For a mega campaign I'm working on, the first part of it is a nest of giant ants that the party needs to explore.  That leads on to other parts of the mega dungeon.  However, getting to the giant ants will need to be done before all the other plot twists can take effect.  So what do you think of this approach:

GM Guideline:  Interview each of the players beforehand, getting a feel of how they would like to mold their character.  What are the motivations, back stories, etc.  Once that is determined, match one of the below plot hooks that fits with that background the best.  That way it will seem more seamless and less forced upon the character.  
Give additional plot hooks to the party, and let them choose which ones to follow.  None of them should feel railroaded.  It’s also perfectly OK for other players to not know what plot hook might have been given to another player.

Plot Hooks

Generic

Family: A family member has gone missing.  Rumors are spreading about giant insects attacking travelers.  Your family is worried and sends you to find out what happened.

Illness: A vicious disease or poison has afflicted someone you care about.  The keep wizard has advised that only the royal jelly from giant bees has the potency to cure the illness.

Survivor:  You stumble upon a commotion at the gates of the keep.  Getting closer, you can see what appear to be two men who are badly wounded.  Listening in, they say that their caravan was savagely attacked by giant ants.

Lineage: Every member of your family has proven themselves in the wilds.  Now, as an adult, it’s your turn.  A few days after entering the keep, you begin to hear rumors of giant insect attacks upon travelers.  A group is being formed to investigate.  Now is your chance.

Warriors

Militia: The character is part of the town militia and a rumors have been going around about merchants and travelers being attacked by giant insects.  The militia is coordinating a representative to form a posse to investigate the area.

Mercenary:  Several travelers have been attacked by giant insects recently.  A bounty has been posted to pay 100 gold to the group that can bring back proof that the menace has been eliminated.

Wandering Do-gooder: Innocent people have been attacked recently by giant insects.  There aren’t enough resources for the keep to send out a militia to investigate.  This is a chance to protect innocent people while at the same time building a name for yourself.

Rogues

Treasure Hunter: Rumors of giant insect attacks on merchants and travelers are increasing.  You heard a rumor that one such traveler was in possession of several extremely valuable gems.

Fugitive: Past attempts at thievery have not gone so well, and you need to skip town fast.  There are rumors of an adventuring group forming to search for insects.  Sounds easy enough, and it would be the perfect excuse to leave.

Bounty Hunter:  Giant insects have been sighted to the east.  The keep wizard is sure that a rogue mad wizard is behind it, and has placed a 100 gold bounty for his capture or death.

Wizards/Clerics

Research: Rumors of giant insects attacking travelers has reached the keep.  This is a perfect opportunity to gather research and rare supplies.  Royal jelly from giant bees, the nectar from giant honeysuckle ants, and the poison from giant bullet ants are highly valued and would help you and your master/patriarch immensely.

Mad Wizard:  Rumors of giant insects attacking travelers has reached the keep.  Your master/patriarch has come to you after a private conference with his/her superiors.  These creatures are not natural, and therefore must be the work of a rogue mad wizard.  It’s your job to investigate.

Lost Relic:  Your order had recently sent a convoy east with a recently discovered artifact.  They never arrived to their destination.  You must head eastward, tracing their path, in hopes of finding out what happened to them.

Rangers/Druids

Threatened Species:  Something is ravaging the wildlife in the forest.  Nearly every creature has disappeared with nary a trace.  There are not footprints or tracks of an identifiable creature.  But there are “trails” for the lack of a better term where the brush has been cleared, that lead to the east.  



It still feels a bit railroady to me.  Any ideas?

Quote from: Sacrosanct;585869GM Guideline:  Interview each of the players beforehand, getting a feel of how they would like to mold their character.  What are the motivations, back stories, etc.  Once that is determined, match one of the below plot hooks that fits with that background the best.  That way it will seem more seamless and less forced upon the character.  
Give additional plot hooks to the party, and let them choose which ones to follow.  None of them should feel railroaded.  It's also perfectly OK for other players to not know what plot hook might have been given to another player.

