Help me with my next session, Rancor Pit!

[Dan Solo]

You're my only hope!

Seriously, though, thanks to my players have shown a willingness to ignore the obvious plot and go off on their own, I've decided that in the second session, I need to be able to have plenty of plot hooks for them in case they decide not to try to collect the money owed them.

The scenario: PCs #1 and #2 were hired by an NPC to take PC #3 and a Jedi holocron to the planet Garfo in order to keep them out of the hands of the Icbint Empire (this takes place an "alternate era" in order to get away from any bits of EU I find inconvenient). Once they reach the planet, however, they find out that the king, who was supposed to take the Jedi PC and her holocron into safety and pay them the rest of the money owed them, has died shortly before their arrival. The obvious plot is for them to get an audience with the crown prince and see if he can pay them (he can, but has another mission for them to prove that they were sent by who they say they were), but I'll need alternate ways to move the plot along in case they either don't come up with that or decide it's too much bother.

Things I've come up with and rejected already:

The Empire comes after the Jedi and her holocron: although they are after both items, it seems too soon for them to be catching up to them already. Also, last session was all fighting the Empire, so I want to take a break from that for a while.

The other two PCs are a smuggler and a bounty hunter, but since Garfo is roughly the Alderaan or Naboo equivalent for this campaign, a heavy criminal element seems out of place.

I look forward to whatever suggestions you may have!

[Raven Redstar]

What if the king's court had a dark sorcerer working for him. Well, he was dark, but no one else knew about it. He sends some of his cronies to go after the party. To capture the Jedi, and the holocron for himself, or herself. The Dark sorcerer could also be responsible for the king's death. Hoping that an inexperienced heir would make more use of him, giving him a rise in power, perhaps enough to overthrow?

I dunno, sounds kinda fantasy, but make the dark sorcerer a low level dark side adept.

[Nefasius]

The dark side adept could be using minor force tricks into making everyone think he was just a charlatan to make his work easier?
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[Nico_Davout]

[schnarre]

...Just out of curiosity, what did they end up doing instead of the obvious plot?


...Even on "good" planets like Alderaan or Naboo, there is a place for Law Enforcement & Military presence of some sort (& don't forget they spawned two individuals that became Sith--Ulic Qel-droma & Palpatine). Perhaps there is a shadpw element/secret society on planet that's up to no good--perhaps plotting an overthrow with some outside interference?! A bit too cliche' I'll admit, but a possibility.
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The man who thinks he knows everything is most annoying for those of us that do.

[Dan Solo]

[atgxtg]

Dan,

I think what you need to do is find out what the PCs are interested in/care about and use that to motivate them to go into the right direction.

You should really expect the PCs to follow the "obvious plot" because it is obvious, you need to get them to want to follow the obvious plot.

Once you know what motivates them, you can use it to help nudge them in the right direction.

What it looks like is happening is that the Jedi has a reason for getting involved in the main story (keep the holocron out of the hands of the bad guys), but the other two characters don't have any "in game" reason to do so. You've got to come up with a reason for them to do so.

Possilbe Reason #1: They are wanted by the Imperial for consiring to help the Jedi PC escape. When did they do this? When they smuggled him off world aboard their freighter!

Talk to the Jedi PC and explain that he had to get off world to avoid the Imperials, and that he snuck aboard a non-descript freighter (the other PCs ship) shortly before it left planet.

The Jedi can come out of his hiding place once the ship enters hyperspace and he is safely off world. He can try to explain the importance of his mission, and that the Imperials will no doubt blame the smugglers for helping him escape. Oh, and the credits that the Jedi can get for them for their help wouldn't hurt.

You could even say that the meeting between the Prince and the Jedi too place "off screen" and simply move into the next part of the adventure.

[Dan Solo]

Actually, that session got ran last night, and the players pretty much decided to go with "solve the murder of the king so that we can get payed (somehow)." This meant that most of the session was spent going around capital city following false leads, but finding enough information to get the attention of a Lieutenant of the Guard, who once he learned that they'd been sent by Obi-Kaybe was able to arrange a meeting with the Crown Prince. They got payed, but were sent on another mission since Garfo is no longer safe due to Imperial activity (the non-Jedi players actually got tricked into a trap by an Imperial agent, but they don't actually know that's who he works for, thinking the trap was set up by "court mystic" Zang Lih).

[Raven Redstar]

Does your smuggler have a debt for his freighter?

The standard template comes with a 25,000 credit debt to a crime lord or a loan shark. That can be a story hook, non-negotiable shipment to negate a late payment that the player may or may not have known about. Those pesky crime bosses change due dates and whatnot without notice all the time. Not to mention having the players get approached by his goons to rough them up to remind them that payment is coming due soon. Possibly making them a little more desperate for a job.

I suppose it depends on what you're planning for your overall story arc. If you don't want to officially post it on the forums for fear of prying eyes, you can PM me on the forums, I'll be happy to brainstorm with you.

[Dan Solo]

[Raven Redstar]

Sarlacc... Sounds ominous. Lol. You might want to send them on a little non-negotiable smuggling run, where somewhere along the way, they have to choose doing something for the greater good (furthering the plot, making things easier for them in the future.) Or, completing the cargo run, on schedule, to get Sarlacc off his back, but making subsequent missions harder. However, the greater good ends up with them on the wrong side of this crime boss.

[bobenhotep]

i just watched the droids episodes with the prince of tammu-zan in them. funny how this reminds me of them...

does anyone know how to say in gamorrean "you only have half of money so me only break one leg"
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D&D 5e DM and WEG Star Wars GM for two kids who will hopefully carry on with RPGs for years to come

The Chijawa said so, that's why.

[Nefasius]

Oink oink oink?
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[atgxtg]