Guiding your players towards your adventure is tricky. If you use too light a hand they'll miss your cues, and go haring off in the wrong direction. Too heavy and you find yourself running a Plot Wagon game.
The Dangers of the Plot Wagon
Most of us have played in a plot wagon game, but if you're not familiar with the term I'll explain. A plot wagon refers to any game where the players have little or no control over the story. They're along for the ride, but their actions won't influence the outcome. Any attempts to deviate from the plot are punished, and the GM forces the players right back into a linear adventure regardless of what they try to accomplish.
In my group we call plot wagon games The Adventures of Corwin. The name comes from a campaign back when I was in high school. We gave one of the guys a chance to GM, but after one session ran screaming from the table. His game started at first level, but we were given a 'mentor' named Corwin who was 5th level in two classes. Corwin would rush off and deal with every monster, and if we deviated from the flimsy plot he'd literally drag us back to it kicking and screaming.
As players this was enormously frustrating. People play RPGs to become a larger than life figure, not someone's sidekick. Having control over that character's destiny is why many people love gaming so much. Taking away that freedom chokes the fun out of your game, and one by one your players will drift away from the table if you aren't careful.
Wait a tic? If freedom is so important then isn't forcing your players into an adventure a bad thing? You do want your players to follow the story, but you need to use a light touch. Provide the illusion of choice, and do it so subtly they never know they were tricked into following the adventure you set up for them. Accomplishing this requires one of the tricks we discussed last month- understanding motivation.
Understanding their Motivation
Let's just say that your adventure requires the PCs to come to the town of Evilbears. An old wizard living there has a fragment of a tome that the players need to decipher an ancient prophecy.
To PCs are in a town three days south, and have just cleared out a mine infested with unquiet spirits. This is where they learned of the prophecy, but they also emerged with several very large sacks of gold. Rather than follow your plot thread, they want to head to the capital to buy magic items.
You don't have anything prepared for the capital, much less a list of magic items for them to choose from. If they go your session will devolve into a research session with you arbitrating with the PCs over which items they can get. You'd much rather run the meeting with the old wizard, and have them start exploring the prophecy you spent hours writing. How do you get them to go to the town of Evilbears?
Take a careful look around your gaming table. You've probably known your players for a while. What do they enjoy about games? When do they have the most fun? The answers will provide clues to their motivation.
Maybe one of the PCs is really into combat. What might draw him to the town where your adventure is taking place? Rumor of a legendary magic sword? The promise of combat? A woman he loves in danger? Only you can answer those questions, but find the player's motivation and you'll know exactly how to get them to follow the adventure.
The Illusion of Choice
This brings us to the Illusion of Choice. What is it exactly? The Illusion makes your players believe they are dictating the plot's direction. It prevents them from feeling railroaded, and gives them the feeling that adventure lies in all directions. No matter which way they go the world around them is vibrant and full of life. Interesting people and find cool stories lie around every corner.
This helps build suspension of disbelief, which is critical to all games. The players need to see the NPCs, scenes and adventures as a seemless whole. They can never know that if they go the wrong way they'll walk right off the edge of the map, or that there are areas you haven't defined. You are the man behind the curtain, and you can't ever let them see you.
Let's assume one of your PCs is an aspiring blademaster, but has been looking for a master to train him. When the PCs return from the mine have them stop in an inn to rest for the night. As they enter the common room they're toasted as heroes. While there an NPC tells a story about a blademaster facing down ten soldiers at once. If you're right about the player's motivation, this with get his attention.
A single reason could be enough to sway the party to go to Evilbears, but it's unlikely so we still have work to do. Maybe one of the other PCs has a sister who he hasn't seen in a while. Have him receive a letter telling him that she's involved in a whirlwind romance with a young noble named Stephen Colbear, and that she's visiting his estates in the town of Evilbears (damn bears).
Since the PC isn't likely to care that his sister is being courted we'll need to add more to the story. Maybe a third party member overhears disturbing rumors that the lord of Evilbears is a necromancer with a penchant for luring young women to his castle and sacrificing them. Hopefully, this will give the player whose sister is in danger a pressing reason to head to Evilbears. The threat posed by the necromancer may sway even more party members.
After that you just sit back and let the party do their thing. You aren't forcing them to go to Evilbears, and they could still choose to head to the capital to do some shopping. However, by giving several PCs different reasons you've made it an attractive destination. They may choose another direction, but its far more likely that one more players will make a strong case to the party for heading to Evilbears. That is the illusion of choice. If they want to go to the capital to blow their new found wealth you're not going to stop them. You didn't take their choice away, but you stacked the deck so that you knew what they would do.
In Conclusion
The Illusion of Choice is a powerful tool in your GM bag of tricks, but like all tools if its used incorrectly it will backfire. Be subtle in its use, and remember that you can't always force your party in the right direction. Sometimes they are going to want to wander off the map, but good use of Illusion at least guarantees that those instances will be few and far between.
Next month's article will add another important tool to your GM bag of tricks, Suspension of Disbelief. See you then!
