Is there an effective way to stall a group?

[Rechan]

See, I am just now starting a campaign. However, I only have three players. A fourth is definitely interested, but delayed. I would like to give this guy a little grace period before moving things along.

The three players are beating down my door to play; they've all ready organized a game for tomorrow. Yet, if I advance the plot further, I may not have a convenient way of getting the fourth character into the game.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Beer.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Big piles of wandering monsters unrelated to the plot.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Any puzzle that you (from your side of the DM screen) deem to be "so totally easy."

 

[Crothian]

Run a self contained session. Find a way to place the plot on hold (if you need ideas say what the plot is and I'm sure people will help) and then bring up a small problem that can be solved ina week or two or however long you want to give this guy.

 

[Rechan]

The plot in question is that the PCs are at a conference, and the next day, they are getting on a boat and shipping off. Their destination is a place with very limited character options. That, and the boat is going to be attacked by a Big Nasty Sea Monster, so I'd like to stall them before they get on the boat.

 

[Toras]

Given your specific situation I have a few suggests that are a might bit more specific

-Crooked Cab driver. If they plan on taking a cab or other mass transit to their destination, there is a no guarantee that this particular cab or coach driver need be trustworthy. Cult Members looking for sacrifices or simply some robbers looking to make a dishonest buck.

-Back Story ambush is another fun one. Think about the element of the three characters backgrounds. Is there any enemies that it would be appropriate to show up? Any friends? Any flaws or bits of flavor you can toss their way. This is particularly fun as it validates for putting forth the effort into creating the story.

-And then there was Ninjas. Random attack by goons either related to the plot or perhaps minions of someone they irritated at the conference. This can be combined to be an attack on the conference or simply something that they'll have to deal with outside of it.

-Harbor troubles. The boat they are taking is getting hassled by the harbor master due to some irregularities. Characters have to do a favor for or deal with him in order to get their boat free to leave.

-Storm Surge. Bad enough weather will strand them in harbor and can certainly motivate them to stick around if the other sorts of things are managing it.

-Captain's Law. The ship that they are sailing on is still making preparations to be underway, needing to pick up cargo and give the men a few days in shore so they don't mutinty.


Longer Term (with higher consiquences)
-Seize them. Local authorities target the characters for infractions either real or imagined and they have to get out of them. This could be a good place for the 4th to step into, if only because he might be in a position to help them out.

-War comes to City X. An invasion fleet from Y has come to play and City X has closed the harbor to repel them. It is up to the characters to lend a hand or simply keep their heads down.

-Dock Fires. Someone or something that doesn't want them going anywhere lights the water front up like a roman candle. While the city rebuilds, the character must pursue this mysterious figure or face the possibility of never reaching their destination.

-By the ghost of Morgan Freeman, Outbreak. A terrible ailment sweeps into the city X and it is placed under quarantine. Perhaps one of the party is infected, but even if not, they won't be going anywhere unless they find a cure for this outbreak and perhaps its sinister source.

-Undercity. One or more of the characters falls into or is kidnapped into a subterranian city that mirrors the one above. It contains terrible creatures and perhaps great treasures if they can save their companion and make it out alive.

 

[Krensky]

The plot in question is that the PCs are at a conference, and the next day, they are getting on a boat and shipping off. Their destination is a place with very limited character options. That, and the boat is going to be attacked by a Big Nasty Sea Monster, so I'd like to stall them before they get on the boat.

Inclement weather stands all vessels in the harbor for as long as you need. You'll need to come up with something to keep the party occupied so they don't ask you to just step on the fast forward button until it clears.

 

[hopeless]

How to stall

See, I am just now starting a campaign. However, I only have three players. A fourth is definitely interested, but delayed. I would like to give this guy a little grace period before moving things along.

The three players are beating down my door to play; they've all ready organized a game for tomorrow. Yet, if I advance the plot further, I may not have a convenient way of getting the fourth character into the game.

Perhaps you're looking at this the wrong way, instead of stalling develop the game so at a suitable point the new character is introduced so for example your group has been researching info on some potential new site to explore and in the process encounters someone connected to the new player this npc provides help and in return would like someone to go with them since the area they're exploring is something he would like info on and what better way than someone he knows he can trust and more importantly the new player is involved because their contact trusts him to give him details that will help the group in certain situations (say a free +2 bonus to knowledge checks on specific questions on say history fo the ruin or the sites background including habits of the former denizens like what kind of traps they preferred and their usual means of hiding stuff).

Depending on what they've planned for their characters you could easily stall them with a sidequest to research this info even have a rival who goes after the same source and the new character helps them out because the contact is a friend or even family member.

Best of luck with this

 

[hopeless]

Okay...

The plot in question is that the PCs are at a conference, and the next day, they are getting on a boat and shipping off. Their destination is a place with very limited character options. That, and the boat is going to be attacked by a Big Nasty Sea Monster, so I'd like to stall them before they get on the boat.

Probably the bay is to have a rumour spread about some ancient nasty lying out at sea for unwary travellers and its got so bad that the ships have stayed in port until they can get proof that the bad spell has passed.

The PCs could track down the source of the gossip or find someone to help either way its revealed a local diviner is responsible and he/she has disappeared leading people to believe he's been silenced for some nefarious purpose and the only way to ease things down so they can get people to think straight enough to even consider heading out to sea is by finding the missing diviner or at least uncover whats really going on...

Perhaps he/she really forsaw a great beast and was kidnapped by cultists who see their sight as a sign that he/she must be offered as a sacrifice to the great beast to keep the port safe and let the bad spell end
or the local thieves guild has set up the whole thing under contract to the merchants guild who are trying to drive up local prices since seafood is getting scarce.

Well it is a start, take acre and all the best!