Advanced DM tips

[GoblinGilmartin]

I've been DMing games for about four years now, with little player experience. I love doing it, but I run into a lot of problems that I'm pretty sure a lot of people have run into. I was hoping some even more experienced DMs could help me out.

-Getting players to be active in the game. Occasionally at points in my game, I'll set up a scene, and then get quiet so the players can look around. They sit there and don't say anything, as if waiting for me to lead them on.
I don't want to lead them around by the ear the entire session.

-I've got a difficult player who always makes characters with "a bit of himself" in them (Gets drunk, starts fights). Even though he actually isn't like that much in real life, he has now made a cleric and a gladiator. The cleric got drunk a lot and then magically flushed the toxins from his system. He got bored and made the gladiator start a bar fight, even though he claims the gladiator strives for honorable combat. The bar fight ruined any chance of driving forward the group mechanic (it was the first session)

I think that's it for now.

[Rhynn]

-Getting players to be active in the game. Occasionally at points in my game, I'll set up a scene, and then get quiet so the players can look around. They sit there and don't say anything, as if waiting for me to lead them on.
I don't want to lead them around by the ear the entire session.

This is my answer for everything, but:

Have you tried a dungeon?

Make a traditional dungeon (20-30 rooms, 25-33% have monsters, 25-33% have treasure, with some overlap; leave room to expand it deeper, maybe the stairs down are concealed but there's a hint they exist, etc.). Send the PCs in to look for treasure - maybe a particular treasure. Include light puzzles and traps (which require paying attention to some specific detail in the room). No leading them around, no setting the scene - you just describe what's in the room and then react to what they do. The initiative is entirely theirs.

Also, have you told them they need to be active?

[Jack of Spades]

Sounds like they're not engaged. That tends to be the most common reason for both of those problems. So, talk to them. Maybe they don't want to buy what you're trying to sell them.

[Rhynn]

Sounds like they're not engaged. That tends to be the most common reason for both of those problems. So, talk to them. Maybe they don't want to buy what you're trying to sell them.

This, too.

Are they actually interested in RPGs at all? Are they just in it for hanging with friends? If that's the case, play a board game or similar instead. Arkham Horror, Order of the Stick, whatever.

If they are, are they interested in the game, genre, style, campaign, or adventures you're running?

How do you run a game, anyway? If it's a clash of styles leaving them disengaged, it may be a problem you can fix.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Couple things:
They all want to play.
I've told them to be active, I've made it clear that the number 2 rule is "ask questions" (rule 1 is: no getting high during a session)
They are "engaged", just not as active as I'd like them to be.
As a DM, I don't like dungeons. They have their place, and can be fun, but unless they have a reason to got dungeoncrawling, i don't see the point. Go down this hallway, roll for traps, roll a bunch more times for a battle, get the thing at the end, leave. I know I'm doing it wrong there.

What do I do about the gladiator?

[Rhynn]

A dungeon needs to be interesting, yes. If you don't know how to make one interesting, try to get your hands on the old Ruins of the Undermountain AD&D boxed set - it's an awesome dungeon. If you're no good at improvising detail, you have to cram the pre-written descriptions full of detail, and RotU gives you both ideas and tons of rooms already written up. It's not about rolling dice in general. Heck, like I said, most rooms don't even have monsters, and you're not supposed to fight all the monsters. Most of the rooms have a lot of details the PCs have to poke at, fiddle with, and so on, and finding the treasures and magic items requires this. The first level has gems worth something like 500,000 gp (or more, I forget) that are almost impossible to find, but are a reward for the most diligent dungeoneers.

What do I do about the gladiator?

I don't really understand the problem there. The cleric part sounds like a complete non-issue. What sort of problems did the gladiator starting a bar fight (practically an expected PC activity!) cause, exactly?

[nedz]

I think that they are both the same problem.

You are trying to run a sandbox, but the players fail to launch sometimes. You don't want to rail-road, which is good, but the player's lack direction ( leadership ); then the Gladiator gets bored.

I think you just need some plot to push them, probably an NPC.

Maybe you have this, but they get stuck ?
If this is the case then you need to provide more leads/clues.

[GoblinGilmartin]

A dungeon needs to be interesting, yes. If you don't know how to make one interesting, try to get your hands on the old Ruins of the Undermountain AD&D boxed set - it's an awesome dungeon. If you're no good at improvising detail, you have to cram the pre-written descriptions full of detail, and RotU gives you both ideas and tons of rooms already written up. It's not about rolling dice in general. Heck, like I said, most rooms don't even have monsters, and you're not supposed to fight all the monsters. Most of the rooms have a lot of details the PCs have to poke at, fiddle with, and so on, and finding the treasures and magic items requires this. The first level has gems worth something like 500,000 gp (or more, I forget) that are almost impossible to find, but are a reward for the most diligent dungeoneers.



I don't really understand the problem there. The cleric part sounds like a complete non-issue. What sort of problems did the gladiator starting a bar fight (practically an expected PC activity!) cause, exactly?

I can't do pre-made mods, I've tried in the past, they give me headaches.

As for the gladiator, it was the player. We'd just gotten out of a gang fight with a bunch of gnolls, where two new characters jumped in (a beastrider and the gladiator). They kicked butt, and the gnolls tried to surrender, dropping their weapons. The gladiator tried to force them to pick them back up so he could kill them honorably. they refused, he let them run. He made it a focus that his character is an honorable combatant.

The newly formed group goes to a tavern, and gets a couple of drinks. The two thieves start planning a heist of a gem shop, and the beastrider starts chatting up a dwarf. not even thirty seconds later, Deacon, the player behind the gladiator, claims he's bored, so he has the gladiator punch some guy in the back of the head to start a barfight. Does that sound honorable to you? He claims he tried to assist with the heist, but they weren't listening. I was watching him, he barely opened his mouth twice before he declared his character stone drunk and brawling.

[LeoLionxxx]

A common phrase that a GM will use when (Unless it's unessisary) is "What do you do?" Then, the players have no choice but to do something .

As for the players doing annoying stuff (e.i. the barfights) serve out a little punishment. The Halfling wizard in my group was greifing everyone with his 'whoopass stick' (quarterstaff), so when he tryied to smash a crate with it and he rolled low, I broke it. Perhaps have the local officals give your gladiator a fine - something to give him the hint that he should not do this sort of thing.

Also, you might tell your players to follow their alignment. Your lawful good? You can't start a bar fight just for the heck of it.

[Lorsa]

A common phrase that a GM will use when (Unless it's unessisary) is "What do you do?" Then, the players have no choice but to do something .

This.

Some people don't like to interrupt others. Some do (even in Sweden where interrupting is really bad). Interrupting the GM can be really bad form. Maybe you are just taking a break to think, or a dramatic pause. Always end your descriptions with "what do you do?". Simply going quiet isn't as good as you might think.

As for the bar-brawling guy, the only thing I can come up with is for people (or a very skilled warrior) to gang up on him, take him down and then put him in the hands of the law for being disruptive. I don't like to punish players but there needs to be realistic consequences. It depends where he starts the brawls too I guess.

[ArcturusV]

Well, when you craft a good dungeon, your inspiration is important. Remember that DnD is really an Adventure game, not a Combat Game. At least in spirit at it's early eras. It may have spun out since then. But this means that a classic dungeon has more in common with say, Indiana Jones movies, than it does with an Action Movie. You don't just go and mow down stuff. Nor are traps, or should they be just "Roll for search. Roll to disarm. Move on", they should be mentally engaging in some way beyond merely a Disable Device check.

Particularly if you haven't run one for a long time, from the sound of it, it could be a refreshing change of pace to have one for your players. I mean a lot of "instigator" stuff like starting bar fights, getting drunk, etc, is usually a result of feeling that everything is same old, same old. Least typically. So is waiting for you to lead them around, because they don't tend to feel that the situation they are in is unique enough and interesting enough to give them something they want to do.

This might not be the case. It's hard to tell without being there and having a line into the players, and being able to read them at the table. But it does sound like a situation where something needs to be shaken up. A cheap and easy way of doing this is to challenge some basic assumption that your players have going on.

Like a really, really basic one is that their loot is their loot and it's due to them. Something as simple as killing the villain of the day, and finding there is NO treasure. Or having someone take even a small trinket from them can really put a lot of players on ear.

Like one I did. Players were battling their way through a tower. They finally kill the villain of the day. They are going to go into his "throne room" to loot it... and find the place has been pretty much stripped clean. Chests are empty, jewels are removed from seemingly ornate placings, etc. They open one chest and find a note in there saying, "Thanks for the distraction."

... that put a fire under their asses.

[GoblinGilmartin]

I made a bit of a slip up. I was trying to make sure everyone was happy, so I let the dwarf, the beast rider, and the gladiator DM their own bar fight, while i supervised the thieves casing the joint on the gem shop.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Like one I did. Players were battling their way through a tower. They finally kill the villain of the day. They are going to go into his "throne room" to loot it... and find the place has been pretty much stripped clean. Chests are empty, jewels are removed from seemingly ornate placings, etc. They open one chest and find a note in there saying, "Thanks for the distraction."

... that put a fire under their asses.

I'm gonna steal that, okay?

I mean, I already had that down. I'm compiling a list of "ways to get players involved. #1: Steal their stuff.
Pulling the rug out is a good idea.

[ArcturusV]

Oh, another classic one that is often use for Comedic effect, but can be quite serious... Mistaken Identity. Particularly if the Identity they are mistaken for is someone who might plausibly deny the fact that they are that person.

