I am building a campaign with 3 planned factions.
Basic setup:
The PCs have arrived in the sleepy village of Kas Merlogt, but shortly after it becomes clear that there is a sizable Magnimarian force hiding in the forests around the town. A band of evil lycanthropes have taken over this town, and that band was off committing atrocities out in several towns belonging to Magnimar. The small force of 10 score soldiers and their a trusted band of 5 heroes to lead them went after the villains and now have them surrounded.
What the Magnimarian commander doesn't know, and what the denizens of Kas Merlogt do not want him to find out, is that their village is a safe haven for skinwalkers and lycanthropes who want to live in peace. Several non-skinwalker/Lycanthropes live in this village as well, be them friends or just have become used to their unusual but often well intended neighbors.
The three major factions are (work in progress names) The Magnimarian Company, The Villains, and the denizens of Kas Merlogt.
Goals of the Factions:
(COMBAT)The Magnimarian Company wants to cleans the village of shapeshifters--over 90% of the population--but they are not aware of exactly how many people are shapeshifters.
(COMBAT)The Villains want to kill off the Magnimarian Company, and are interested in infecting the heroes with Lycanthropy so they have to aid them against the Magnimarians. The Villains have been silently capturing people in town and infecting them with various types of lycanthropy. The full moon is in 4 days after the game starts.
(SKILL COMBAT/ROLEPLAY/Minimal combat)The Denizens want to convince the PCs to help them sneak them out of Kas Merlogt, but are hoping that they can do it without causing much suspicion. This is the more complex option as it includes drugging guards, being sneaky, and, in general, not engaging in actual combat. There is a hidden valley where the original Kas Merlogt used to be before they built it as a town that was easier to find. The Denizens want to escape to that hidden town so they can escape this madness.
All three faction choices give the same amount of XP. The major reason The Denizens choice is non-combat is that many of the denizens are base level NPCs without training. They are completely outclassed by both sides of the argument. The only major combat is saving denizens who have been caught or left behind. The only major problem with The Denizens is that both sides, the Magnimarians and the Villains, want to kill them if they try to escape because they could be part of the gang or they could be trying to weaken the defense of the village from the Magnimarians. The villains have it in their minds to wait until the Magnimarians attack and then use the denizens as fodder to weaken the incoming force.
So, my big question is:
HOW DO I MAKE THIS MANAGEABLE SHORT OF MAKING 3 COMPLETELY SEPARATE PATHS!?
My current idea is to draw out the map of the village, then allow the PCs to move about it as they wish. I can draw out specific buildings as things happen, but this also means that I potentially have to setup patrols, and get all Deux Ex in here in the event that the Players go for the more complicated non-combat issue.
One other option--that is more cheesy--is to just make a set map progression, and switch out the enemies to reflect the current choices. If the Denizens choice then it becomes a game of sneaking people past them--the enemies think they are potential allies, after all--so it is entirely possible.
Anyone ever done this, and found a particularly simple way to manage it without doing three times the work?