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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 4382540" data-attributes="member: 386">If your setting isn't grabby, focus on the characters.  What do they want?  What are they willing to do to get it?Start off with individual player-designed Quests, and maybe one "mission" Quest from you for the whole group.  Then let things morph as the PCs make choices and just go with the flow.This will mean that you don't have any railroading because the plot is being directed by the players.  But you need to have players who want to take the initiative, create the plot along with you, and have conflicts between PCs.Your first step has been done.  You have your Quest: "Find out why the colony failed."  That's it, stop there.Next step: go to the players and introduce your Quest.  Ask them each to come up with an individual Quest.Third step: incorporate the PC's Quests into the game.  This is simple; whatever they want, provide obstacles for them.  Make the backstory as cool as you want.  The tricky part: make their Quests tie into your Quest somehow, so that it leads to complications.Fourth step: start playing.  While the PCs start off with your Quest, bring out the opportunities and obstacles to their individual ones.  Watch what choices they make.Final step: when you wrap up the game, go over the Quests again and let them change unfinished ones, or add a new one if they've finished theirs.If the players balk at making Quests of their own, then you know they don't want to play like that and you can feel free (plot-) railroading them.</blockquote>

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