PCs are going to town - help with some minor quests?

[Shadowslayer]

Here's the scenario: Pcs are headed to a coastal city that has recently been sacked and occupied by an overwhelming nazi-like force. The gates have just been re-opened and the city is effectively under martial law.

En route to the city, there's an encounter with slavers that have left the city and the PCs rescue about 40 slaves in the process. (Hopefully the PCs will help the escapees find some sanctuary before continuing to the city.)

I have a few of the bigger goals in mind, but what I’m looking for is some minor quests. Stuff that will get them moving around the city and asking questions. Stuff like "one of the slaves asks you to find her husband and tell him I’m here”, another asks you to "find her home and the heirloom that is hidden under a hearthstone" ….that type of thing. I’m looking for a bunch of them. One for each PC.

They need to be minor quests because I don’t want the PCs to be absolutely beholden to complete them. I’m just looking to give them a little initial focus.

You guys are always awesome with getting my imagination going, so can anyone spitball an idea or 2?

 

[pauljathome]

I’m looking for a bunch of them. One for each PC.

They need to be minor quests because I don’t want the PCs to be absolutely beholden to complete them. I’m just looking to give them a little initial focus.

You guys are always awesome with getting my imagination going, so can anyone spitball an idea or 2?

Nothing particularly specific to recommend but I'd definitely try and tailor the quests to the individual characters/players.

So, for example, if there is a lecherous male character have the quest involve the nubile daughter of one of the slaves. Depending on taste that daughter may turn out to be a complete shrew, exceedingly ugly, or just what the character is looking for.

And a cleric/religious sort is just begging for the quest to involve his temple or a priest of his temple. Or perhaps something very dear to his God (an artwork for Corellon, for example).

Books for the scholarly sort.

Etc.

 

[SparqMan]

How much do the PCs already know? I suspect their natural curiosity / desire to survive would prompt them to seek some basic information.

If the occupiers are "Nazi-like", take some reference from WWII. Who are the collaborators? Is there a resistance forming? Who leads it? Did the force move on to a new conquest? If so, who did they leave behind in commander...does he have any vices?

It would help to know the bigger goals you've planned.

 

[OnlineDM]

I'd suggest throwing at least one minor quest in there that is more aligned with the occupiers (for variety, and to see what the party does with it).

For instance, one of the "fleeing civilians" encamped with a semi-important group (noble house, etc.) is actually sympathetic to the occupiers and he asks the party (the rare group heading TOWARD the city) to take this scroll with some intelligence about where the semi-important group is heading or something valuable that they have with them to an appropriate contact among the occupiers.

 

[mmaranda]

I agree tailor them to the PCs. It is cliche but can be fun to give everyone a moment to shine or get in trouble. But also set up each mini quest differently so they aren't all fetch and carry. PCs are heroes not FedEx.

A Charismatic character can convince the guards to let them in with their weapons or without paying the crippling tariffs.

The rogue needs to sneak into a building that the occupiers are watching to connect tot he resistance.

The Fighter, gets rescue a family member from occupiers and connect them to the resistance.

The Wizard finds the research and can return it via a ritual then can root around for some rituals himself (if he doesn't take them the enemy will)

The priest can further his religion or help intercept something bound to support the faith of this force.

 

[hayek]

I see room for some juicy twists to make the minor quests interesting. Say one of the slaves gives the party a bejeweled heirloom to deliver to a family member with a message. When they get to the city, the heirloom is either:

A) stolen by a pickpocket, then the party sees the heirloom for sale the next day in a market stall. They can demand to know where the merchant got it, or pay his exorbitant price, or just leave it.

Or

B) confiscated by a pack of nazi-like police as a tarriff for bearing weapons/breaking curfew/etc...

The quests don't have to lead to anything larger, and it might be a different, frustrating feeling for the pc's to fail at such a simple quest. Helps to add a feeling of realism.

