Plot, Or therefore lack of.

Dericious_Ramen
Dericious_Ramen
edited June 2010 in General Discussion
I am currently in a spot of trouble. Actually, I'm playing a campaign that is alos in a spot of trouble as well. For such issues I will turn to the OP community for guidance. Seems like you guys know what you're doing =P.

Anyways, I will go ahead and discuss the overall issue. Plot. Plot, as everyone knows, is a storyline. Said storyline involves a conflict (usually) and in tabletop gaming it guides the players to a route of entertainment. However, most campaigns I have played that have a plot are rather dull. I'm constantly being forced down a certain path by dumb world occurances, and occasionally the party actually wanting to move foward. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the lack of plot. To me, this seems most interesting, as it allows for players to roleplay there lives without a major conflict. No plot allows the players to make their own pace and play at their own without feeling forced to do anything. But, like the idea of a plot, has its problems. A lack of plot makes players feel their characters lives are meaningless and un-eventful.

Now, I am currently running an exploration based campaign. I have a map (A huge one) segmented in hexes (Each hex being 2 days of travel). I have masses of notes and planning assembled in a single binder for EVERY feature on the map. I have a history of hexes, in summary. I have adventure hooks in every town and city, random strangers that offer quests, random encounter tables (Seldom used), and even a calander of events in just about everywhere there is to go. The main actions of the campaign thus far is to adventure. The players plan themselves what route they take through the unknown. Along the way are many mini-conflicts and side quests. However, there is no major plot. SO far, this has not made much of a problem - but I don't want it to turn into the boring meaningless world of the other campaign I'm involved in.

So, my question to the community, how do I introduce a plot in a campaign with none? How would I do this without making players feel forced to accomplish something?

And for some other feedback, how do you run plot in your campaign? How do you organize adventures, and link everything to a common goal?

Much appreciated,
-Ramen

Comments

  • arsheesh
    arsheesh
    Posts: 850 edited June 2010
    Well, like you have already pointed out, it isn't always easy to generate an in-depth story arc for a campaign that starts out in the "sandbox", but here are a couple of ideas:

    # *Memorable Characters*: Say for instance your players are in a dungeon delve and run into a slightly effeminate kobold diabolist with a taste for cashmere and world domination. Now imagine that everyone has a blast role playing a battle encounter against this kobold who tends to conjure up demons dressed like chip and dales dancers. Well, at the end of the encounter you could always let the villain get away to plan more nefarious deeds another day. This character would have their own agendas (one of which might now include revenge against the PC's) which could continue to generate interesting material for an ongoing story line. Perhaps everywhere the PC's go, they here rumors of the kobold prince of cashmere, or encounter the victims of his latest activities.
    # *World Events*: think about what major world/regional events are looming on the horizon. Perhaps there a war might erupt between two city-states that the PC's are friendly towards. Now the PC's may have to make some decisions about where there loyalties really lie. Perhaps they will join the war effort. Perhaps they will try diplomatic solutions to the war. Whatever the case, events like these are not resolved over night, and can generate long term story opportunities.

    Cheers,
    -Arsheesh
    Post edited by arsheesh on
  • vstraydogstrutv
    vstraydogstrutv
    Posts: 209
    Introducing plots can be tricky in a world that's existence has no usurping power. There are a lot of different hooks to get you started, however. An ancient evil rising once again in secret suddenly springs forward in all its evil glory, or a prophecy that threatens the existence of the world itself. Maybe a few of the nations in your world are conspiring to take over another nation and start a war. Your characters could sign up to be generals for higher if they're so inclined, or join the local militia and advance quickly through the ranks due to decisive victories in battle.

    Maybe through their deeds in your sandbox they've caught the attention of a high-level character who is recruiting fearless adventurers to help him defeat his mortal enemy. The PC's don't have to be the only ones he recruits, but they may very well be the only ones who survive the encounters.

    I also noticed you're quests are D&D based, so if you want to be more exotic, have a different plane be your protagonist: maybe a section of the material plane has disappeared -- an entire city perhaps -- and has been replace with a section of the nine hells, bringing forth a powerful demon and his army. Cosmology interaction can lead to some interesting happenings, as well as forcing your characters to explore combat in different ways depending on the situation.

    The gods can also be an interesting way to go. If you're using the core D&D pantheon, the gods who are at war with each other can offer exciting interactions. Heironeous and Hextor are half-brothers and are constantly at odds with each other. You could put forth to your PC's that the timeless battle has come to a head, and they must retrieve an ancient relic to help the god of their choosing. The faction they aren't helping could be trying to stop them at every turn through any means necessary.

    So I offer up to you this site I found: "donjon RPG Tools":http://donjon.bin.sh/
    It had a fantastic random adventure generator that has helped me tremendously in kick-starting my brain on a path to a plot.

    You mentioned not making your players feel forced to accomplish something: Most players who've played for a while know that the world at its core has been created as a playground solely for their enjoyment. If you set forth a plot that affects the entire world they live in, and they choose to do nothing about it, follow through with the plot. Make whatever plan your protagonist has created come to fruition and watch the world that you've so painstakingly created crumble around your players. Once they realize the gravity of the situation, they'll more than likely want to do something about it. With great power comes great responsibility, and all that.

