I'm looking to host a one-shot for a group of friends soon. We're all very good friends, some of us used to play dnd a few years ago but we're all a bit rusty now so we wanted to try a one-shot to get us back into it and introduce a few new players. In total there will be myself (as GM) and 5 other players, 3 guys and 2 girls.
In general we like roleplaying / politicking boardgames (like the Game of Thrones board game, or Twilight Imperium), but also with a dash of fun, lore-appropriate combat. So, without further ado, here's my idea - interested in hearing any thoughts you have on it:
Each party member is an ambassador / emissary from a neighbouring kingdom, sent to congratulate a new king on his coronation. Each one also has their own hidden motivations - some want to get a drop of the king's blood to allow for spying / tracking, some want to kill the king but make it look like a specific nation did it, some want to make sure everything goes smoothly as the king is already in debt to their nation and they want him on the throne, etc. All are told to keep appearances up and only act subtly so as not to draw attention to themselves, this is a diplomatic evening after all.
At one point in the evening, when the room is waiting for the new king to give a speech, the king is late. Observant players may notice that guard presence in the room has increased, and whispers start spreading that something has happened to the king. From there it's up to the players to investigate, mingle, and at one point defend against the guards' attack (who are actually assassins in disguise, and whose organisation has kidnapped the king). I'm assuming that, since none of the players' missions have been fulfilled so far, this will provide a natural incentive for them to band together and go and look for the king, which leads them through a winding chase up and down the castle halls, revealing several mysteries and combat encounters along the way.
I'm relatively happy with this story thread, but since the players (and myself) are either rusty or completely new, I'm a bit afraid they won't get the hints when e.g. they're supposed to go look for the king, and I won't be able to steer them in the right direction if they don't go "following" the story. Now I know you're not supposed to railroad your players etc., but as a relatively new GM, it's scary to have to improvise unexpected situations and I fear it won't be as fun if they force me into a corner I hadn't thought about. Appreciate any input.
It sounds good. To make sure they know that they're the ones supposed to find the king, you may drop hints throughout the event of the other guests being useless. Like maybe describing how the rotund lords have velvety-soft hands that have never held a tool, or they have laces on their sleeves so long that they can scarcely grab a fork without having a servant hold the lace back. You could describe the guards as looking directionless, or possibly suspiciously apathetic.
If the party understands that a time-sensitive event happened, it shouldn't be too hard to get them started on the joint quest. After all, who wants to stay in a crowded room full of useless people when there's adventure to be had?
There definitely needs to be clues for them to follow, and including obstacles that they have to resolve can add to the chase without combats that stop the momentum. Try to plan for at least a couple ways to get past each obstacle, but if they come up with something clever that you didn't, roll with it. (Ex: a locked door. They could pick the lock, steal the key, break through the door, or maybe use a rope to exit the adjacent window, and enter the next window down on the floor below, bypassing the locked door altogether). Depending on the party's level, you might have a scuffle or two before they catch up to whomever has the King.
Good luck. I hope I gave you at least one useful idea.
Good bones. I think you've got the makings of a great story here, and I doubt your players will be able to resist the draw.
I'm always an advocate for a backup plan though, and since you've already worked out the plot to the point of various factions having their own respective goals, and the kidnapping of the king, take it one step further and ask yourself what happens if the kidnapping succeeds. Briefly play that scenario out in your head. You'll likely find opportunities to drop more clues. Or maybe more.
In my homebrew, there is a swamp with a dangerous reputation near the village which is the PCs home base. I've been dropping hints for the last five levels that there's a dragon in there waiting to be discovered by the outside world. But no one ever went looking for it, so one day while the PCs were off pursuing another plot thread, the dragon attacked a train of trader wagons en route to town. I don't think saying, "Hey there's a dragon up there and you're going to deal with it one way or another" is railroading. A dragon is a big deal (likewise the abduction of a king). The consequences of dealing with it or not will eventually out themselves. If you follow the clues, you maybe catch it off guard or gain some other leg up. If not, you're as surprised as anyone else when it all hits the fan. Now if I force you to deal with the dragon in the exact way I want to see you deal with it, then start blowing the train whistle. But major campaign events can have their own trajectory. Sometimes the BBEG triggers its plans and drops a mess on you.
