I have this setting developed that I am really excited about, it is composed of a central hub and 4 unique areas, and I want my players to explore them one at a time but I don't want it to feel like a video game (congratulations! you have completed area one, area two is not unlocked). I am also still unsure on a plot to motivate my players to explore. any ideas or examples that might be able to help me?
Realize that players A) do not follow your plans and B) do not understand obvious clues as they don't have your knowledge of the world. Time and time again, the players always show a knack for doing the opposite of what you want.
Be flexible, as the party may want to split ups, the way to get them not to is to use a big and powerful enough monster as a guard to a door that the split party realizes they either die or they retreat to the other players. When the party as a whole goes to that room, the big monster is gone and an unusable portion of the weapon is left to indicate he went for a replacement.
If it matters which room is reviewed 1st/2nd/etc. then which ever room they enter is the correct "1st" room, the 2nd entered is the next correct room. If that means your personal map is out of order, be flexible.
The only way it's going to feel like a video game is if you have created the area as a "plot" where there is a clear "path" for them to walk, the way you would write a story with only one way through it, step by step.
If you want exploration to feel natural, you have to give the players a lot of freedom. Create the place, create problems/challenges in the place (preferably by making them logical, aka, make sure you understand how things got there, why they are the way they are etc..) without thinking of solutions on how to solve these problems/encounters, and let the players loose. Let them go anywhere and do anything, don't help them solve anything.. let them struggle through, just be a referee, not a storyteller. Describe what they see and let them do their thing.
That is how you do exploration organically.
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I have this setting developed that I am really excited about, it is composed of a central hub and 4 unique areas, and I want my players to explore them one at a time but I don't want it to feel like a video game (congratulations! you have completed area one, area two is not unlocked). I am also still unsure on a plot to motivate my players to explore. any ideas or examples that might be able to help me?
Realize that players A) do not follow your plans and B) do not understand obvious clues as they don't have your knowledge of the world. Time and time again, the players always show a knack for doing the opposite of what you want.
Be flexible, as the party may want to split ups, the way to get them not to is to use a big and powerful enough monster as a guard to a door that the split party realizes they either die or they retreat to the other players. When the party as a whole goes to that room, the big monster is gone and an unusable portion of the weapon is left to indicate he went for a replacement.
If it matters which room is reviewed 1st/2nd/etc. then which ever room they enter is the correct "1st" room, the 2nd entered is the next correct room. If that means your personal map is out of order, be flexible.
The only way it's going to feel like a video game is if you have created the area as a "plot" where there is a clear "path" for them to walk, the way you would write a story with only one way through it, step by step.
If you want exploration to feel natural, you have to give the players a lot of freedom. Create the place, create problems/challenges in the place (preferably by making them logical, aka, make sure you understand how things got there, why they are the way they are etc..) without thinking of solutions on how to solve these problems/encounters, and let the players loose. Let them go anywhere and do anything, don't help them solve anything.. let them struggle through, just be a referee, not a storyteller. Describe what they see and let them do their thing.
That is how you do exploration organically.