Looking for intrigue inspiration
- Thread starter Errant
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One thing I've found usefull for political intrigue particularly, is to decide on projected and actual goals for the major players (and minor if you're going really heavy on the intrigue or your in a vipers nest like an imperial court). The projected goal being what the players know intially and what any adventure hooks that come from this NPC are geared towards. The actual goal s to be discovered later and is usually similar enough to the projected goal that adventures which further the actual goals can be slipped in without setting off a 'THEY'RE LYING' alarm in the players minds.
A simple example would be the Court Magician.
His projected goal is to acquire dangerous artifacts and seal them away behind guards and wards in the castle vaults so they cannot be used against the Kingdom.
His actual goal is, of course, to send adventurers to collect these artifacts to further his plans to overthrow the king.
This type of thing can be a heck of a lot more complex of course, but you get the idea....
A simple example would be the Court Magician.
His projected goal is to acquire dangerous artifacts and seal them away behind guards and wards in the castle vaults so they cannot be used against the Kingdom.
His actual goal is, of course, to send adventurers to collect these artifacts to further his plans to overthrow the king.
This type of thing can be a heck of a lot more complex of course, but you get the idea....
As Micar points out, you need a villain to drive a plot. I'd suggest that either you start with a villain or two and come up with a plot appropriate to their needs, or you start with a plot and come up with a villain who would want to go through with it - either way is fine.
As far as adding intrigue goes:
Beyond your main story arc and plot, I'd suggest that you can add a new dimension of intrigue to the campaign if you set up a bunch of adventures and things going on unrelated to your main story arc, and then have your villain notice them and try to exploit them. Part of being a good villain is reacting when opportunity knocks, so your villain should exploit that pirate raid as a diversion for the burglary of the palace treasury, and make alliances with the goblins taking over those mines to cut off trade to the south. There probably should be more going on than your main plot in order to add a bit of variety and verisimilitude to your campaign.
In doing this, your group can seemingly "take a break" from the main thread of the story arc, only to find them drawn back into it due to finding the villain's involvement and schemes behind that, too. It can be overdone though; unless he's a compulsive diviner or a god, few villains are omniscient about everything that's going on, and it would be silly if a single villain had his fingers in every pie. I guess that's where you can add more villains, perhaps even with competing plots, pushing the intrigue further. You might even get into a situation where the PCs find it prudent to temporarily join forces with a "lesser evil" villain in order to oppose a "greater evil" villain, and that's usually an interesting situation intrigue-wise, especially if they PCs have fought their new ally in the past and are cooperating only grudgingly.
As far as adding intrigue goes:
Beyond your main story arc and plot, I'd suggest that you can add a new dimension of intrigue to the campaign if you set up a bunch of adventures and things going on unrelated to your main story arc, and then have your villain notice them and try to exploit them. Part of being a good villain is reacting when opportunity knocks, so your villain should exploit that pirate raid as a diversion for the burglary of the palace treasury, and make alliances with the goblins taking over those mines to cut off trade to the south. There probably should be more going on than your main plot in order to add a bit of variety and verisimilitude to your campaign.
In doing this, your group can seemingly "take a break" from the main thread of the story arc, only to find them drawn back into it due to finding the villain's involvement and schemes behind that, too. It can be overdone though; unless he's a compulsive diviner or a god, few villains are omniscient about everything that's going on, and it would be silly if a single villain had his fingers in every pie. I guess that's where you can add more villains, perhaps even with competing plots, pushing the intrigue further. You might even get into a situation where the PCs find it prudent to temporarily join forces with a "lesser evil" villain in order to oppose a "greater evil" villain, and that's usually an interesting situation intrigue-wise, especially if they PCs have fought their new ally in the past and are cooperating only grudgingly.
Personally, in intrigue based plot, I've found the main thing to be how you portray and role-play the NPC's. I'm always careful to avoid stereotypes when it comes to my antagonists. I don't see them as "villains" or "evil", I think that's a bit too simple. Everyone has complex motivations, and rarely people go out of their way to do evil for evil sakes. Consider the goals of the antagonists, think about how important that goal is to them and what they'll do to achieve it. I try to portray evil in my campaign as a slippery slope of compromises. One day you compromise one moral rule in order to fasciliate an action, then you do it again... after a while, you find yourself breaking it regularly. Your intentions might have been good, but in the end, you end up doing evil. What this means as far as the intrigue is concerned is that you want to make the goals complex and convoluted.
Present the players with one reality, the face everyone puts on for the public, and then strip away the facade and show the true motivitions bit by bit. If the antagonist is intelligent, his facade will go down several levels. Facades within facades. Just be devious and clever
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Present the players with one reality, the face everyone puts on for the public, and then strip away the facade and show the true motivitions bit by bit. If the antagonist is intelligent, his facade will go down several levels. Facades within facades. Just be devious and clever
.All good advice & I thank you.
Currently, the PCs in my campaign have just liberated a village from draconic domination & (unless they botch the next session or two badly) will be given lordship of the same. The village is a small settlement in a kingdom very much like Nyrond in Greyhawk (I'm running kind of a Greyhawk meets Warhammer campaign world).
Any advice on how I can draw my PCs, as newbies to the realm's nobility (they began their adventures in the free city of Dyvers, a long way away), into the intrigues of the realm's nobility?
Currently, the PCs in my campaign have just liberated a village from draconic domination & (unless they botch the next session or two badly) will be given lordship of the same. The village is a small settlement in a kingdom very much like Nyrond in Greyhawk (I'm running kind of a Greyhawk meets Warhammer campaign world).
Any advice on how I can draw my PCs, as newbies to the realm's nobility (they began their adventures in the free city of Dyvers, a long way away), into the intrigues of the realm's nobility?
after giving them nobility, have them discover that their lord (whatever the next step up is) is the one that is plotting to rukle the land and giving you a token is just to keep you happy and out of trouble. he then assigns you to a long journey that would keep you busy for a year while he fulfills his plot.
the players must tread softlky as he is your superior, while at the same time figure out his plot and overthrow him...
the players must tread softlky as he is your superior, while at the same time figure out his plot and overthrow him...
Background and more background. This is player background, world background, villian background. Don't let you game be static!
For every action there is a reaction, your world should have a life. Many games just have adventures, party enters a town, kills the big bad then moves on, the town forgotten. Take it a step forward, wrap a thread around what happens after.
Then watch the evening news, play with what you hear and then use it as rumors or ideas for your game.
There are also books on plots for writers, check them out.
For every action there is a reaction, your world should have a life. Many games just have adventures, party enters a town, kills the big bad then moves on, the town forgotten. Take it a step forward, wrap a thread around what happens after.
Then watch the evening news, play with what you hear and then use it as rumors or ideas for your game.
There are also books on plots for writers, check them out.
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