Multi-plots?

[Ovinomancer]

I am planning on running a more player driven campaign. One where I, as the GM, do not provide a world shattering plot, BBEG's are not trying to take over the world or destroy it, and epic quests are optional, not mandatory.

The idea is to provide a number of plot hooks at the same time and allow the players to push the action. I would pass around rumors, requests, blackmail attempts, etc, and the players would decide what gets done as they see fit. Of course, ignored plot hooks may develop into nastier things, but that would be part of the fun.

I realize the amount of work and ad libbing neccesary for this type of game, but wanted some input. Have you done this before? How many plot threads are interesting, and how many are overwhelming? Did the players enjoy the campaign? Throw me some bones, if you would.

 

[rounser]

You seem to have associated not railroading with not having a story arc at all...it could be done that way, but I'm not sure that's really necessary.

For example, you could shape your campaign story arc like a funnel (ala Baldurs Gate 2), with lots of possible adventure paths to take towards a predestined campaign climax, and with a bunch of side ventures which have nothing to do with the central story arc. The predestined climax may be railroading of a sort, but having a solid villain, climax and ending to a campaign more than makes up for that, I think.

Additionally, I think it's possible to do this, and adjust the overall story arc to react to player decisions. If the PCs don't have time to deal with the vampire infestation in a village to the south because they've chosen to help defend the dwarven barony to the east against fire giant sorties, then you might adjust the overall campaign to incorporate the consequences. Meaningful player choice and impact on the world, right there.

Finally, I think there's a tendency when ad libbing and presenting multiple hooks to make those hooks weaker than a hook for a railroad, with little PC investment or compellingness in their completion, so that players may wonder, "what are we doing this for again?", or worse, not even notice an adventure hook because they're not interested in it or it isn't obvious enough as a concern to them...if the DM wants the players to drive the game, he or she still has a responsibility to make the adventure hook bait compelling enough for the PCs to have reasons to drive the game forward.

 

[jester47]

I am doing this and it is the most rewarding DMing I have done. I do use a lot of modules though. However I use them in the context of the story and I don't try to shoehorn the story into the module but the other way around. I use the module as a source of places and structures and NPCs. Most work mostly whole, but some (Like return to the temple of elemental evil) are strewen all about the forgotten realms (the crater ridge dungeon makes a great dragons graveyard esp if you turn the cult of tharizdun into the cult of the dragon. They both wear the same color of robes - purple).

The trick I have learned is this - there only ever really is one plot. That does not mean that you have only one plot ready, but it means that no matter which one they pick they will always eventually get on the path that they are supposed to be on. But it is also good to have some stuff that is not related to anything (essentially short side treks) to give the world versimilitude. For example, I have a few out there (forge of fury is one) and then there is the 50gp for each orc head that has been proclaimed in the southern silver marches due to some recent orc raids (again from forge).

IMC the players were investigating The Tomb of Abysthor. However, they continuously got thier asses handed to them (mainly because they refused to hire clerics and no one wanted to play one...) so the characters decided that it was beyond them and opted to follow a different rumor. This led them to the sunless citadel. But the sunless citadel will point back to the Tomb of Abysthor...

The other trick is to keep your dungeons and sites dynamic. That is, if the "heroes" stom the sunless citadel like I did, and kill almost every combat capable Goblin in the place and then leave for three months, you can bet your bananas that the Bugbear that the heroes did not get is going to contact a strong hobgoblin force to refortify the place, kick the kobolds asses once and for all, and hopefully show those pesky overbright dwellers whose in charge of the citadel. As happened in my campaign. (the players are now trapped in a room!)

So yeah rounser said. make one plot look like a bunch of plots by making different miniplots that lead the same way. Have a few plots that are simple solutions, and make your dungeons dynamic!

Aaron.

 

[Ovinomancer]

The plan for the climax was to allow the players to help create it. Through the choices of what they consider important, the campaign would evolve. The players begin to get interested in the guild conflicts? Then the story would focus more in that direction. Politics? Then treachery and manuevre are the words of the day. I don't want to start the campaign with any destination in mind. I'd like to give my players more of a say in what is important enough for them to pay attention to.

Good point about the hooks, though. My idea was to start with some small hooks, and, if ignored, grow them into bigger hooks. I don't want a static world, but one that changes according to the choices the players make. Ignoring bandit raids early on may lead to rampant inflation when the bandits really get a choke on trade. Not so much as to make the players feel that they have to tackle everything that comes up, but enough to make the world feel like the players actions have consequences.
As rounser said in his second paragraph, now that I reread the post.

 

[shilsen]

The plan for the climax was to allow the players to help create it. Through the choices of what they consider important, the campaign would evolve. The players begin to get interested in the guild conflicts? Then the story would focus more in that direction. Politics? Then treachery and manuevre are the words of the day. I don't want to start the campaign with any destination in mind. I'd like to give my players more of a say in what is important enough for them to pay attention to.

Good point about the hooks, though. My idea was to start with some small hooks, and, if ignored, grow them into bigger hooks. I don't want a static world, but one that changes according to the choices the players make. Ignoring bandit raids early on may lead to rampant inflation when the bandits really get a choke on trade. Not so much as to make the players feel that they have to tackle everything that comes up, but enough to make the world feel like the players actions have consequences.
As rounser said in his second paragraph, now that I reread the post.