I would suggest instead for the GM to look over the characters alone, and from what they know (be it from former game play or character's personal written back story) decide what motivation to give them as a group.  Unless this is a new set of characters that need to be brought together, it should be easy to have them all go after the same thing without railroading them into anything.  Besides, they may keep choosing to go west thinking east is a trap. (lol that happens to me a lot)

Quote from: Sacrosanct;585869Fugitive: Past attempts at thievery have not gone so well, and you need to skip town fast.  There are rumors of an adventuring group forming to search for insects.  Sounds easy enough, and it would be the perfect excuse to leave.

This would work for a group even if the motivation is given to a single character.  A thief in the group comes to his companions and tells them all this, so they join the said search group to help him/her get away.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;585869Threatened Species:  Something is ravaging the wildlife in the forest.  Nearly every creature has disappeared with nary a trace.  There are not footprints or tracks of an identifiable creature.  But there are "trails" for the lack of a better term where the brush has been cleared, that lead to the east.  
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A great start to any full group who is looking for something to do.  Just add a reward large enough to split, and we have a winner.  If the group you run is not interested in money (as some are) make it a good prize to each as they need for their character.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;585869It still feels a bit railroady to me.  Any ideas?

In most cases you'll need to do a little railroading to get the players together.  I understand the need to make it less forceful than, "if you don't do this all PCs die" and more than, "so what do you think?"
If the adventure start is enticing enough, you won't need multiple reasons for the quest.  If, however, that is a major part of the plan (as in each character has their own mysterious goal) you'll need to use a large cover story for them to go, and maybe hand out single things for each to do as the adventure unfolds.  Hope this helps!
//www.218games.com

Quote from: Sacrosanct;585869GM Guideline:  Interview each of the players beforehand, getting a feel of how they would like to mold their character.  What are the motivations, back stories, etc.  Once that is determined, match one of the below plot hooks that fits with that background the best.  That way it will seem more seamless and less forced upon the character.  
Give additional plot hooks to the party, and let them choose which ones to follow.  None of them should feel railroaded.  It's also perfectly OK for other players to not know what plot hook might have been given to another player.

I am also working on plot hooks for my adventure, trying to make the event interest the characters, whoever they might be.

But instead of the hooks being something the characters "choose to go with", wouldn't it be more engaging and exciting if the hooks actually related to the characters more. Like having the characters be an important "ingredient" for the plot.. If you know what i mean..

Ofc that might be what you are meaning with not forcing the plot on the players

Quote from: rway218;585902I would suggest instead for the GM to look over the characters alone, and from what they know (be it from former game play or character's personal written back story) decide what motivation to give them as a group.  Unless this is a new set of characters that need to be brought together, it should be easy to have them all go after the same thing without railroading them into anything.  Besides, they may keep choosing to go west thinking east is a trap. (lol that happens to me a lot)

Agreed. If you require the entire group to go to this place, then they need a motivation as a group. Otherwise, you'll get some who say 'Why would I want to go there?'. You're locking them into a fixed event, and if your players decide to avoid it and do something else, then you need to be prepared for that.

Why not have multiple ways into the dungeon, and a legend about that, or legends, each pertaining to a goal of one of your characters. This way, when they do find it, they feel as if they just stumbled upon the ultimate secret.

Now, nobody alive knows where the Mystical Labyrinth of Magicalness is located, or how to get into it... Its existence has inspired legends, and tales about the riches, knowledge, ancient relic, great guardians, etc. have been told for hundreds of years. This makes it a passing article of intrigue that most know about, but as nobody can get there, it remains legendary.

Let them explore a bit, doing what they want, in order to come together and learn about each-other, in a few smaller adventures, getting at least to level-2, and and stumble upon an old, hidden entrance. Maybe during a storm, lightning strikes, splitting the rocks near where the chracters are sheltering, revealing a covered stone passageway. You can still have giant ants, but they don't need to be your original plot-hook. They can be incidental, which makes far more sense to the story, if the story is about the dungeon.

You don't even need to plot multiple entry points on a map. just decide, if they are in a suitable location, to let them discover one by sheer chance. That way, their curiosity will lead them in, and when they come to understand what they found, their personal motivations, based on the legend will keep them there.

