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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 4688582" data-attributes="member: 82106">Yup, been DMing since the 70's and that would be exactly how I would handle it. I think the concept of starting them in jail is a good one because it gives them the incentive to get out of dodge pretty quickly. IF you can get together with each player a bit before the first gaming session then you can play out having the PCs talking to cell mates, sussing out the guards, etc. If there is anyone whom you can't do this with, then just provide them with a short written description of what they have found out about the prison etc. so they aren't behind everyone else.I would consider making the initial prison break and run from the city into a skill challenge. Take a look in the 4e fan creations, there is an "Obsidian Skill Challenge" system thread. Even if you don't want to use that system it has an excellent set of ideas that will make skill challenges work better. If you use the DMG skill challenge system then get the DMG errata. They have really revamped skill challenges (the original DMG system is just plain broken).You could use something like three skill challenges, each punctuated by a combat. Escaping the cells would be first. If the PCs fail they still get out but then they have to fight some guards.If they succeed in the first challenge they can get out into the city ahead of the guards and that challenge can involve them running from or hiding from the authorities. Failure would maybe provoke another melee or cause them to miss hooking up with a potential contact. And the third part could be more of an overland challenge revolving around avoiding patrols etc. or it could involve sneaking around the city to find someone that will get them out without a fight (and the fight can happen if they fail here).I like doing things in 3's. Like the structure of a 3 act play. It isn't a hard rule, but it is a pretty well tested dramatic technique that works well in RPG adventures. Exactly what the three elements are is flexible, but they generally involve time and movement. So a dungeon adventure might break down into an opening phase where the party learns of the dungeon, figures out where it is, and travels there (3 sub elements), the middle would consist of dungeon crawling with perhaps again 3 main encounters/challenges, and the final part might consist of coming to grips with the big boss.Of course you will always have that problem of 'the pcs just don't do what you thought they would', but I see it as an opportunity generally. If the PCs don't bother with the dungeon, then its inhabitants can become a big threat that they have to deal with later. If the party avoids fighting the big boss, then again that boss is likely to become more of a threat, or combine with other threats later on to make the character's job just that much harder.And in the case of world design, it is good to have a pretty decent idea of what the lay of the land is, but there should always be quite a few 'blank spots' around on the map, so to speak. Some things can also be left a bit vague. That way later on you'll have some great idea, but if everything is tightly knit together it might be hard to fit it in.</blockquote>

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