Need help on how to incorporate a good story line?

[Squnk]

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.

 

[Alexander123]

My suggestion would be to have a teleological adventure, a goal-directed adventure.

Contrary to popular belief having a coherent, goal-pursuing adventure is not railroading.

Railroading is when you're player's choices don't matter, not when your adventure has a certain plot and direction it is pursuing.

My own suggestion for inexperienced DMs is published adventures. It will help you to learn about what an adventure requires and it will make your work easier.

 

[SkredlitheOgre]

My own suggestion for inexperienced DMs is published adventures. It will help you to learn about what an adventure requires and it will make your work easier.

I concur with this wholeheartedly. Personally, I prefer to have multiple modules/adventures ready, so my players are less "railroaded" than usual. For example, in our next session, I'll be producing the group's third plot hook and letting them choose from what they want.

 

[SuperJebba]

Sometimes a little railroading is necessary. It doesn't really sound as if your players are taking advantage of your open world. If they aren't saying what they are wanting to do, you have no choice.

I also agree with the other guys that published adventures are the way to go. Writing an adventure from scratch kinda sucks. And published adventures can be used to advance player goals. Say for example that the sorcerer wants to find a weapon or spell that will give him the power to win his kingdom back. Find an adventure that takes the group to an ancient library or to the tower of a powerful wizard that can point them in the right direction and then tweak the contents so they find what they seek.

 

[Pergentile]

Start in town A
Go in any direction. Come to Plot Device A.
From Plot Device A, point them to Plot Device B.
Your storyline has been begun, your players have a goal with a potential reward, and they know where both the goal and reward are. They can choose to ignore both, and go in any direction other then the one that goes towards Plot Device B. Come to Plot Device B2.
Plot Device B/B2 sets them towards Plot Device C, or if they don't like that, anywhere else, where, unbeknown to them, plot device C2 just happens to be.

Build your world AS your players choose where to go, so that every session, they just happen to have lucked upon a damsel in distress, an evil foe, or a town beset by monsters... They can go to where they have already been, or go to the next plot device, regardless of what direction that is on the map.

Don't make a map two dimensionally... make it one dimensionally, and let the players give it the second dimension as they explore.