RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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It's up to the player, harmor.
I was at a table recently where the GM gave out faction missions "when the PCs went shopping after the VC briefing". My character didn't need to buy anything, so the GM wouldn't give me my faction mission -- nor explain to me why I wasn't getting one.
Lesson I learned: don't be too cute with the faction missions.
Instead, I ask the player how his or her PC makes contact with his or her faction. Some people come up with elaborate techniques. Other people want to play that part of the game simple. Both are cool.
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This thread has some ideas on when and how to give the faction missions.
Personally I prefer either the VC or a nondescript servant deliver the missions to the PCs as "urgent mail" right after the initial briefing.
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Hey Harmor
I usually hand out faction missions during the character introduction of my tables.
How I start things off...I have all the players introduce themselves AND their characters. I write down both names on a piece of paper that corresponds to where they are at the table in relation to me, and when one person is done I do a quick 30 second to 1 minute thing with them where I have a short scene where they get their faction mission.
The more you have of one faction the longer you can spend on this short scene.
For example...what I had occur for me when a table had 4 cheliax characters:
An imp tapped on the shoulder of the "lead" Cheliax character while invisible, and told him to get everyone to a secluded place. That leader then told the other Cheliax PC's "The thrice damned beckon, our mistress has need of us" and gathered the other Cheliax faction PC's. The imp then handed the scroll to the leader and underlined the importance of the last half of the message. "Do not be scene" the imp said "This includes your...other companions." And with that the imp went invisible and scuttled off.
From a GM perspective...RP was created and the faction mission handed out, immersion begun. A clarification on weird things in the faction mission and how to complete them was spoken aloud by the messenger...things like don't let others see you, or anything else you as a GM feel the need to clarify to your players about their faction mission. Finally it allows the players of certain factions to discuss anything they need to regarding their mission with each other.
While the prep time to do this is usually another 10 to 15 minutes longer on the GM's side, and maybe another 5 to 10 minutes longer at the table it sets the mind that this is a game of more then just dice rolls, and that the faction "war" is quietly still present.
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To be honest, I skimp. I find it distracting, as a player, to have the faction mission other than a mainly OOC handout. As a GM, I am usually trying to coordinate maps, minis, dice and initiative tracker, so I tend to just hand them out.
I have played with a GM who tried to increase RP with them. Not my cup of tea.
Then again, I played with a GM who gave some members of a faction their faction mission, then handed the odd man, which happened to be me, a random but not my faction mission. Overall, that did NOT help my immersion in the scenario.
Spent too much of my mind wondering, "What am I missing?!" instead of paying attention to the game. Not much fun.
So, for me, just gimme the sheet, let me read it, let me know if there is something missing (the missions so secret that even those doing it don't know that they are supposed to be secret missions stuff), and get on with the game.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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I usually do a minimal amount of flavor around the missions. For example:
"[Shadow Lodge PC], on your way to the briefing, you spot a black ribbon tied to one of the tines of the gate around the Grand Lodge. You recognize the signal that you are supposed to pick up a dead drop, so you head over to the large tree and pick up a note hidden in a knot-hole on the south side. [Hands player the mission handout]"
or,
"[Andoran PC], on your way out the door from the briefing, a small paige-halfling tugs on your coattail. 'Scuse me, sir, I'm to give you this message.' He hands you a sealed envelope [passes faction handout]."
or,
"As you all leave the briefing, the Venture-Captain says, 'Oh, [Grand Lodge PC], might I have a word before you depart? I've been told to give you this missive from our colleague. [Hands player the handout.]"
It takes maybe one or two minutes to go around the table, everyone gets a bit of flavor, and then we can get on with the mission.
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If you really want some ideas for this, watch Mission: Impossible episodes. Stop by a liquor store, ask for an obscure vintage, the clerk takes you in the back and leaves you alone with the bottle containing your "Good morning, Mr. Phelps."
Personally, I just handwave it. "You get your faction mission through the usual contacts or dead drops." I think it would get annoying if there were more than two factions at the table.
As always, if you are caught or killed, the Paracountess will deny all knowledge of your actions.
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@Kinevon: I still hand out the little slips of paper! I just RP a tiny bit how the PC gets the note into their hands in the game, instead of completely breaking immersion by just tossing papers at players and giving their characters no way to know how they got the mission.
If the players ask, I'll just say that, obviously, one of the ways the Sczarni earn a little of their money is that they make sure that everyone gets their little notes, untraceably. ;)
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It's up to the player, harmor.
I was at a table recently where the GM gave out faction missions "when the PCs went shopping after the VC briefing". My character didn't need to buy anything, so the GM wouldn't give me my faction mission -- nor explain to me why I wasn't getting one.
Lesson I learned: don't be too cute with the faction missions.
Instead, I ask the player how his or her PC makes contact with his or her faction. Some people come up with elaborate techniques. Other people want to play that part of the game simple. Both are cool.
I tried doing this and my players loved it. It was amazing to see how inventive they were. I think I will keep asking players "So what do you do to get your faction mission?"
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I generally have the Venture Captain who's assigning the Party to a mission hand out sealed envelopes after the briefing
the Idea for handling it this way is all of the VC's have been around the block ... and IMHO they all know the different factions have agenda's as well as have an "Unwritten gentleman's agreement" to assist and not interfere