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PersonMan
2010-03-28, 12:18 AM
In a campaign I'm planning for my group, I've run out of ideas on how to connect the first and second adventures. I know what the second adventure is, just not how to bring the PCs to it.

The first one involves an attack on a small town by the BBEG and sub-BBEG.

The second one is the BBEG's mining operation.

The basic plot is that someone came from the future/future plane in a big airship and joined up with the ruler of one of the largest nations. The two are using a combination of magic and technology to create strange creatures to build themselves an army to take control of the plane for the Empire the BBEG hails from. First, they attacked a village to test their new soldiers, and I need a way for the PCs to go from there to a mining operation producing the metal for the new forces.

IonDragon
2010-03-28, 02:27 AM
Consider not trying to railroad your characters from one point of interest to the next. Obviously since you've got this mining operation you want your players to know about it. Consider ways they could reasonably find out. A passerby says "I wonder where they got all this metal...", maybe some weary traveler in the inn has horror stories about abominations mining X distance in Y dirrection. Also, I'm sure your players would appreciate it if you threw in a few other options. Open ended encounters are the most believable. Clearly, destroying a certain supply station would be troublesome, but could there not be another equally devastating point of attack? If there is an absolute, unyielding reason for your PCs to go to the mine, let them know or find out in some manner.

If your players are remarkably dense, then maybe put them on some tracks. I don't know your party so IDK if they need that.

JeminiZero
2010-03-28, 03:28 AM
1) Apparently unrelated: A call goes out for adventurers to investigate a local mine. Perhaps an acquantaince of the PCs owns the mine, so they feel oblidged to answer.

2) He Went That Way: The Sub/BBEG managed to elude the PCs and leaves a reasonably obvious trail for them to follow to the mining operations. A variant involves PCs rescue NPC miners who tell them where the BBEG might be found (i.e. at the mines).

3) We're on Rails Aren't We: The PCs are walking along when they simply stumble upon the mine entrance (or one of several entrances), clearly guarded by monsters similiar to those which attacked the town. To make it even LESS believable, the PCs coincidentally appear at the mines in a teleport accident (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0377.html).

Rising Phoenix
2010-03-28, 04:30 AM
The BBEG raided the small town for slaves for his mine. Despite the PCs efforts a few of the citizens got captured and where sent to the mine. The PCs now have to save the citizens and will probably also take down the mining operations along the way.

Just an idea and the other ones suggested here are good too.

Hope this helps,

R.P.

Jastermereel
2010-03-28, 02:40 PM
To build on IonDragon's idea, what if it's a specific ore? The players might not have noticed it at first but if they looted the fallen (if not, they aren't playing right) and try to sell it to a village store the merchant could point out that "[the swords the BBEG's minions were equipped with] aren't mere steel, but instead were _____. Come to think of it, we've not had a shipment from those parts in quite some time." If that isn't enough, he could ask them to check in with his associate down that way and offer a reward (or discount).

Alternatively, you could just have someone in the village looking for an escort to take them to the mines. It's dangerous enough traveling as an adventurer. A simple commoner could run into a pack of house cats out on the road. In my ongoing game, when I knew our regular schedule would be disrupted and I didn't want a major story sequence with multi-week cliffhangers, so I set up a series of one/two-shot adventures all lined up along a road as the PCs escorted a pair of merchants out of a dangerous region. Thus, they had a reason for traveling and scouting out the areas nearby.

Also, is the second stage the end of your planned stops? If it isn't, it might be a good idea to figure out your larger arc ideas more. That way, you'll have a reason they can really hold on to for a while, rather than a series of nudges from one stage to the next.

Godskook
2010-03-28, 02:58 PM
Displaced or escaped miners are running hard and fast away from the BBEG's mining operation. Since they're going in all directions, one of them is bound to come across the PCs and tell them about the future-tech mining operation that destroy his/her way of life.

Hardcore
2010-03-28, 03:02 PM
Mining operation? Could be worthwhile to study Baldurs Gate the PCRPG then:smallbiggrin: