of his demonic association.

Oculus Sinister may have put Saarthan up to this, or Oculus Sinister, unrelated to demonic things, is not something Saarthas is concerned about. Talsthana could even sic Saarthan on Kars, as a diversion or stalling tactic, while she gets out of dodge. Or, she could offer to help him with Saarthan, in exchange for an end to Kars's hampering with Oculus Sinister.

As you can see, the plot is nice and convoluted, with three different groups. But each part is either developed from the PC's background, or the DM's choice in what entities he wants to pop up in his plots.

 

[Rechan]

Two variations on the same method are possible. They're very similar; just switch the role of the PC card in the Deal.

Method 2

The PC card becomes the Plot Group card. Pick an aspect from the PC card, and make the plot about that. For instance, the plot revolves around the source of Kars's magic. Maybe a demon that his grandfather commanded wants to get his attention, and is causing a ruckus.

The first NPC card is the Other Group card. Oculus Sinister could have released the Demon. Or they are trying to capture the Demon so they can use it as a weapon for later.

The second NPC card is the Complication card. Talsthana of Ravendale has grown terribly ill. She sends a magical message to Kars asking for his immediate aid. Does Kars confront the demon or go to his mentor? Either way, something will happen; he flees the demon, giving it tiem to regroup with Oculus. Or his Mentor could succumb to undeath as a way to circumvent the disease, and hold a grudge against Kars, coming back as an antagonist later.

Method 3

The PC card becomes the Other Group card. Treat one of the player's aspects as something involved with the plot. See Method 2, except that it's Oculus Sinister being the big bad guys, and the demon associated with Kars's family tree is manipulating Oculus Sinister.

 

[doghead]

general - plot cards

On first impressions, I like the idea. Mechanical processes like this can be useful for generating ideas and possibilities. Especially when the blank sheet of paper is determined to remain blank. While most people recognise the benefits to a game of character specific plot elements, fewer actually get around to incorporating them. I know that I fall into that category more often than not.

My inclination would be to use it as a secondary level of plotting in combination with a more conventional adventure. Otherwise, you are kind of faced with the choice of using all of the plots at once, or focusing on only a few of the PC's at a time. While the other PC's would probably be involved, they would be less so. Hopefully, over time, opportunities will come up to introduce various 'plot card' elements. Given that the PC's have other things on their plate at the time, the plot card elements could be used to distract, misdirect or even assist the PC's.

Another ENWorlder has come up with an process for developing adventures called TRAP (Threat, Reward, Asset or Problem). These concepts, or something like them, could be added to the cards so far. So to each NPC card you add one TRAP card, giving you an indication of how the role the NPC should play in the plot. Tarot cards (major arcana) could be used in a similar way.

The more you add, the more building block you get. The risk, of course, is getting a collection of blocks you just can't put together in any meaningful way.

doghead
aka thotd

 

[rdonoghue]

So, I love stuff like this, and I think you'll get a lot of miles out of it as is, but if i were to tweak it, I might paradoxically suggest either more or less structure.

On the less structure end, I think you might find these are a fantastic way to answer questions. _Which_ questions are the tough part, but consider the following:

What is at risk?
What threatens it?
What Else has an interest?

Pull out three cards, slap them down, and suddenly you have a dynamic. You could include the PC cards in that shuffle, but to be frank, I think you might have an easier time if you see what the situation is, and let -that- inspire you regarding the best insertion point for PC's

(EDIT: To clarify, this is structurally very similar to what you suggest, I'm just tilting to focus to demonstrate where it might be shaken up a but. Change the questions, and you change the dynamic, and that's a good thing.)

For more structure, I would take a little more advantage of proximity and placement. Consider a similar 5 card cross, with the PC in the center. Imagine that one axis is support (with two supporting factions pulling in two different directions) and the other axis is opposition (who are also in opposition to one another). Bam, instant PC network. If you then go on to the next PC, do this trick: Flip all of PC #1's cards over, mix them up, and set one aside face down. Shuffle the others into your deck, then pull the top three, still face down. Mix in the card you had set aside, then lay out the four cards. Doing this (and cheating a bit for the last guy, so he has one from the first guy too) makes each PC's network into part of the larger thing.

Anyway, I cheer this on. It's a mighty trick.

-Rob D.

 

[Rechan]

Thanks Rob!

Your less structured option is useful. THat's exactly what I was wanting. The main goal of this was just to organize plots so you can have more things going on when you have trouble just spawning ideas off the top of your head. That answers the questions a lot easier. It would require a card to represent "What is threatened", but that's fine. A good source of inspiration to illustrate this is The Maltese Falcon, which is just two or three sides, plus the main character, and so it's easy to see it in action.

The more complex one seems to be more like character background generation than plots. Because if you have 4 groups (plus the PC) PER PC in the plot, then I think you're bordering on too many cooks in the kitchen. At least, it might seem that way for the PCs.

Also, Doghead, I'd be curious to see this TRAP system, it sounds very curious.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Anyway, I cheer this on. It's a mighty trick.

Watch out: Evil Hat in the house!

Link to Ryan's TRAP thread .

 

[Rechan]

Watch out: Evil Hat in the house!

Link to Ryan's TRAP thread .

Ha! I'd actually seen that thread before; one of the very early ideas (the abyssal language virus) I used.

That system is very nice, but I'm having trouble applying it. I'm running two games now: 1) A very, very combat light game of Pcs playing wandering gypsies and con artists. 2) An intrigue-and-face-smashing game set in a very, VERY big city (Eberron, Sharn to be specific).

So far, I seem to only think up standard fantasy dungeon crawly "Go there kill that" for TRAPS, which doesn't help my above games.