    Good luck, and happy questing!
  • vstraydogstrutv
    vstraydogstrutv
    Posts: 209 edited June 2010
    Revenge is a good one I always forget about, good on ya, Arsheesh.

    He's right, if the PC's piss off the right people, there can definitely be a lot of interesting skirmishes that lead to an epic encounter.
    Post edited by vstraydogstrutv on
  • Dericious_Ramen
    Dericious_Ramen
    Posts: 6
    To Arsheesh and Vstragdogstv - Thanks alot! I plan on runnign this tomorrow, and will probably be introducing one of the suggestions as a main plot hook. I'm not sure quite which one (allof them are good, but it the meantime I shall decide on that.

    Thanks again,
    -Ramen
  • BrokenClock
    BrokenClock
    Posts: 51
    Just keep in mind that plot-hooks are never a bad thing and in no way take away from your sandbox environment. It's up to the player to decide if they want to pursue the main story or if they want to go off and do other things. As long as you avoid railroading, I think everything will be good.

    Having a villager come up to the characters complaining about being killed by Orcs is fine. Having that same villager come up again 10 minutes after the player's decided to ignore that person is railroading. The trick is to railroad without them even knowing it. That's the true skill of the DM.
  • gnunn
    gnunn
    Posts: 423
    I totally agree with Broken Clock and Arsheesh. If you have world events begin to affect the players' comfort levels, they may very well allow themselves to get caught up in a plot, though, I would encourage you to be open about how that plays out.

    Also, to elaborate on Broken Clock's Sandy DM-Hidden Railroad technique...

    One of my favorite things to do with my group is to provide them with a limited number of enticing choices related to the same overall set of events and let them chose which to pursue. I plan a little ways ahead in each direction so I'll be prepared for most of their choices.

    e.g. My PCs were arrested a while back after causing a ruckus in a frontier town. They were thrown in jail with an NPC they had unwittingly associated with, who turned out to be a criminal. The first choice they had was to stick around or break out (I had plans for both events) they chose to bolt, and when the NPC proved useful in a fight, chose to bring him with them out of the city. Then they had the choice to travel with him, or head in the direction they were originally headed. They went with him. When they reached his friends, they were given the option of three different missions. Each time, I would try to time things so they would make these big decisions at the end of a session. That way, I could end things and prep for the following week. The players feel their choices matter, because they actually affect game play, but there is still a discernible storyline to keep things from stagnating.
  • Hardhead
    Hardhead
    Posts: 65
    I do pretty much what gnunn says and BrokenClock said. Give them choices, but limited ones. The fact is, the players are out there looking for adventure. They're not going to chose to go set off in some random direction, they're going to chose the option that sounds like the most fun. So I always put choices in front of my characters, and I let them decide where to go next, but I know they're not going to go off to some random town where nothing is happening, and even among the "exciting" options I present, I guess which one they're going to do about 75% of the time, and have that one a little more fleshed out. That comes from knowing what motivates your players.

    For me, I know my players are the Good Guys. They want to stop the evil orcish horde, and they'll do everything they can do unravel the mysteries around General Thag and keep the city of Blackport from being overrun. But, maybe your group is motivated by exploration? In that case, have NPCs drop hints of the cool mysterious ruins that'd be interesting to check out. Or if it's money, just figure out what jobs are available and what pays the most. :)
  • Dericious_Ramen
    Dericious_Ramen
    Posts: 6
    A further thanks to everyone! All strategies of introducing/developing plot seem to be very effective. I have a few, most incomplete, ideas running through my head right about now. The only issue I see with all of my existing ideas so far is that they would all create a short adventure chain (4-5 adventures, 20-25 hours of solid play) rather than a primary plot. SO far it seems like it would keep things from slowing to a halt, and still allow a sandbox play (The party would only need to make short detours to current plans). Is a main plot nesasary (I don't know how to spell that word, there's a 'c' in it somewhere) to the existence of a campaign? If so, what is it's purpose over smaller plots?

    Sorry for the stupid questions, trying to improve and get a better knowledge. THanks again,

    -Ramen
  • BrokenClock
    BrokenClock
    Posts: 51
    I feel like an overall plot should be necessary. It gives your whole campaign a feeling of epic awesomness and that, put simply, equals fun. Take a good look at your adventures and see how you can string them together. It's never hard to do, since you can use the cliche. One evil bad ass can always be the real reason for any bad things the players encounter in their adventuers. That's the great thing about big baddies, they serve as a great tool for plot development and dramatic ending and are super easy to use.

