I was reading through Keep on the Shadowfell today in preparation for running it in a couple of weeks, and a thought occurred to me. 4e Dungeons & Dragons makes a big show about how the DM is really just another player who happens to have different duties. I won’t analyze that paradigm shift in this message, but it struck me that if that’s the case, perhaps the DM shouldn’t get to make all the decisions about why the players go on their adventures.
Follow me, here. Whenever you read an adventure, whether it’s in Dungeon magazine or one of the official adventures that comes out, there is always a section called Adventure Hooks. The one in Keep on the Shadowfell includes this:
Use one of the hooks below to set up the backstory for the adventurers, or create your own.
And then it goes on to provide three different hooks for the DM to choose from.
But you know, every group is different, and every party of characters is different. One of the most interesting emergent properties of a campaign is the unpredictable interactions between a unique set of characters. Part of the fun of that is watching players balance the motivations of their characters in different situations. Having the DM pick a hook takes away the opportunity for some of that emergence.
So, I think I’m going to try something when I run the module, I’m going to have all of the hook options available in Winterhaven, and the characters can come upon them through exploration. If they hit on one they like, they can go after it, if not then they can keep up the exploration and decide which one is most important to them.
Of course, I’ll have to adjust the awards a bit if they decide to go after more than one of the hooks, but that should be easy enough to do. It also ensures that different characters can find reasons to be satisfied with the adventure…sometimes you need gold, glory, and gods as adventure hooks.
5:21 am on July 4th, 2008 1
That’s completely right. This is most of the time the way I choose/ Let the players decide where to go and what to do. Of course, on the other side, you need to be as good as possible in improvisation. But this is another story.
BTW, I’m also running KotS with a new group of players who wanted to try the 4th edition ASAP. In order to jump as fast as possible in action, I recruit the character in the “special op” company of the king army. Fast and easy.
10:01 am on July 4th, 2008 2
Cool idea, r-kelleg! I think my group would probably enjoy something similar to that, I might throw in a fourth possible hook along those lines.
10:16 am on July 4th, 2008 3
I presented the three (without mentioning the varying XP rewards) and let them pick, and then worked it into their backstory. That let me explain why they’re adventuring together (they all have the same mentor, or have heard of and want to meet him for whatever reason) and work some shared detail into their backstories. But I like your idea too, I’ll probably try something like that in an adventure of my own. (Or if I run KotS again.)
10:48 am on July 4th, 2008 4
Yeah, your way works just as well, it all depends on how much your group likes to explore town and gather rumors and such. When you present a few hooks in the midst of roleplaying, I think it makes the world come alive a bit.
9:23 am on July 7th, 2008 5
You can also take it a step farther (well, several steps farther):
Say Yes or Face the Dungeon