I am sure this has happened to you guys before, but I'd like to tell you a little story about what happened in my group last week.
I have a map, and when they move across the map, I roll to see what sort of monsters they may run into. I made a list myself, and on the list, there were certain other things that happen. Sometimes, they come across a dead body. Sometimes, there will be a guy needing some repairs to his wagon.
On one particular encounter, I had 8 merchants arguing about money. I had nothing planned for this, and personally, I thought the players would just go see what the fuss was about and then move on. But this little side encounter turned out to be one of the highlights of the night.
The 8 merchants were arguing about one of them stealing money from the others. They nearly got into a fist fight when the adventurers decided to intervene. They all accused a guy named Fink of stealing the money, and were demanding that he empty all his pockets and baggage. Of course, he took great offense to this and refused. The rogue wanted to see who really took the money, so he starts pickpocketing people. He successfully picks the pocket of one guy, but because he was trying to be honest, he decides to put the silver back. Well, he failed miserably on the roll, and now suddenly, a bunch of the merchants think the adventurers are here to rob them. Punches were thrown, the rogue takes out a knife and stabs the guy, and one of the NPCs travelling with the group manages to settle everyone down.
After settling down, they decide that EVERY one should empty their pockets and bags, and eventually, the real thief was found. He bolts into the desert, and the merchants thank the adventurers and go on their merry way.
I thought it was really cool how a random encounter I wrote into an encounter just to give the world a bit of flavor turned into something that took 20 minutes to solve, and the players had a blast when they were successful with helping the merchants find the culprit.
I was wondering if you guys remember any story in your campaigns that you thought weren't suppose to lead anywhere, but ended up turning into a really fun RP session? I'd love to hear your plot hooks, and see how they turned out.
I have a map, and when they move across the map, I roll to see what sort of monsters they may run into. I made a list myself, and on the list, there were certain other things that happen. Sometimes, they come across a dead body. Sometimes, there will be a guy needing some repairs to his wagon.
On one particular encounter, I had 8 merchants arguing about money. I had nothing planned for this, and personally, I thought the players would just go see what the fuss was about and then move on. But this little side encounter turned out to be one of the highlights of the night.
The 8 merchants were arguing about one of them stealing money from the others. They nearly got into a fist fight when the adventurers decided to intervene. They all accused a guy named Fink of stealing the money, and were demanding that he empty all his pockets and baggage. Of course, he took great offense to this and refused. The rogue wanted to see who really took the money, so he starts pickpocketing people. He successfully picks the pocket of one guy, but because he was trying to be honest, he decides to put the silver back. Well, he failed miserably on the roll, and now suddenly, a bunch of the merchants think the adventurers are here to rob them. Punches were thrown, the rogue takes out a knife and stabs the guy, and one of the NPCs travelling with the group manages to settle everyone down.
After settling down, they decide that EVERY one should empty their pockets and bags, and eventually, the real thief was found. He bolts into the desert, and the merchants thank the adventurers and go on their merry way.
I thought it was really cool how a random encounter I wrote into an encounter just to give the world a bit of flavor turned into something that took 20 minutes to solve, and the players had a blast when they were successful with helping the merchants find the culprit.
I was wondering if you guys remember any story in your campaigns that you thought weren't suppose to lead anywhere, but ended up turning into a really fun RP session? I'd love to hear your plot hooks, and see how they turned out.
