How hard is it to "hook" your PCs?

[Tinker Gnome]

How hard is it to get your CPs to follow a plot hook. I do not want to railroad them, but, for mine. If it seems too hard, they will go and find something else to do. Even if one of them is Neutral Good, he has no problem running away from a town being slaughtered by oozes.

EDIT: Wrong forum, could someone please move this.

Sorry.

 

[jgsugden]

The sad truth is that a DM is bound by the style of his players far more than the players are bound by the style of the DM. If your players don't like complex storylines with clever puzzles, you're going to be frustrated if you work hard to make them. Figure out what the players like to o, then find a way to build a game around those things that you enjoy ... and if you can't find anything that you and your players would all enjoy, you may need to find new players. Some things are just not meant to be ...

 

[shilsen]

Short of railroading, I don't think there's any way to ensure that PCs will follow a plot hook. Personally, I prefer it that way. Usually I'll have a half dozen or so options out there (and the PCs may find more) and the PCs can follow what they want. Obviously the choices they make will have repercussions, but I prefer not to have "this is what you have to do" approach.

In the example you mentioned, if the PCs are clearly capable of aiding the town but do not, they've moved closer to neutrality and may soon end up as Neutrals rather than as Good characters. NPCs who know about their lack of heroism or cowardice are also likely to take that into account when deciding how to interact with them. But if the PCs (and by extention, players) really do not want to take part in an adventure involving oozes attackign a town, I don't think they or you would get much enjoyment out of having to sit through it.

 

[Belbarrus]

Fortunately my gaming group just likes the aspect of getting together, ordering pizza and having a fun evening. So, if the DM starts an adventure with a hook as simplistic as, "The local sherriff asks your group to investigate the mysterious kidnappings in the area." The players are happy enough to go along and get the adventure started.

B

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

In an ideal world I would love to have multiple hooks available, but most of the time I'm lucky if I have just one backup. I just don't have the time to prep a lot of different adventures, I don't have the money to buy lots of premade stuff as backups that will quickly get obsolete as the players advance in level, and I'm not great at doing things off the cuff. When I know we are going to be at a critical hook point, I try my best to have more than one option, but if I have not had time to do it right, I just let my players know. While they don't like being railroaded, they know its part of life, especially since they know they don't have any more time to better themselves.

Maybe I'll win the Mega Millions this week and I can quit working and focus on gaming. My wife can work and hold the benefits we need like health insurance (she actually enjoys her job).

 

[Nightfall]

Short of putting a shotgun to the back of their skulls, and having C-4 planted on their favorite spots, there's very little you can do to get them to follow a plot hook. You could bribe them...but it's not a 100% guarnatee to work.

 

[Epametheus]

In my experience, a situation usually has to be stupidly complicated and obnoxious before the PCs will simply walk away from it.

Granted, most of the players I know happen to like receiving XP.

I certianly can't see the people in my group ignoring a town under assualt from ooze.

 

[ThoughtBubble]

The best way to hook your players is to know what motivates them. One of mine is all about looking cool. I'm about being important. Another is about the promise of a particularly shiny piece of loot (information or cool locations are also loot). Another is just about following the rest of the group. Another is about out thinking his opponents. All I really have to do is hook two, and they'll go along completely.

Or, you can simply give up and be 100% straightforward as I'm trying now.
"Ok, guys, I need a reason why your characters would rescue the mayor's daughter by entering a fighting tournament."

"Revenge, I'd do it for revenge."

"Dude, no one messes with my 'hood."

"Allright....."

Seems to be working so far.

 

[nopantsyet]

Sometimes too easy. I get uncomfortable when I feel like I'm leading them along. My best games are the ones where the players do thing of their own invention, observe something about the world and set out to change. It can be little things, but it adds a lot to the game.

 

[kamosa]

Ask them.

When I was first GMing, I would often struggle to get the players into the adventure. It seemed that they would turn and run from the hook like they owed it money.

What ended up working for me was to force the players into thinking about it during character creation.

While they are placing stats and deciding their backgrounds, I ask them, "Why do you go on the adventure?" I keep pushing for a real answer until they spend sometime thinking about it. After that I know how to motivate them, and they are put in the mindset of going on the adventure.