I recently started DMing, only for two sessions so far, and I'm having a hard time trying to push my storyline to motivate the players in the game. I have created a story and background for the world in which they are playing in but outside that not much to nothing story wise to help push the players forward.
I have left the environment as an open world as not to railroad the characters because it has always been my experience as a player that being forced into a story and not allowed to have much freedom while playing isn't a very fun or rewarding. But this open world environment has proven very difficult to plan encounters and have a stable plot.
Here is a little information about our campaign if it helps your suggestions. The setting is a continent with three major kingdoms. One of the kingdoms was recently overthrown by a mysterious figure. The characters are a halfelf rogue who recently became a lycanthrope and works against the group, a half-dragon human fighter who's back story hasn't been unravelled just yet, a half-orc fighter who was an escaped slave that knows little to nothing of the free world, and a gnome sorcerer who is the former price of the recently fallen kingdom trying to get revenge for the murder of his father. All the characters are neutrally aligned. Not much has happen other than the characters meeting up in a tavern and getting into a bar fight and starting a bar fire. Then they fled town and encountered a thief and werebear.
I'm just look for some help in how to put a structured plot into a open world environment or really just any kind of suggestions or advise for a new dm or my storyline. Thanks very much.
I have left the environment as an open world as not to railroad the characters because it has always been my experience as a player that being forced into a story and not allowed to have much freedom while playing isn't a very fun or rewarding. But this open world environment has proven very difficult to plan encounters and have a stable plot.
Here is a little information about our campaign if it helps your suggestions. The setting is a continent with three major kingdoms. One of the kingdoms was recently overthrown by a mysterious figure. The characters are a halfelf rogue who recently became a lycanthrope and works against the group, a half-dragon human fighter who's back story hasn't been unravelled just yet, a half-orc fighter who was an escaped slave that knows little to nothing of the free world, and a gnome sorcerer who is the former price of the recently fallen kingdom trying to get revenge for the murder of his father. All the characters are neutrally aligned. Not much has happen other than the characters meeting up in a tavern and getting into a bar fight and starting a bar fire. Then they fled town and encountered a thief and werebear.
I'm just look for some help in how to put a structured plot into a open world environment or really just any kind of suggestions or advise for a new dm or my storyline. Thanks very much.