I suggest letting them get to know each-other by introducing each through story, giving each player an equal share of the first few sessions until they coagulate. Maybe the 'thief' is wrongly accused of a crime, and another character is a witness, and needs to keep him from being hung, and needs to solicit the town mage to help him prove it, and meets the arresting officer (the group knight/paladin) in the process. Likewise, the thief would start off in a dungeon, and could get to know a guard, telling him of his innocence, and the guard, after the thief is let go comes back to him to make amends for harsh words.

maybe the priest that comes to give him his last rights is someone who listens to him, and helps in his trial. There are many ways to introduce a party, other than 'You all meet in a tavern for beer and cheer.'. it also strengthens character bonds, and prevent in-game conflicts and squabbling, as each has a reason to like the others.

This is slower, but it enriches the tale, and it gives them a chance to get to know each-other, and what they can do to benefit others in the group, before doing anything else. Then, and only then, are they ready to venture abroad. (X|S)

Have the players themselves brainstorm reasons for the group to be together, then set up your hooks to fit that. This needs references to the game world itself, so the players need to be vaguely aware of the current state of affairs in the region, but if you're setting up group motives make sure the group as a unit has motives in the first place.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;585869It still feels a bit railroady to me.  Any ideas?

I'm of the opinion that the initial premise of a campaign can never be a railroad: It's just the premise. Players either buy into that premise or this isn't the game for them.

With that being said, I'd say two things:

(1) Since the premise is the premise, you might as well get the players to contribute and collaborate with it. Just tell them, "The first adventure is going to be about going to a nest of giant ants. Tell me why your character wants to go there." Maybe give them the list you've prepped of potential motivations as food-for-thought.

(2) As others have noted, bringing a group of PCs together by circumstance can be a tricky thing: Once the circumstance has passed, they may or may not have developed a motivation to stick together. The instinctive trope of "we're the PCs" tends to overcome that inertia, but it can be very useful/rewarding to either (a) have them come up with a reason why they're a group before play ever begins or (b) keep that in mind and make sure to include a really compelling reason to keep them together as part of the premise scenario.

It sounds to me like this scenario is unlikely to include a compelling reason to keep them together, so you'd probably be better off taking the former option.

The ants are not the primary feature of the game.  The ant tunnels are simply the way in which the players reach the depths where huge caverns and tribes of intelligent humanoids reside.

Along with the rumors of the ants, there are also rumors of a cult, and clues to be found.  Those clues lead to an abandon shrine, which in turn will end up leading to the ant tunnels.  There are also two other significant problems the players hear about in the beginning: The natural spring providing water to the keep has run dry and will need investigating, and cropland, vegetation, and wildlife are taking on a sickly gray appearance.  Food consumed from such sources is of little nutritional value is is causing the populace to become cathartic.

So the players have a few options to choose from, all of which will end up in the ant tunnels at some point, while at the same time allowing the players to skip some of these hooks completely.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;585869For a mega campaign I'm working on, the first part of it is a nest of giant ants that the party needs to explore.  That leads on to other parts of the mega dungeon.  However, getting to the giant ants will need to be done before all the other plot twists can take effect.  So what do you think of this approach:

I like these threads.

QuoteFamily: A family member has gone missing.  Rumors are spreading about giant insects attacking travelers.  Your family is worried and sends you to find out what happened.

Illness: A vicious disease or poison has afflicted someone you care about.  The keep wizard has advised that only the royal jelly from giant bees has the potency to cure the illness.

These always feel a little cheesy/fetch questy for me.  The 'family always in peril' gets a bit stale, but can be used occasionally for some spice; inverting the cliche, maybe a distant (or not so distant) cousin is behind the giant ant thing as a cover for whoever is behind the follow-on adventure.

QuoteSurvivor:  You stumble upon a commotion at the gates of the keep.  Getting closer, you can see what appear to be two men who are badly wounded.  Listening in, they say that their caravan was savagely attacked by giant ants.

Yeah, ok...  sounds interesting, but so what?  I mean, the hook is pretty weak for the characters to get involved with this one.  Almost the classic start for a railroad.

QuoteLineage: Every member of your family has proven themselves in the wilds.  Now, as an adult, it’s your turn.  A few days after entering the keep, you begin to hear rumors of giant insect attacks upon travelers.  A group is being formed to investigate.  Now is your chance.

