Building an Endgame Scenario

[Kestrel]

So last night, while my group discussed an ongoing campaign, we decided to set it up for the ending. At a real world date set by the GM (me), the game will end. In the campaign, the players are trying to gather the clues that will allow them to stop the BBEG's evil plan. They have to do this before the real world time, or his plans will succeed and end the world.

How would you go about setting up a campaign like this? My intention is allow for the players to fail or succeed through thier own actions in game, not by being led from point to point by me as the dm.

The logistics for it are a bit daunting however, so I'm solicting advice from the excellent EN community.

 

[Flynn]

Start by outlining the BBEG's plans and actions, if you haven't already. Look at each step, and check it out for possible clues you could drop, or informants that could somehow get the word out, etc. In essence, you are looking for the clue fairy dust you can then sprinkle liberally on the PCs during the upcoming gaming sessions.

At some point, his actions are going to have major impact on the world. If not, then maybe a diviner gets a clue and shares it with the PCs either directly or indirectly. Somehow, the PCs are going to have to be able to make the connections that will lead them to the final confrontation. In each session, you will need to drop hints, and if the PCs don't pick them up, you may need to pave the way a little, but you should see obvious progress towards that final confronation with each session. This is where the whirlwind pace kicks in, if it hasn't already.

It's all about progress. Take a moment to think about what the players know, and how they go about things. Think of ways to help them piece together the clues to get them en route to that final confrontation. Sprinkle that clue dust as you see fit. Trust me, it's better to have too many clues than not enough. It would suck to end the game camping on the plains somewhere because I didn't get enough from the DM to point me to the evil skull castle in the mountains where I had a chance to live or die by my skills and my sheer heroism. I don't mind dying, so long as it's like Sturm and not like that orc I slaughtered at first level.

Hope this helps,
Flynn