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Message: <blockquote data-quote="willpax" data-source="post: 335500" data-attributes="member: 1602">Many of my adventures deal with humans and other intelligent NPCs in urban areas, so I usually pursue a different tack. I usually start with the institutions that are dominant in the area, and think about their goals and agendas. Usually, that will suggest a few NPCs, who I then stat out minimally. The NPCs need places to live and shop, friends and enemies, and some sort of supporting framework (generic grunts). At this point I might make a kind of abstract map showing where important places and people are in relation to each other. It will suggest other NPCs and possible plots. I usually try to position the overlapping plots of the various groups already present so that the PCs are coming in at a point that approaches a crisis (for the easy dramatic effect). I will sometimes plot out what will happen in the PCs don't intervene, but that becomes useless to pursue for any significant length of time. I then write out: the groups, noting important resources, agendas and goals, allies and enemies, and give a few characterizing traits to the important NPCs. I will occasionally skethc out a crude layout if there is an important site, trying to keep the place within the resources of the group in question. Often, I make up whatever areas I need on the spot. I then decide what the first hook will be--who will the PCs meet first, and what will they learn. Sometimes, I give several, forcing them to choose what leads to pursue. The overall effect is that this is a busy world with many things going on that don't depend on the players. I also take a moment to think about previous encounters that might come back to haunt them--who is hunting the players, who is starting to notice the players and think of them as a potential threat, and so on. Currently, the players are in a large city, facing the following threats: a group of northern semi-civilized tribes seem to be involved in a local political spat between the chief religious figure and a small but powerful magical academy located just outside the city; a small group of Dwarven smiths have learned through merchant contacts that the local gladiatorial games might be rigged, inspiring two of the PCs to attempt to infiltrate some gladiator guilds; the bard PC has heard of a performer's competition, and is plotting to use magic to give himself an advantage to win the large cash prize; the players have uncovered a mercenary who seems to be attempting to frame the wizard's guild, although this involvement with local politics gets the mercenary in trouble with his own band; unbeknownst to the players, an investiogator from another land has finally tracked the players here, and is trying to round up enough muscle to capture them.All of this is condensed into one sketchy city map and about eight pages of notes and NPCs. It should be enough material for several sessions. I realize I may be a bit excessive. One of my players joked in an email: "plot threads started: 28. plot threads finished: 0." But they're having fun.</blockquote>

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