Swashbuckling plot help! (My Players Out!)

[randomling]

S'mon, StalkingBlue, that means you! If you're reading this, STOP NOW!

Right, got that out of the way.

I'm starting a new, swashbuckling game with two players. They have really cool character concepts, both petty criminals with connections to the same local thieves' guild and some past knowledge of each other.

I'm expecting this game to be heavily player-driven, so I'm not worrying unnecessarily about doing huge amounts of planning (especially since I'm not running the first session for a month or so). But what I am trying to do is put together some ideas for a first scenario which is going draw these two characters back together in the short-term. I figure they can sort the rest out themselves.

I'm working with my players a bit to put together the parameters of this first scenario, but of course there's no fun if they know all the secrets before they start the game! My current thoughts are that this will be an "I've got a job for you" type setup, so the PCs will either start off in the back room of a pub with the guild leader (the pub landlord) and a client. I'm thinking it might be a retrieval job - the "client" wants something picked up. The item I'm thinking of is a whistle, apparently carved from bone and around the length & width of somebody's little finger - the client will be collecting them for some reason, and there is one in a noble house.

I want to connect this to Voodoo magic or something. Hrm.

Any ideas springing into people's heads? Help?

 

[diaglo]

sounds an awfully lot like the Whispering Woodwind adventure would work for you.

 

[Kilmore]

I started rather popular swashbuckling adventure with the PC's being carted off to the guillotine, with royal guards standing by.

 

[Hand of Evil]

A way for two petty criminals to team up is one is the delivery man, the other his shadow. One follows the other and if they see any trouble will come at it from behind. Of course it does and the players find they have to work together.

As for ideas:
The object is part of a greater object say a key. Standard gather the objects but these could also be spell componets to be used in some vodoo whodoo, say cloning of the dread pirate Roberts.

 

[randomling]

A way for two petty criminals to team up is one is the delivery man, the other his shadow. One follows the other and if they see any trouble will come at it from behind. Of course it does and the players find they have to work together.

As for ideas:
The object is part of a greater object say a key. Standard gather the objects but these could also be spell componets to be used in some vodoo whodoo, say cloning of the dread pirate Roberts.

Hi Hand of Evil - inclined to let the PCs figure out their own tactics!

I like the "key" idea. The whistle is a key - and they need all the keys (some mystic number, seven maybe, or 13) to open a gate to the Grey Lands - wasted plane of the Fey - and find something powerful down there. Of course, this is just Key 2 or something, and none of that is going to have much bearing on my 1st level PCs. Yet.

That's prob enough information on that for now as the "client" is the employee of an employee, the eventual top-dogs high-ups in an evil church. That works just fine!

Of course I now need to figure out where the key/whistle is and what the challenges are in getting it. I'm thinking a fairly rich house, probably with at least one occupier that the PCs will know about and maybe a few they don't...?

 

[Henry]

In JonRog1's Scarred Lands story, two petty criminals were conscripted onto the side of a losing army at the very opening of his game - it's always fun to have your PC's running from screaming soldiers and cannon fire in the first five minutes...

But seriously, one possible way is to have one trying to steal the ring from the other, but due to past history whether professional or formerly romantically involved, etc. they don't want to hurt one another - they just want the job themselves. Then along comes a third mutual enemy to attempt theft of the item from under their noses, so that working together is a natural extension of their former friendship.

 

[Tumbler]

Of course I now need to figure out where the key/whistle is and what the challenges are in getting it.

This might work best for a higher level, but it would be fun to have one of the keys be in the possession of someone who is (justly or unjustly) locked in a prison. The characters have to get themselves arrested in order to get in.

 

[FraserRonald]

This may sounds really weird, but have you seen the movie Ronin with Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno? They play ex-spooks and it's a modern movie, but the plot might be what you are looking for. Hired by a mysterious group, their only contact a beautiful woman, they must obtain a package in the possession of a large group of heavily armed toughs. To make matters worse, both their employers and one of their team are working against them. I'm planning on running something similar at some time.

Hope that helps. Take care!

 

[AGGEMAM]

S'mon, StalkingBlue, that means you! If you're reading this, STOP NOW!

Right, got that out of the way.

Of course. If you've set the board like I have, and it shows the threads in reverse order (ie, last first) then such a warning is not much help is it?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Scrimshaw (spelling) bone or ivory with craving on it, just a thought.

Merchant family or someone know to have killed a villian and became famous for it (they may have even been the villian or one of his henchmen). The key/whisle is now kept in the home/office/lost at sea warehouse/temple.