Again. Good work here. I frankly doubt you'll need a backup plan.
You could make it so that the guests are mistrustful of one of the players, the potential heir is really bad news for another's country or one of them is witness to a clue early in the party with the conspirators being aware so as to put them at risk of assasination as well. If they think that the plot going on is bad for them and you already have fake guards that can look really unhelpful in solving this, that is further incentive to get involved and gives you levers to push if they don't (the witness is almost assassinated by the guards while with one of the others getting them involved, one of the guests blames a player and is in the process of convincing the others before a helpful servant convinces them to leave the room, etc)
I'm looking to host a one-shot for a group of friends soon. We're all very good friends, some of us used to play dnd a few years ago but we're all a bit rusty now so we wanted to try a one-shot to get us back into it and introduce a few new players. In total there will be myself (as GM) and 5 other players, 3 guys and 2 girls.
In general we like roleplaying / politicking boardgames (like the Game of Thrones board game, or Twilight Imperium), but also with a dash of fun, lore-appropriate combat. So, without further ado, here's my idea - interested in hearing any thoughts you have on it:
Each party member is an ambassador / emissary from a neighbouring kingdom, sent to congratulate a new king on his coronation. Each one also has their own hidden motivations - some want to get a drop of the king's blood to allow for spying / tracking, some want to kill the king but make it look like a specific nation did it, some want to make sure everything goes smoothly as the king is already in debt to their nation and they want him on the throne, etc. All are told to keep appearances up and only act subtly so as not to draw attention to themselves, this is a diplomatic evening after all.
At one point in the evening, when the room is waiting for the new king to give a speech, the king is late. Observant players may notice that guard presence in the room has increased, and whispers start spreading that something has happened to the king. From there it's up to the players to investigate, mingle, and at one point defend against the guards' attack (who are actually assassins in disguise, and whose organisation has kidnapped the king). I'm assuming that, since none of the players' missions have been fulfilled so far, this will provide a natural incentive for them to band together and go and look for the king, which leads them through a winding chase up and down the castle halls, revealing several mysteries and combat encounters along the way.
I'm relatively happy with this story thread, but since the players (and myself) are either rusty or completely new, I'm a bit afraid they won't get the hints when e.g. they're supposed to go look for the king, and I won't be able to steer them in the right direction if they don't go "following" the story. Now I know you're not supposed to railroad your players etc., but as a relatively new GM, it's scary to have to improvise unexpected situations and I fear it won't be as fun if they force me into a corner I hadn't thought about. Appreciate any input.
It sounds good. To make sure they know that they're the ones supposed to find the king, you may drop hints throughout the event of the other guests being useless. Like maybe describing how the rotund lords have velvety-soft hands that have never held a tool, or they have laces on their sleeves so long that they can scarcely grab a fork without having a servant hold the lace back. You could describe the guards as looking directionless, or possibly suspiciously apathetic.
If the party understands that a time-sensitive event happened, it shouldn't be too hard to get them started on the joint quest. After all, who wants to stay in a crowded room full of useless people when there's adventure to be had?
There definitely needs to be clues for them to follow, and including obstacles that they have to resolve can add to the chase without combats that stop the momentum. Try to plan for at least a couple ways to get past each obstacle, but if they come up with something clever that you didn't, roll with it. (Ex: a locked door. They could pick the lock, steal the key, break through the door, or maybe use a rope to exit the adjacent window, and enter the next window down on the floor below, bypassing the locked door altogether). Depending on the party's level, you might have a scuffle or two before they catch up to whomever has the King.
Good luck. I hope I gave you at least one useful idea.
You could make it so that the guests are mistrustful of one of the players, the potential heir is really bad news for another's country or one of them is witness to a clue early in the party with the conspirators being aware so as to put them at risk of assasination as well. If they think that the plot going on is bad for them and you already have fake guards that can look really unhelpful in solving this, that is further incentive to get involved and gives you levers to push if they don't (the witness is almost assassinated by the guards while with one of the others getting them involved, one of the guests blames a player and is in the process of convincing the others before a helpful servant convinces them to leave the room, etc)
This is an amazing one shot idea and I will definitely be stealing it to use on my players.