Especially with homebrew campaigns, I’ve noticed a tendency to have nested plot hooks. For example: The party is tasked with rescuing a princess. They visit a local wizard to gather information. In return the wizard wants them to retrieve a lost artifact. Finding the artifact requires a map which bandits currently have. Defeating the bandits requires recruiting allies. Each ally has a quest for the party. And so on.
Six sessions into their campaign, the group has no idea what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. They barely even remember what their original goal is. It’s too complicated. Moreover, as the party completes each step, the rug is pulled out from under them as another obstacle is presented.
What takeaways can we glean from this example?
- A complicated plot is not the same as an interesting plot. You shouldn’t add content for the heck of it. Make sure each aspect of your campaign is adding value.
- Plots shouldn’t be so complicated that your players can’t remember what’s going on. The players are not living in the world all the time like their characters are.
- Players like making progress toward their goal. It’s fine if the goal takes a while to achieve, but the players should have an idea of the scope and the steps required up front. Otherwise delays and complications can feel deflating.
- The reward for completing a task should not just be another task to complete. Each success should take the players closer to their goal so that they are incentivized and excited to continue.
I would argue (partially for argument's sake) that nesting can work quite well if the nesting starts from the inside. To use your example, the party sets out to rescue the princess. When they do, they find out she's actually possessed by a terrible demon. They figure out how to keep the demon at bay while they search for a cure, but they're opposed in their efforts by an apocalyptic cult that's been searching for the princess. Once they free the princess, they learn that this was only one of the cult's plans, and so on. The party still has visibility to their goal, but as they attain a goal, it opens up a new avenue of adventuring that feels connected to the broader world. Plus, it's easy to take a break from this story to do something else. At some point, maybe they oppose the cult, but maybe they decide to head off in a different direction instead, depending on how linear the DM wants to make their campaign.
ReplyDeleteGood perspective. There are certainly ways to add complications and challenges. The key is that the party should still be making progress or learning useful information that brings them closer to their goal.
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