I think that's a great approach you're taking - since I've been doing the same

I threw out a bunch of potential plot hooks and when the PCs ended up following one, that's what I developed. They could very easily have ended up hiding out in a city trying to take down a corrupt high priest, travelling to the country's capital to attempt to contact the high priest's superiors and other authorities, fled north out of the country and fought giant invaders in a neighbouring country and garnered favor and wealth there, joined military forces moving south and gained favor and wealth there instead, etc. They chose another option and are now in the south of the country seeking an artifact the priest is interested in and aiding the forest elves in an ongoing war against undead. I didn't know this is where they would end up until they actually got on their horses and headed this way.

It's very freeing for me as a DM (esp. since I'm totally new to it) and also gives the players/PCs the sense that they have lots of options. And there are repercussions for their actions too, as they discovered when the same priest showed up to "help" the elves. Since nobody was truly informed about him being a danger, he was free to find out what the party was up to and act accordingly. It might come back to bite them in the butt later, but right now I have no clue.

The players and I are all finding out at the same time, and having a lot of fun creating the story together. Hopefully your group will do the same.

 

[Whisper72]

The trick I use to create the same feeling is simple and saves alot of time. I do not fully outline the world. If I want the PC's to stumble upon the sunless citadel, the next willage they come to happens to be the one with the citadel next to it. If they refuse the hook and do something different, no problem, I always have several 'mini adventures' ready at hand with encounters they run into.

As long as you are completely free in putting encounters and adventures into certain places, the feel is that the PC's are fully in control of their own destinies. The trick is to let the PC's do anything they like, but whatever they do, you have three or four pre-prepared encounters up your sleeve: one or two centered around some generic location, one centered around a person, one centered around an event. Fill in the monsters and encounters also in a generic style, so you can replace them with the person they just happened to have heard a rumor about.

Whatever the PC's decide to do, one of the plots will fit the bill.

To then get a world feel, just make sure that certain monsters/NPC's escape and put them into the encounters again. Maybe the druid in the Sunless Citadel is someone you encountered in a previous adventure? Change the names.

And, keep tabs of what the PC's have done, and let them come face to face with the consequences thereof when they revisit the same place, or have them be confronted with tales and rumors of consequences of their actions while in some complete other part of the world if need be.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I take from the news (adjust for game) and hand out headlines to my players with little bits, some are rumors some are true, this is the stuff people are talking about.

If the players show interest in something I then tie it into a plot.

 

[Shallown]

A lot of the plot hooks and free wheeling campaign style depends on the players. Some groups have a dynamic where it is almost by neccessity that the Dm railroads or sinks hooks so large as to be unavoidable. I think one secret is not so much the consequences driven game as the NPC game. If you can get the players/characters to care about an NPC and work the game from that point on it can work.

Example : In a game once I intoduced on old friend of one of the characters and shortly made him dissappear. they were both gradutes froma mage college and though it might not have been greatly unusual it was enough for the PC to check into it. This small little spur of the moment mini plot changed the direction of the whole campaign. Basically the Mage friend was taken by wererats. (alwasy wanted to run a wererat plot of selective breeding, infecting the best mages, fighters etc.) So the players fight wererats in the sewers. Were rats say leave us alone or pay, PC's don't. wererats infect PC's mom. Since lycanthropy is an instant death sentence (due to its infectious nature) the Pc's suddenly are on the run looking for a cure. It drove the whole campaign but only becuase the PC's cared about some throw away NPC then their own Family. It was great fun and had nothing to do with the plots I had planned but I didn't care.

I think hooking the players by having NPC's the like or are interested in works well and is sometimes ignored or at least mentioned.

want a player to notice something have there merchant friend who they buy armor from mention how hard it is to get ingets of good ore in. it will lead to the bandits and so forth.

Just an idea

later

 

[iwatt]

All of the above advice has been very good. All I want to add is that if you want to change your campaign style, I recommend you start a whole different campaign and diffeernt locations. Have a clean break. I've played in several "save the world " campaigns, which descended into anarchy once the DM switched from "railroad" to "free-will" mode. The players, had learnt that they didn't have to work that hard into plot and character development, since their character were defined by their ongoing mission. Avoid this by starting a brand new campaign without earth-shattering action happenning every week. And finally, help yourself by forcing the players into developing a lot of back history, Including family history, ties, etc.. This will invariably give you a lot of mini plot hooks to play with.

 

[EricNoah]

I'm going to try to do something similar, but it's hard because I'm not great at improvising. The PCs have been itching to go to the "big city" (really just a big town) nearby after spending their first couple of adventures in a small pastoral village. Instead of "one big adventure" I'm trying to get a handfull of small adventures ready to go. Some adventures can't be done until others are done -- Join Guild X leads to Get Job Y, for instance. I think I will actually see if the spellcasters want to be charter members of a fledgling magic guild -- they could find and clear out a suitable building, recruit a few more members, help acquire lab and research supplies, etc. That might be fun.