Maelynn
2020-02-25, 03:01 PM
For a while now I've been toying with the idea of feeding the party some rumours - some are true, some are false, some have a seed of truth but then grew in another direction. The problem is, it's the middle of the campaign and if I start this now then the party might treat every rumour as a plothook they feel obliged to follow. Which they shouldn't.
The main reason I want to start rumours is that I'd like them to get some tidbits that seem unimportant now, but will later turn out to be directly related to the main plot. This way I hope to add weight to the events, build up some suspense and slowly make them realise that things are going on in the background. Example: say the BBEG is a tyrant usurper who locked away the rightful king, then I'll want the party to hear about nobles being terrorised, commoners complaining about heavy taxes, groups of knights on the roads that interrogate and frisk everyone they find suspicious, rumours regarding the location where the king is held captive.
So, what I've done is make a list of rumours and categorise them: related to main plot, ripples of past adventures, unrelated gossip, character-specific events. Just a large batch of different kinds of rumours that I can easily add to as the campaign progresses. The setting is a city-state that the party will have lived in for a few years (with 1 exception), so it's not like they have much incentive to go around and talk with people to learn about the area.
Since I'm growing weary of getting a d100 table to roll on, I was thinking of writing the rumours on scraps of paper and let them grab one from a bowl like little lottery tickets. Pro is that I can easily add rumours. Also, drawing lots gives a sense of anticipation. Con is that it's difficult to retrieve a specific rumour if necessary. Would you like this way of picking rumours if you were a player? Are there other ways you use or can think of?
Anyway, I digress. My main issue that I can't figure out: how can the party acquire rumours? There is no longer a Gather Information skill (which wouldn't be suitable for half my rumours anyway), so what could I come up with that allows a player to make an attempt at finding a rumour, say, once a day? I don't think it's something that should be solely based on Charisma, as you can just as easily rule in favour of Perception (eavesdrop on people talking in the tavern) or Investigate (search newspapers or a bin of discarded documents for information) or even Money (pay a streetrat a silver piece for information). And should all 4 players be given an attempt every day, or is it a group effort that can yield x rumours? Is once a day too little, or maybe too much? What if I decide to let a player make a random roll when I think they're in a place that could give them a rumour?
The main reason I want to start rumours is that I'd like them to get some tidbits that seem unimportant now, but will later turn out to be directly related to the main plot. This way I hope to add weight to the events, build up some suspense and slowly make them realise that things are going on in the background. Example: say the BBEG is a tyrant usurper who locked away the rightful king, then I'll want the party to hear about nobles being terrorised, commoners complaining about heavy taxes, groups of knights on the roads that interrogate and frisk everyone they find suspicious, rumours regarding the location where the king is held captive.
So, what I've done is make a list of rumours and categorise them: related to main plot, ripples of past adventures, unrelated gossip, character-specific events. Just a large batch of different kinds of rumours that I can easily add to as the campaign progresses. The setting is a city-state that the party will have lived in for a few years (with 1 exception), so it's not like they have much incentive to go around and talk with people to learn about the area.
Since I'm growing weary of getting a d100 table to roll on, I was thinking of writing the rumours on scraps of paper and let them grab one from a bowl like little lottery tickets. Pro is that I can easily add rumours. Also, drawing lots gives a sense of anticipation. Con is that it's difficult to retrieve a specific rumour if necessary. Would you like this way of picking rumours if you were a player? Are there other ways you use or can think of?
Anyway, I digress. My main issue that I can't figure out: how can the party acquire rumours? There is no longer a Gather Information skill (which wouldn't be suitable for half my rumours anyway), so what could I come up with that allows a player to make an attempt at finding a rumour, say, once a day? I don't think it's something that should be solely based on Charisma, as you can just as easily rule in favour of Perception (eavesdrop on people talking in the tavern) or Investigate (search newspapers or a bin of discarded documents for information) or even Money (pay a streetrat a silver piece for information). And should all 4 players be given an attempt every day, or is it a group effort that can yield x rumours? Is once a day too little, or maybe too much? What if I decide to let a player make a random roll when I think they're in a place that could give them a rumour?