Advice requested: Resources for 'Byzantine' Plots

[Henry]

SInce there are many quite nasty DM's who frequent this board, I am always interested in improving my DM'ing skills based on the discussions and advice of the netizens of this board. So I ask:

I enjoy giving my PC's the occasional convoluted 'Byzantine' plot line - A. wants this item, B. wants another item, C. wants political power and is using A. and B.'s desires to his own ends, D. is using both C. and E. for getting his hands on A.'s and B.'s items because they are more powerful than anyone guessed, etc. etc. - that sort of thing. However, I am quite poor at designing complex mysteries, and couldn't write a mystery novel to save my life.

Does anyone have resources that they use for preparing plots such as this? Or failing that, what sources of inspiration do they use for such plans? Finally, this is the trickiest question, has anyone ever come across a resource to assist them in generating a 'Byzantine' plot on the fly? Just a brief outline like the one above, like, say, a good random plot generator? This kind of thing really helps in two ways:

1. It gets the DM's creative juices flowing when trying to come up with a complex plot
2. It helps when PC's go really off track in a city, and you need something 'political' to throw at them.
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   Does anyone have any helpful info?

 

[Hand of Evil]

I use information from the news. ENRON, it is all about greed and reeks of cover up, so I will take that and use it for an example.

Please note this is my twist, it has nothing to do with facts.

First we start with a person coming into power supported by a company with money. Tie in the money to get him into power. Could be a city offical or Church offical.

Then create an issue and a need to raise capital. Raids, priates, trade is not making it to its correct location. Prices rise. Adventures discover that there is a 'hidden power' controling things, basicly ships are disappearing but truth is that there were never any cargoes or ships.

When they let everyone know the knowledge is repressed and then the person in power starts to have meetings and contact with whom the adventures see as the hidden powers.

Adventures continue to work against the hidden power and bring it down. Now starts the cover up. Can the adventures find people and information before it is all destoryed.

 

[Zappo]

I think up a simple plot from whatever is crossing my mind. Then I add a twist, and another, and another, as many as are needed. Then, I review the whole thing to see if it is consistant and workable, and to remove loose ends.

 

[Henry]

giving a *BUMP* due to the speedy nature of overwhelmed threads these days...

 

[kenjib]

You've a picture of Henry VIII as your avatar and you need inspiration for political intrigue?

Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragorn
Anne Boleyn
Assorted Popes
Queen "Bloody" Mary
Louis XII
Thomas Cromwell
Elizabeth I
Edward VI
Mary, Queen of Scots
Lady Jane Grey
Philip II
etc...

It would be difficult to find a more twisted net of motive and manipulation than this!

 

[barsoomcore]

More spy thrillers, less fantasy novels.

Read John Le Carre, Ken Follett and Ian Fleming.

Or read Steven Brust, especially Jhereg, Yendi, Phoenix and Orca. Great examples of convoluted plots with magic.

Also Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates have lots of scheming and double-crossing going on.

The thing to remember is that NOBODY is ever telling anyone the truth. What I do is start off with a sort of, "Here's the situation," report and then sit down and figure out the REAL situation.

For example, Lady Mac wants the party to root out enemy agents in the city. Straightforward enough. But of course, that's not what she really wants. Now I put my thinking cap on. What if Lady Mac IS an enemy agent herself and is setting up the party? Another round with the thinking cap and I come up with this:

Lady Mac has been an enemy agent for six years but has had a change of heart and wants out of the business. She knows she'll be killed if she just quits or if she's found out so she sends the party after OTHER enemy agents to convince her spy bosses that it's just too dangerous for her to remain her. They'll give her a big whack of cash to get out of town and she can just run, hide and live out her life in quiet obscurity.

Then I put on my thinking cap again...