    Examples: They could save the town from an Orc invasion only to find out the real reason behind that invasion was the big bad end boss. They could sail the seas looking for treasure, only because they need it to defeat the big end boss. They could do a little dungeon diving only to discover that the dungeon is filled with big bad end boss worshipers. Even if you use official adventures from Wizards, they can all be tweeked to your needs. So just sit down and take the time to find a link between each one of them. Be creative and have fun with it.
  • vstraydogstrutv
    vstraydogstrutv
    Posts: 209 edited June 2010
    "Necessary?! Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? Probably not, but it's sterile and I like the taste." -- Patches O'Houlihan (Rip Torn), _Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story_

    The idea of an overall plot being necessary is not a bad way to think, but it also depends heavily on how long you want to run your campaign (after all, some people run the same campaign world for years). The advantage of a world being a sandbox is that you can drop in a threat to existence at any time. You don't have to be limited to one epic undertaking. Of course the point of a main plot is to make your PC's feel as if they've accomplished something phenomenal. Running from minor quest to minor quest can become dull after a time, and you need the threat of TPK plus the destruction of the things the PC's love to get them emotionally involved in your game.

    A truly helpful thing to the DM is the PC back story. A well-constructed back story gives a DM the ability to not just involve the PC, but what the PC holds dear; and that, in turn, can make the destruction of a boss that much more poignant. Not only is the PC fighting for the world in which he lives, but he's also fighting for the woman he loves, her child who's been captured, his parents who have been murdered as a warning to stay out of the evil-one's affairs. Again, anything that can make the person playing feel more connected to your world will make them enjoy it more.

    Example: I was playing a fighter who started out as a farmer and was drafted to the local militia. After his term of service, he turned to adventuring to help pay the bills. He had a wife and four children. At one point, the party procured a deck of many things. My character drew either "Donjon" or "The Void" and was taken to a great hall about 100 yards long, 25 yards wide, and 50 yards tall.

    On the opposite end of the hall there was a massive statue carved into the wall and ceiling, arms outstretched toward the center. Ropes dangled from the fingertips that mechanically seemed to move up and down. Connected to those ropes -- and to my horror -- were the bodies of my children, dead and dangling like marionettes. From that point on the very core of how I played that character changed. He started off being agreeable, friendly, and willing to go the distance. After that frightening encounter, he was depressed, quiet, and hell-bent on going back home to check on his family. The reality was that it was no longer "his" family, but MY family. It was personal now. I was no longer playing a role, I had become the character. It was hands down the best experience playing D&D I have EVER had, even to this day.
    Post edited by vstraydogstrutv on
  • Hardhead
    Hardhead
    Posts: 65
    I wouldn't call it necessary either. There are really two ways to go, "episodic" where you have, unconnected adventures that stand on their own (think Star Trek), and "novel" style, where every adventure ties very closely to the overall plot (think Lord of the Rings). There are many gradients between the two of course. An episodic campaign can have a metaplot in the background that shows up every once in a while with recurring characters, and novel-style campaigns can have side quests, but those are the two biggies.

    Personally, I've run things very successful campaigns both ways, but I my most memorable campaign (the one my players still talk about to this day, and has sort of become the "iconic" campaign for us) was mostly novel-style. But, really, the answer is whatever you think the players will have the most fun with. Solicit feedback, just straight up ask them if they'd like a big over-arching story. And bring in some metaplot hint drops into your current adventure, see if they bite. It's all about what your group enjoys.
  • gnunn
    gnunn
    Posts: 423
    Yeah, an overall plot has its advantages and disadvantages, many of which have already been articulated above:

    Pros:
    * Gives a feeling of Epic scope, helps keep the players' interest,
    * Allows you to sow the seeds of later events early making for great "Aha!" moments from your players.

    Cons:
    * Can get messy if players come and go, or characters die (especially if one of them is the king in exile you are trying to restore)
    * Players can become resistant to enticing sidetracks (this can make it easier to predict their course once fully invested
    * Can also make it tough if you are getting bored or stuck on the current track)

    Vstraydogstrut is right on about the importance of PC backstories. In my campaign, I have managed to work in the backstory, or lack thereof for 4 of my 7 players and have designs to incorporate more of them.

    Daethin - elf ranger - ran away from home to flee an overprotecive uncle. The group got ambushed by the uncle's agents a while back in an effort to forcibly return the ranger home.

    Piruk - dwarven warblade - showed up with short term amnesia having nightmares about menacing woods and "saving the children" The first adventure with him closed the circle when the group traveled to a town with evil spreading through the woods, where a hag was luring children to her cabin to eat them. Piruk had previously emerged 1/2 crazed from the woods before staggering to a temple of Pelor.

    Eleanor - Cleric of Pelor - feels conflicted between her desire to destroy undead in vengeance for her parents' death and her call to heal. Just ran into the boy she used to be dysfunctional friends with in seminary. Recognizing she treated him badly, she is attempting to rekindle their relationship. (DM note: Something HORRIBLE has to happen to this guy... am I right!?)

    Santiago - 1/2 Orc monk - knows how to speak abyssal but doesn't know why. In game, he starts having visions of a horrifying, but seductive being speaking tp him in the black tongue after stepping into a tainted river. What do they mean? Even he doesn't know yet.

    Tying an adventure to a PC's backstory is instant motivation to pursue that task, because it's all about them!
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