Looking for campaign advice. I was running a homebrewed one-shot involving the PCs getting hired by the local adventurer's guild to deal with some sewer monsters. There was no really big plot: go into the sewers, clear out some goblins using an underground chamber as a lair. The players are all completely new to RPGs so the session was supposed to be a fun way for these bored board gamers to blow off some steam.
About 3/4 of the way through the game I was already being peppered with requests to make this a campaign.
So I ad-libbed something. The main goblin leader was communicating through a mirror to some heavy-voiced mastermind and "faxing" a map to the guy through the mirror. PCs bust in, defeat the goblins, but the rogue goes for the map she sees disappearing.
While the fight rages around her she has a few tense moments using Sleight of Hand against the Escape Artist of her foe. After two ties between me and the player rolled heads up on the table, I rule that the map tears in half but that the mirror goes blank. Cheers erupt, high fives all around and we break up the game.
Now honestly, I didn't know if I could count on these players for regular gaming. They work different schedules, lead vastly different lives, and I am about 10 years older than all of them with a wife, two girls and a full time office job. Despite all of this all four players have since arranged things so that all of us have Sunday afternoons/evenings together.
They've even taken to calling themselves my "guild."
The only downside is that I have no idea where I was going. I literally just made everything up off the top of my head. I don't know what's on their half of the map other than a trail through the local forest. I don't know who the mastermind villain is, why he wants the map, or even what the goblins were doing there in the first place.
The players are all newbs, but this also works to their advantage. They don't yet fear Attacks of Opportunity, failed saves or bad die rolls. They even... SPLIT THE PARTY once!
So I come to you, oh gracious community. The only request I've had from my players is that I continue to homebrew. They'd prefer not to get involved in an AP, though I could probably sneak in an occasional module.
The PCs are all pre-gens I made for the one shot:
1. Hugh (pronounced "huge") Badaxe, CG male human fighter
2. Sneaky McFrench, NG female Halfling rogue
3. Luvvy, LG male dwarf cleric
4. Brutalicus Maximus (A.K.A. Kevin), NG male elf wizard
For the players' sake being new to RPGs and still asking "what CAN I do?" I'm guessing going sandboxy on them might not be good right now. I can probably pull off a non-linear thing, like having a main villain plot in the background and using multiple sub-plots to get to them.
Any advice you folks have would be appreciated. Thanks in advance and sorry for the wall o text!
It could be a map of the city with defenses noted, leading to them scouting the area for a possible invading army?
They may not be able to recognize the map, promoting a trip to a sage for advice. Perhaps finding from them its actually an arcane diagram instead for a dangerous ritual that needs interruption..
It could be a dungeon map with notations on hazards and ways to bypass them, giving them some safe areas and others that are still mysteries.. Plus dungeon crawl competition from the bbeg's teams..
Maybe the half map is useless, but they could cover and lug the mirror to a sage (wizard's old teacher?) to get the last reflection recreated.. Possibly chase sequence as the bbeg's sends minions to recover the map or the mirror..
They could find loot in one of the goblins that's recognized as being from one of their hometowns, so go see if it's been looted or who's a conspirator there..
Try not to get overwhelmed. You don't have to create the whole world.
When your players say they'd prefer not to get involved in an AP, what is it about AP's that they don't like?
Thanks CoV for the ideas! I like the idea of having to consult a sage. The game broke abruptly before I got to epilogue the mirror, so that whole "get the last reflection recreated" is genius. Right off the bat I'm thinking the map leads as far as a crossroads in the forest.
Here the players have to make a choice. The sage can help them make a decision so that the players begin to understand their decisions matter.