Finding Locations (Best Practices)

[Necrosnoop110]

DM here. In my upcoming game the PCs need to find a hidden mine. Typically, I will let them scramble for bit or suggest options and then let them resolve it with a skill roll. Sometimes the PCs can shortcut with magic or I'll just grant that they found it if the idea to locate it was intelligent or interesting enough. I more or less just wing it. Never been all that happy with that method.

Anyone have any general strategies or principles on making locating or finding locations interesting and fun? Something beyond just some dice rolls?

[kebusmaximus]

When the party is in the right area and just looking for the exact location, I treat it like a secret door. First I decide what the actual obstacle is that prevents the party from finding it immediately. Then I ask the players how exactly they go about looking for the mine entrance or whatever, and once they come up with a solution that I think would work, they find it. I rarely bring in skill checks. Except for supporting actions.

[Psyren]

Before calling for any roll, you should ask yourself two questions:

- Is accomplishing this task neither impossible nor trivial for the PCs? (If it is either of these, don't ask for a roll, instead skip ahead to where they actually have a decision to make.)

- Is there a meaningful consequence for failure that keeps them from simply saying they want to try again until they succeed? (If there isn't, simply decide how much time passes before they locate it, and skip ahead to where they have a decision to make. Note however that depending on the circumstances, lost time could be a meaningful consequence itself.)

If you clear both of these requirements, then a roll of some kind is appropriate, and this applies to exploration as well. Don't default to rolling simply because there are skills commonly associated with finding hidden places; consider both possibility of success and consequence of failure first. Rolling dice is not inherently engaging, rather what's engaging is the results of success or failure.

Speaking of engagement - another thing to consider is whether you have an alternative to them finding this mine. If they have to end up there for the plot, then failure probably shouldn't mean that they don't find it. Consider other consequences, like rivals getting there first, or the party arriving tired, or needing to navigate the mine's entrance in pitch darkness instead of sunset, or needing to burn resources such as spell slots in order to locate it.

[Unoriginal]

DM here. In my upcoming game the PCs need to find a hidden mine. Typically, I will let them scramble for bit or suggest options and then let them resolve it with a skill roll. Sometimes the PCs can shortcut with magic or I'll just grant that they found it if the idea to locate it was intelligent or interesting enough. I more or less just wing it. Never been all that happy with that method.

Anyone have any general strategies or principles on making locating or finding locations interesting and fun? Something beyond just some dice rolls?

Are we talking about searchibg a physical area until the right spot is found, or searching the information to know where to go?

In the second case, it can be made fun via RP. Uptight book collectors, enthusiastic merchants of dubious treasure maps, old prospectors with more gold in their hearts than in their pockets, grumpy fur trader, pationate explorers or any other idea you might have can make very fun characters to RP and to interract with the PCs to learn where X is.

[Zhorn]

For story locations, I avoid rolling for locating them as much as possible.
Finding the location is about finding the lead.

There are friendly and hostile NPCs that know the location.
There are residences of the location that leave and return for reasons.
There are related environment factors or landmarks that indicate the location.

Finding those are what leads the players to the location.

If the story requires that the party MUST get to the location to proceed, then after so much game time of trying to get to the location on their own terms, the inhabitant of the location are now attempting to capture the party and return them to the location by force.

Lets use LMoP as an example:
Cragmaw Castle
The goblins from the ambush and caves know where it is
have some npc in town talking about an old castle they saw in the forest when they were younger
If the party is in the forest, a returning bugbear group crosses their path on the way there.
if the party finds an elevated location, they can see a clearing in the forest where the top of the castle is visible.
If the party takes too long, Glasstaff has Mosk and the Red Brands organise a kidnapping of the party to take them to King Grol at the castle. If the party wins, one of the Red Brand had a map on them to the location.


Start with the adventure hook
Allow them to sandbox at first
Place some leads in their way
Railroad when the adventure NEEDS to be at the location

If the party gets there on their own they arrive in favourable conditions
If they take too long they arrive in unfavourable conditions