Making my conspiracy feel like a mystery

[Ry]

Note: Skip to the bottom for my questions, or read below for my campaign's central plotline. I'm basically looking for advice on how to present this conspiracy, so it feels like the players are really using their brains, rather than just D&D with thematically-connected things to kill.

Here's the underlying elements of my conspiracy:

In one corner, we have the Toolmasters, an undead-and-construct-creating cult that have daytime lives ranging from craftsmen and smiths to important noblemen. They worship Beyogo, a yugoloth pit fiend, and seek to make their leader, called the Lich King, into a demigod. The Toolmasters' achilles heel is that there are several members that want power for themselves, and others who aren't willing to stick their necks out unless it's really, really important.

In the other corner, we have the followers of Zolanderos, black dragon that ruled the island in ancient times (now indisposed, see below). They have more magical/monstrous resources (flock of evil vultures/spies, tribe of hobgoblins, group of changeling spies, and Zolanderos' old hoard of magic items), but fewer human resources (really just a small group of bards, good thieves guild connections, and the ownership of a few businesses). They have the benefits of a rich, solid hierarchy, however; their leadership is undisputed, they all believe in the cause, and they have a better ability to put manpower onto a scene on short notice (due to Zolanderos' hoard).

Now the battleground: Twelve hidden citadels, built over major magical sources. In ancient times, refugees from a conquered elven kingdom swore fealty to Zolanderos, and built the citadels. Zolanderos believed that these would eventually grant him even more magical might, but they were actually designed to turn the elves' hidden prince into a demigod. Zolanderos was fooled, and shattered into thousands of pieces (black pearls that are now scattered over the island). Each citadel has its own quirks, but basically the same function; they channel magical energy into the central hub, called the Chamber.

The Prize: The Chamber is the prize; the spirit of Zolanderos is trapped there, halfway between life and death. Control and understand the mechanics of the Chamber, and align all 12 citadels, and you can do one of the following:
1. Revive Zolanderos (this also requires a substantial portion of the black pearls). This is really the reversal of the original process.
2. Create a Demigod (this means finishing the process that started before). The Toolmasters want to put the Lich King in here, and do that.

QUESTIONS BEGIN HERE:
How do I play this to my PCs, so that it actually feels like a mystery? It's important that my players really feel smart at figuring out what's going on, and I don't know how to put that together - how to make sure the information is doled out in small enough portions that they can put it together themselves.

(BTW, thanks for everyone that's responded to my earlier posts about puzzles and the Vault of Larin Karr - this is how far I've come since then).

 

[Piratecat]

You've got a fantastic beginning. I think the first thing to decide is: if the PCs never get involved, what would happen? Once you identify a handful of major events/plans by the bad guys, you can start to figure out the best way to unravel the mystery for the players.

In addition (and this is a big one!), how long do you want the campaign to last?

 

[Ry]

Well, my campaign is a sort of perpetual thing; Staunwark is the game that's capped at 6th level, with certain artifacts able to boost the level limit to 10. The island is rich enough that this isn't the only plot arc that can become "The Plot", and I don't mind if it gets solved. The game has a funny progression, though; basically, the four PCs are each on different PBeMs (often intersecting and pairing up together), but we all get together for the occasional big night. Those might start to happen more often with a combination of ScreenMonkey and Roger Wilco.

Oh, because at least two of the Citadels haven't been located by either side, and another one is inhabited by monsters controlled by neither side, neither can achieve victory without the PCs' involvement (the PCs will find the other citadels over the course of some of their peripheral adventures). This is why they've remained secret organizations for so long, so there's no ticking timebomb in the campaign until one side or another knows where each piece is.

 

[LostSoul]

Hmm...

I think I'd have the PCs stumble across the main plot as they are doing something else. Maybe there are a bunch of ill-tempered goblins (is there any other kind?) getting all uppity and raiding the village. These goblins have a black pearl which the cult wants.

The goblins get uppity because their caves are being overrun with undead, undead who seem to be searching for something.

Meanwhile, in town, there are a bunch of spies from the dragon cult.

So the PCs take a few adventures to deal with the goblins and the undead or something, then discover information that something larger is at hand and spies lurk about.

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Firstly, let me just say that plotwise it sounds like you're off to a great start. You have only a handful of factions but a great deal of opportunities. Well done!

Now, unfolding the plot. LostSoul gave a nice idea to get things rolling. If you'd like to try to get the PCs involved, make it personal for them. Have those groups mentioned do things that get the PCs interested in what is going on - perhaps those goblins are now looking for good human weapons to fight the undead off so they raid a PCs home town (or perhaps raid it to cart off a PCs sister to act as a sacrifice to appease these invaders), another can get hired for a brief mission for one of the noble Toolmasters posing as a goodguy though with sinister purposes, etc.

And then to make it feel like a good conspiracy, there are a could different menthods I'd like to suggest.

1) Leave the breadcrumb trail. Make sure the Toolmaster Blacksmith has a connection to the Innkeeper Toolmaster who has a connection to a non-Toolmaster fence who has a connection to a Noble Toolmaster. Feed them the hints and the information over time (the time depends on how long you'd like to keep the campaign active).

2) Make sure the breadcrumbs overlap with the other PCs. This is mostly to make sure they PCs interact together. Sometimes a certain breadcrumb might mean nothing to PC A but it might mean a little to PC B and a lot to PC C. This fosters a sense of teamwork and a realism to the game that others are helping out in this problem.

3) Make sure NPC actions and events unfold alongside PC actions and events. Make sure there are generally more events going then the PCs can necessarily handle (there are 3-4 PCs verse 7-8 groups of people working so they cannot do everything) and allow those events to unfold if the PCs do not get to them. This might include things like the Towers being seized, NPCs who learn of the secret being killed, or there being assassinations within the Toolmasters'. Of course no major events should occur at least without the PCs knowing about them and having the option to stop them, but smaller ones are great to add a sensation that the campaign is not waiting for them and if they don't do something about it, it might easily spell doom.

4) A suggestion that Sagiro (I beleive it was Sagiro...If I'm wrong here, please someone correct me since it has been a while since I read the SH) has used to great lengths is the creation of documents. Those bad guys always have invoices, documents, or do research for information. For these, create a physical document using a font that is similar to handwriting. Perhaps they are encoded or simply mysterious, but they will have hints and breadcrumbs in them. Hand these out to the PCs as keepsakes rather then just telling them what a letter essentially said. I know it can take a while, but it works great to add flavor make it more realistic to the players.

Between sleeping and a sick fiancee. Hopefully I can think of something more a little later to toss up.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Flow chart out your plot...A leads to B, B to C, so on. Add 'red herrings' and dead ends.

Mysteries are made in the detail and that means the players will be using gather information or other skills a good bit, think about the level of detail to be given from a successful gather information roll: little, fair or a good bit.

NPCs: look at them and add the details, think about the information they can give the players or faulty information.

 

[Henry]

The only way I can successfully plot a mystery is start at the outcome, kind of like what PCat said. You already have the crux of your mystery. Now, you need to design the events that both factions will be doing. It may even help to plot, without the PC's interference, what the outcome will be (will Zolanderos win, or the Toolmasters?)

Then create a series of events that each side will partake in to get them what they want. Toolmaster A wants to initiate a power grab for Citadel #7, because events have happened that make it easy for him to influence. He hires a middleman who hires some thugs to get the job done. Middleman has documents or testimony that lead them back to Toolmaster A.

Follower A knows were a small cache of the Black Pearls are located, so he pretends to be Toolmaster A and hires the PC's to recover them. If he has to, he'll attempt to kill the PC's to get the stones, if they double-cross him. Now, they've got Toolmaster A in two places at once - what's he up to? Later they find that Follower A was pretending to be Toolmaster A - what's up with that?

In other words, drop the clues by working backwards, so that when the PC's go forwards, it should piece together.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Try this: start simple and gradually work up.

I run a supers campaign and it is filled with conspiracies and tricks. I have found some things work well and some do not. I'll start with what to avoid.

Try to avoid creating an elaborate conspiracy story - from start to finish - in your head. This complicates things and can often be needlessly complicated. Players (through their characters) will come up with answers or solutions which are as good (and sometimes better) than what you have. If you alter your storyline to occassionally justify their solutions, this can work wonders. The players feel clever and involved and it ends up being less stress and less work for you. There is nothing more frustrating from a player's position than being stuck in a riddle they can't figure out (and believe me, this frustation spills over to you).

Instead start small. Have the characters come across evidence of the criminals in a small way that makes no sense or just seems mysterious. Gradually introduce more elements that allow the players to realize they have stumbled on to something spooky or dangerous and that there is more than it seems. Design some suspicious characters that seem like they are helpful but turn out to be enemies and design some characters which seem like enemies that turn out to be allies. This is a great technique that gets players involved.

 

[adwyn]

Use lots of forshadowing. For example, decide on names for the BBEG's among the toolmakers, the ones you want the party to encounter near the end. Now sprinkle those names among the earlier adventures. They can be makers marks on constructs, or a birthday noe on a calender, just something for the players to realize they've seen the name before, but not enough to launch a whole new line of investigation.

Or try simple letters from the leadership to other members of the cult that espouse something without saying what, the "together we'll strive towards our goal" type, and have them signed with initials. This way when the players encounter the end guys they'll feel like they have some clues, even if they missed them at the time.

 

[tjoneslo]

One of the best thing's I've also found is to introduce conspiracies slowly. One problem with conspiracies and mysteries is the PC's need a reason to be involved. Unless one of the PC's background provides a ready made excuse, players I'm used to don't want to be involved in a mystery (either takes too much time away from the dungeon crawl, or the don't want to be killed by the big bad's horde of evil).

So plan on a few sessions of giving out clues and hints between two to five sessions of normal game play. Once the players start to make the connections, let them go wild.