101 Moments of Mundane Fun

[Reynard]

There are lots of great moments that come up in play that have nothing to do with the "main quests" of a campaign. Let's dig into them. (one per post for easy counting, please!)

1. The Guards At The Gate: The very first time the PCs return from the dungeon at the outskirts of town, they are stopped by the town guard. Before they can re-enter, they have to explain themselves: why are they so bloody, where did they get any obvious treasure, etc... Local humanoid/bandit problems can make the guards even more suspicious.

 

[Frostmarrow]

2. The backpack. The characters decide to make a short trek to the next village. It turns out they haven't even packed lunch. What else is missing in terms of gear? Lack of key items makes even a brief foray into the wild an adventure.

 

[Dice4Hire]

3. Directions. "Three days outside of town" is not a very exact location.

 

[Frostmarrow]

4. The injustice. A character is falsely accused of a misdemeanor. It really isn't a big deal, but it is completely unfair.

 

[Dioltach]

5. The bores. In a Star Wars campaign, the party landed on a mining planet. The main topic of conversation -- in fact the only topic -- was mining. When they'd completed the adventure I gave all the characters 2 ranks in Knowledge (Mining).

 

[Gilladian]

One campaign had the party camping out in the wilderness a LOT. The one noble character always demanded "a fine dinner" and "hot breakfast". The other PCs would spend quite a lot of time hunting, gathering, making cooking checks, etc... to see who could produce a great meal over a campfire. They finally even bought a magical weightless camp stove/grill! It was weird, and very fun.

 

[Reynard]

5. The bores. In a Star Wars campaign, the party landed on a mining planet. The main topic of conversation -- in fact the only topic -- was mining. When they'd completed the adventure I gave all the characters 2 ranks in Knowledge (Mining).

That's a pretty cool "reward" for engaging in the "boring" parts of the game. I think I'd use something like a one time unskilled knowledge check, but that's just details.

 

[Jools]

6. Usurped Identity (this one is for higher level parties that have become famous). One of the heroes returns to their home city after a long adventure to find an outraged lover accusing him of sleeping around, local restaurants demanding money for damage he has caused to their establishments and he might even be betrothed to a woman he has never met. A local man who looks a little like the hero has usurped his identity while he has been away and has been taking advantage of his new fame to the fullest. How can he be caught and taught a lesson? Can his previous relationships be repaired?

 

[Reynard]

7. The Faire: These were common in the medieval era, usually around holidays, harvets time and important events. Dancing, drinking and games abound. Perhaps a little pickpocketting -- either on the PCs or by them. In any case, there are lots of ways to engage the PCs at a small town carnival.

 

[Weregrognard]

8. The Roadside Inn: All the fun of the town tavern out in the wilderness. Insert interesting NPCs, side-quests, tavern activities here.