Giving your players direction, I could use some DM tips

[ddude987]

Hello all,
I've thoroughly read the DMs guide, somewhere on this forum I don't remember the URL, twice, and found it full of insight. I hosted my first session for a campaign I plan on running for quite a while, and the players enjoyed it a lot. For the first session, I sort of railroaded the players just to give them a push out the door, and now I am wondering if anyone has tips, suggestions, etc for how to give them direction?

I don't want to railroad them throughout the campaign, as it is supposed to be more of an open world campaign, but without directly having some npc ask them for help or some event happening that they decide to aid or prevent, I'm at a loss for how to have them make their own decisions. Any thoughts on this?

Currently, they are traveling to a guild headquarters to deliver some treasure they retrieved, and also they found out that the guild accidentally released one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. Maybe I dug myself into a hole with this one, but I'd like to not directly tell them where to go and what to do for the rest of the campaign.

Thanks.

[Drachasor]

Well, toss multiple plot hooks at them. Then they can choose what to look into and do. I'd also ask them out of play what sort of things they'd like to do and their character want to do. Then work that into the plot hooks so they have a choice of stuff that would interest them. If it is a custom world, make sure to give them info on cities, history, and lore -- including ancient legends, cities, lost knowledge, and so forth. Though these are all plot hooks in one way or another. And, of course, if they decide to do something that doesn't inherently involve conflict, you could toss in conflict if it makes sense.

Regarding the Horseman, you could have multiple avenues for them to explore and look into on how to handle it. Be sure to listen to their ideas as well.

Btw, It's ok for them to sometimes get NPCs asking for help, but it is their call if they want to help.

[dascarletm]

A good tip is to tell them what is happening, and then leave it up to them on how to stop it.

So, one of the four horsemen is unleashed and undoubtedly wrecking the countryside. Perhaps they meet a man from a villiage to the east, who tells them his villiage was destroyed by said horseman. Maybe this activity is sparking stories about vile doomsday cults attempting to release one other horsemen, while the bard sings a tale about one frozen in ice to the north. They have many things they can do, no one is telling them to do it, and if they really want to they could head off into the forest and punch owlbears. Give them things that are happening, but avoid the whole, "Oh no someone needs to stop X or get Y and you adventurers are the only ones who can do it!"

[ddude987]

Thanks. I've got some ideas, I think I'll throw a few different things at them that will be interesting to several party members. I just need to plan a few side quests that naturally lead and/or introduce other parties or problems.