So, I’m a first time dm and I’m running a homebrew campaign for my players; I already have most of the story planned out, though I’ve left much of it open, which eventually might lead me to have to re-plan; regardless, I digress.
My players are just about to finish the first arc in this campaing’s story and I need to find a way to organically move them towards their next adventure. Some help would be greatly appreciated.
I recently wrestled with this myself. What can you tell me about the circumstances around the end of the first campaign arc? That will help me help you come up with some seamless transitions into the second arc.
The players will have finished saving a tree-based city in the Underdark from a rotting disease that, unbeknownst to them, was only partially caused by the monster they'll have defeated (that ties into the big bad of the campaign, actually). They'll be offered housing in the city, to make a base there, as their payment, besides some gold and i've been thinking on having an Npc introduce themselves to discuss this rot they've just encountered, saying they've seen it at other spots in the land, maybe. idk, not quite sure. maybe i shoulnd't jump straight to the "main quest" like this. thats why i dont qquite know what to DO from here.
After my first arc ended and I wanted to build a second arc, I started with some basics that would help me shape the arc. Even if the players started going elsewhere, it helped to at least have this basic structure so I could go off script if and when I needed to.
What level range is this arc meant to cover?
Considering the first question, what would you find interesting as the big bad of the second arc that you can base a story around? Are you looking to stay in the Underdark or would you/they like to change the setting?
I decided to use the 5x5 method for campaign design. I came up with five story strings (Primary, major, minor, and two peripheral stories) and each story string was made up of five sections. So I came up with twenty five total sections divided into five story lines. I also went a little further and made sure that each story line had crossovers into two other story lines.
I laid all five story lines out right at the beginning of the second arc and let the players pick which one they liked best. This way, it didn't matter which story line the players picked because it would lay the groundwork for at least two other story lines as they worked through it. This means it's ok to throw roadblocks along the way because the party can always fall back on the other story lines and accomplish what they need to overcome the roadblock along the way.
If this sounds like a lot of work, it's really not so bad. Think big picture and then drill down into detail. All I did was write a single paragraph summarizing each of the five story lines and then I went through and put in five bullet points for each path with two or three sentences each. Write more if you feel like it, but don't feel obliged to. As the party picks a path, you can flesh out that story line with more detail.
I feel like it's a really versatile tool for letting the players drive their own adventure, while at the same time, you're gently guiding them back to the primary story even as they do their own thing. If you'd like, I can send you my story arc layout so you can see what I mean. It's a Word document.
The above comment is good guidance. I think you need to understand what the purpose or goal of your next arc is in terms of moving the story forward in your campaign. If you have something in mind and you are looking for hooks, you have lots if thints to draw on: dispute over ownership of new digs, the gold payment falls through, “just ONE more thing I need you to do to secure that gold and new digs,” something or someone avenging the big bad from the last neighbors don’t like you, word of mouth if the greatness of the deeds draws grifters targeting their new wealth, the digs aren’t what you expected, etc. If you don’t know what the next arc is, then I’d start with pinning that down.
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So, I’m a first time dm and I’m running a homebrew campaign for my players; I already have most of the story planned out, though I’ve left much of it open, which eventually might lead me to have to re-plan; regardless, I digress.
My players are just about to finish the first arc in this campaing’s story and I need to find a way to organically move them towards their next adventure. Some help would be greatly appreciated.
I recently wrestled with this myself. What can you tell me about the circumstances around the end of the first campaign arc? That will help me help you come up with some seamless transitions into the second arc.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
The players will have finished saving a tree-based city in the Underdark from a rotting disease that, unbeknownst to them, was only partially caused by the monster they'll have defeated (that ties into the big bad of the campaign, actually). They'll be offered housing in the city, to make a base there, as their payment, besides some gold and i've been thinking on having an Npc introduce themselves to discuss this rot they've just encountered, saying they've seen it at other spots in the land, maybe. idk, not quite sure. maybe i shoulnd't jump straight to the "main quest" like this. thats why i dont qquite know what to DO from here.
After my first arc ended and I wanted to build a second arc, I started with some basics that would help me shape the arc. Even if the players started going elsewhere, it helped to at least have this basic structure so I could go off script if and when I needed to.
If this sounds like a lot of work, it's really not so bad. Think big picture and then drill down into detail. All I did was write a single paragraph summarizing each of the five story lines and then I went through and put in five bullet points for each path with two or three sentences each. Write more if you feel like it, but don't feel obliged to. As the party picks a path, you can flesh out that story line with more detail.
I feel like it's a really versatile tool for letting the players drive their own adventure, while at the same time, you're gently guiding them back to the primary story even as they do their own thing. If you'd like, I can send you my story arc layout so you can see what I mean. It's a Word document.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
The above comment is good guidance. I think you need to understand what the purpose or goal of your next arc is in terms of moving the story forward in your campaign. If you have something in mind and you are looking for hooks, you have lots if thints to draw on: dispute over ownership of new digs, the gold payment falls through, “just ONE more thing I need you to do to secure that gold and new digs,” something or someone avenging the big bad from the last neighbors don’t like you, word of mouth if the greatness of the deeds draws grifters targeting their new wealth, the digs aren’t what you expected, etc. If you don’t know what the next arc is, then I’d start with pinning that down.