 

[aco175]

I would just caution that the minor quests do not involve having each character take the spotlight for more time than is fun for everyone, maybe 15 minutes broken into like 3- 5 minute sections. This way the 5 minutes the cleric and the npc from the church talk and he makes a bluff check doesn't get bogged down when the thief sneaks into the castle and gets caught and a fight and blah, blah... It may make players bored unless everyone can sneak into the castle..

 

[Shadowslayer]

Actually with my guys there's never been much spotlight hogging. I've been blessed with a natural "all for one and one for all" sort of group.

Last time they were going into something big, I gave them each a quest card indicating some small request someone had made of each PC. Bascially it was a little "to do list/scavenger hunt" Nothing they had to do.... but it kept them exploring and asking questions. I was afraid at first that it might come off a little cheesy, but I was surprised when my players were really into getting these quest cards. And everyone pretty much helped accomplish each one.

But as mmaranda pointed out, they shouldn't all be fetch and carry, and thats where I'm stuck. All these ideas are great, but the town just scant days ago got nailed out of the blue. It was a complete surprise, and was over very quickly. The townsfolk hardly understand what even hit them. So at this point, so I doubt there'd be much of a resistance movement yet. But of course the PCs may change that. (that's one way they could go with this...its actually very open ended.)

I know I'm being vague, but my players lurk here.

Sorry for all the questions...I've never done anything quite like this before.

 

[Quickleaf]

Port Delay
With the sudden occupation, the merchant fleet is being heavily regulated and overhauled. Several ships are waiting to bring their goods to market offshore - they've been waiting for days now. The PCs might be asked to help the new port authority with identifying a ship carrying contraband so the rest of the fleet can be docked faster. Or they might have a vested interest because some item they wish to purchase is on one of the delayed ships.

* Complicating matters is a dangerous coastal storm that's soon to hit.

Re-Construction
An area of the city was damaged during the siege/sacking, and it needs to be repaired quickly before a visiting dignitary is given a tour of the "New City". However, there are two camps of builders with competing visions for the area: (1) Tenement housing for defeated gentry being kicked out from noble quarter of town to make way for nouveau riche occupiers; (2) Hospital and emergency medical "infrastructure" to care for the countless wounded on both sides.

* Complicating matters are secondary goals the PCs have, such as gaining allies to form a resistance among defeated gentry, or getting revenge on a wounded general of occupying force, etc.

Freedom of Press
There is evidence of an atrocity committed by a captain in the occupying army during the sack, but the occupying government clearly wants this evidence (and perhaps the captain) to go away. A young bard has some kind of magical evidence and knowledge of the mass grave's location, but what she doesn't have is anyone to give it to. With her time running out, she may turn to the PCs as her only hope.

* Complicating matters are the captain's ruthless men hunting the bard down, and the occupying government agents investigating what happened and silencing the issue on a larger scale.

Runaway Prince
The old ruling family was summarily executed, but one prince escaped through a secret passage and the occupying guards are on the hunt for him. Part of re-opening the gates is to lure out this prince. There are several old guards integrated into new city watch with sympathies to the prince. The PCs might get involved to help the prince escape, to intercept him and establish him as a figurehead of the opposition, etc.

* The prince is a coward who may have sacrificed his family to save himself, and isn't above selling out secrets to the occupying government if he believes a deal can be made.

 

[Natespank]

You want to build your quests to showcase your setting and game mechanics.

Side quests are easy! For example,

1- Find a new way in/out of the city for refugees
2- Negotiate the release of another slave
3- Help a slave meet up with some resistance members he knows, or find a safe house for slaves he knows about
4- Rescue a family member
5- Dead slave leaves behind a note about treasure- follow clues to find treasure
6- Arm a select group of slaves so they can depart- later they can be NPCs.
7- Insane slave- use some moral choices about how to deal with the slaves' quabbling or infighting.

Ideally, use each point to showcase an aspect of your world or system or style or character.