This isn't too bad, except for the family thing from before.  Maybe like the Conan remake, it's more of a clan or tribal 'coming of age' ritual, and the PC got separated from the rest of their group and have been trailing the monsters for several weeks or something and can't get back to their village.  Or maybe they were stalking something completely different and just ended up in the same area as the rest of the party because the other trail went cold, and now they are kind of desperate to nab any trophy to take back to the village.

QuoteMilitia: The character is part of the town militia and a rumors have been going around about merchants and travelers being attacked by giant insects.  The militia is coordinating a representative to form a posse to investigate the area.

Like 'Survivor' above, this requires a bit more buy-in from the players which could lead to a railroad if not present.

QuoteMercenary:  Several travelers have been attacked by giant insects recently.  A bounty has been posted to pay 100 gold to the group that can bring back proof that the menace has been eliminated.

This one is a bit better, at least there is the reward to provide incentive.

QuoteWandering Do-gooder: Innocent people have been attacked recently by giant insects.  There aren’t enough resources for the keep to send out a militia to investigate.  This is a chance to protect innocent people while at the same time building a name for yourself.

This could be a good one, if the player wants to keep at the do-gooder thing, or maybe this is where they become disillusioned and turn mercenary.  Interesting possibilities here.

QuoteTreasure Hunter: Rumors of giant insect attacks on merchants and travelers are increasing.  You heard a rumor that one such traveler was in possession of several extremely valuable gems.

It's ok, but isn't 'treasure hunter' kind of the default for all adventurers, not just rogues?

QuoteFugitive: Past attempts at thievery have not gone so well, and you need to skip town fast.  There are rumors of an adventuring group forming to search for insects.  Sounds easy enough, and it would be the perfect excuse to leave.

Not bad, but I think the 'fugitive' bit is all the excuse they need to skip town.  Maybe the magistrate has the PC chained to several other prisoners as cannon fodder for a company of the local guard and things went pear-shaped fast.  Now the PC is stuck with two or three other corpses in the area and playing 'possum when the party stumbles upon the unlucky troupe.

QuoteBounty Hunter:  Giant insects have been sighted to the east.  The keep wizard is sure that a rogue mad wizard is behind it, and has placed a 100 gold bounty for his capture or death.

There are some possibilities here; up the reward and have the wizard at the keep in cahoots with the other wizard somehow.  Perhaps the 'rogue' wizard has information that implicates the keep wizard in the plot.

QuoteResearch: Rumors of giant insects attacking travelers has reached the keep.  This is a perfect opportunity to gather research and rare supplies.  Royal jelly from giant bees, the nectar from giant honeysuckle ants, and the poison from giant bullet ants are highly valued and would help you and your master/patriarch immensely.

Similar to above, perhaps some skullduggery is in the background.

QuoteMad Wizard:  Rumors of giant insects attacking travelers has reached the keep.  Your master/patriarch has come to you after a private conference with his/her superiors.  These creatures are not natural, and therefore must be the work of a rogue mad wizard.  It’s your job to investigate.

QuoteLost Relic:  Your order had recently sent a convoy east with a recently discovered artifact.  They never arrived to their destination.  You must head eastward, tracing their path, in hopes of finding out what happened to them.

Interesting.  Maybe even a more personal reason for finding the convoy; they were carrying a message to the head of the order about corruption in the ranks, or the PC's master was about to be accused, and the caravan had the proof of innocence.  I know, treading dangerously close to the 'family always in peril' thing.  

QuoteThreatened Species:  Something is ravaging the wildlife in the forest.  Nearly every creature has disappeared with nary a trace.  There are not footprints or tracks of an identifiable creature.  But there are “trails” for the lack of a better term where the brush has been cleared, that lead to the east.

Something like the local Druid commands the PC to restore the balance?  Could work, especially if there are clues left that the real threat is in the follow-on adventure.

Even with the aforementioned background stuff, it might be better to get the characters together in small groups of two or three and have those groups meet on the road to work out an alliance.  Having six different people all converge at the one place isn't rail-roady exactly...  maybe just a bit contrived for my tastes.  Just because they don't have tankards of ale in their hands doesn't mean they didn't 'all meet at the inn'.