The PCs ditched the McGuffin...

[VirgilCaine]

However, I am big on versimilitude. The McGuffin can't just disappear forever into the dragon's hoard, the bad guys hunting the PCs wouldn't just leave them unmolested, the good guys who were using the PCs to get the McGuffin are going to be mad, and the dragon who double crossed the PCs isn't just going to let them go with them knowing where the McGuffin really is.

Well, maybe I'll get lucky and they won't survive the escape and we can start over.

Let's see:

The good guys are going to flag the PCs as "Evil--heartless, inhuman betrayers of the light. Shoot on sight."
Bad guys: Lose interest.
Dragon: Want to know where the McGuffin is.
Dragon with the McGuffin: Now executing Evil Plan # 459 to expand power base.

PCs can live with that last one for their stupidity.

 

[Kestrel]

Let's see:

The good guys are going to flag the PCs as "Evil--heartless, inhuman betrayers of the light. Shoot on sight."
Bad guys: Lose interest.
Dragon: Want to know where the McGuffin is.
Dragon with the McGuffin: Now executing Evil Plan # 459 to expand power base.

PCs can live with that last one for their stupidity.

I don't get this. The players are not interested in the plot, how is that stupidity on thier part?

 

[Reynard]

I would let them know this out-of-game. I am a big believer in the idea that the game is a cooperative effort between the DM and the players, so the players should have the opportunity to direct the flow of the game.

I am a big believer in letting the PCs know things in character and letting the players make decisions based on that IC information. Then a gain, I tend to sit just on the "antagonistic" side of the DM spectrum (although I hate that term -- I'm not trying to kill the PCs, just challenge the players and the PCs).

If they want to hunker down and forget about the McGuffin for the remainder of this campaign, and they take reasonable precautions to do so, they should be allowed to succeed. Conversely, if they want to flaut the fact that they just screwed up the world by giving the McGuffin to the evil dragon, then they should be allowed to do that and suffer the consequences.

Exactly. Assuming the make it out of the dragon's area of control unscathed (via a teleporter) they'll end up in a (relative to the McGuffin elements and groups) remote location. from there it'll be up to them where they go and what they do and how much or how little they expose themselves to the various power groups.

I abhor intra-party fighting, but intra-party disagreement is OK. (As long as it doesn't lead to bad feelings.)

I have seen some parties use a kind of quid pro quo arrangement to handle this type of situation:

Player 1: "Sir Robin the Bold will only help you clear out the Tomb of Moldering Doom if you agree to help him reclaim the McGuffin of Power from the evil dragon."

Players 2, 3, 4: *grumble, grumble* "Oh all right. It's a deal."

We'll see. One of the players just broke the news to the missing player via our yahoo group list, so fallout should be starting in 5... 4... 3...

 

[Vocenoctum]

I once accidentally sold a key in a video game, then found out it was the key to some important castle... I ran all over but never could find the guy I sold it to. It was a rental, so I never did finish it...

 

[Stalker0]

You can obviously have this act have a huge or menial impact on your game, and since your players don't seem interested in that plot, I'd go for the menial impact.

You could have it where the dragon kills a shopkeeper who was out on a business mission. Not one the party deals with, just a guy they've heard of, things like that.

 

[Brimshack]

I'd say let the consequences play out, but don't worry too much about the final outcome. Sure, have folks come down on them over this, but if they can handle the dragon, the good guyes who are disappointed, and the real enemy, etc., then so be it.

Of courseyou face another question: Will anyone else step up and take their place. Or will the loss of the McGuffin lead to general ruin. You could inform them of running plotlines of world importance while they pursue their own goals. Let them know, just as a kind of background noise what is happening in the world at large, and let them have enough info. to see their role in it, or lack thereof. If can be irrelevant or they can take up the larger plot again later if they want. But of course, being known for the big fumble could have interesting consequences, even for those intent on living the high life. I like the suggestion above of letting it play out into their own reputations.