"No no, I'm not Jacques LaRoque (greatest spy in all the land)! You have someone else!"

"Suuuuuure. I'm just gonna take the spy's word."

Having them mistaken for someone is not only a plot hook, it's a way to get them to do things, or not do things. At the very least it gives players something meaty to bite into and wondering just who this other person is, and why there is the slip up, and so on.

Any player worth their salt should get an evil grin when they are mistaken for someone. They will try to (ab)use it. And that should get them to do something plot relevant in some way rather than screwing around and derailing stuff.

[nedz]

A common phrase that a GM will use when (Unless it's unnecessary) is "What do you do?" Then, the players have no choice but to do something .

Yes — Good advice this.

Sometime I like to let stuff sink in, other times I drive the action forward with "Well, what are you doing ?"

It's a question of pacing really.

I made a bit of a slip up. I was trying to make sure everyone was happy, so I let the dwarf, the beast rider, and the gladiator DM their own bar fight, while i supervised the thieves casing the joint on the gem shop.

I think this is fine. The bar fight was role-play of no consequence, and the kept themselves amused whilst you were busy. I'd prefer some inter-character interaction, but that's up to the players.

[GoblinGilmartin]

I think this is fine. The bar fight was role-play of no consequence, and the kept themselves amused whilst you were busy. I'd prefer some inter-character interaction, but that's up to the players.

I would have as well. That's what I'd had planned, and everyone was starting to relax into it. And then Deacon started the bar fight.

[elliott20]

this problem genuinely sounds like an improperly stimulus to agenda set up.

There are a couple of things that can be the problem here:

- scene agenda: when you start a scene, what is the purpose of the scene? not mechanically, but from a narrative standpoint. In movies, they aren't going to show the characters move through street to street unless there is a reason for it. When you set up a scene, that agenda needs to become pretty apparent very quickly. The best way to do this is to actually let the players drive this. Look, if the players are proactive in say, digging through a dungeon, then fine, go through it all room by room with excruciating detail. But if they clearly don't care about all of that, then only have stuff show up when there is an active stimuli that forces them into action, otherwise, skip over it.

- active stimuli: since I just mentioned it, all scenes need to have an active stimuli to it. It needs something that spurs them to action. A piece of information that deals with the players' nemesis, the exact location to the treasure they are looking for. don't make them dig through a bunch of garbage for it. If the info is there, and they make a reasonable effort, give it to them. Because if you let their efforts bear no fruit, they will just get frustrated and stagnant. That's the death of you game

- player motivation: another problem could be that the players are not playing characters with very clear motivations. this is why we ask them to write backstories. But that's often not enough, as how do you know what is important to them? In other games like Fate, they do this by using aspects, or in burning wheel they use beliefs. (Which are really better described as goals) This is the player's way of saying "THIS is what I want to explore about my character". D&D does not handle this well because they have no social mechanics worth a damn. This is why it is helpful to have your players write down a list of maybe 3-4 different important plot points they want to look into. Think of them as beliefs and goals. Then craft your adventure around THAT list. Make sure each player gets hit up at least once on their beliefs each session. With luck, you will have given them enough motivation to start their own initiatives to move the plot forward. THAT'S what you want.

- conversely, do NOT waste the player's time on mundane checks if all it does is slow them down a little. (Unless they're running against a clock) remember this mantra from Dogs in the Vineyard: say yes or roll dice. This is the fundamental to any story game. If this detail is immaterial, say yes and move on. Don't say no just to stick to RAW. Making them make checks just so you can slightly inconvenience them is almost like making people check their encumbrance weight. It's meaningless.

- if all else fails, use the advice form Spirits of the Century: send in the ninjas. Not literally, that is. What the advice meant was if there is no action, throw enemies at them just to give them something to do while you think through how to make it all work. Always make sure throw a single twist to the enemies though when you do this (i.e. zombies? make them gangster zombies. Orcs? make them one eared orcs) and don't do it too often or else it loses it's power.

- if you're running a sandbox game, then you WILL have to live with the very real possibility that they will take all of interesting prep you made, and toss it aside. It is for THIS reason, your material needs to be SUPER flexible in sandbox games. The best way to run a sandbox is to use a random encounter/plot point/items/treasure table as a way of giving you inspirations, throw it their way, and see if they pick up on it. If one of the players show interests in engaging with it, then you run with it and move your materials in to fit that plot. That is how a sandbox MUST be run because otherwise, the prep work will be too difficult to manage.

- In fact, in sandbox, one of the important things to remember is that you should NEVER force yourself to create material that you feel is boring to do. You should be having fun too in this. But this means that you need to create maybe 3-4 different broad things, and just drop templated stuff on the fly. i.e. for my next sandbox session, I have an ogre tribe, a goblin tribe, a barbarian tribe, a keep with a rebel leader, and two extra BBEG that I hinted at that the players can pursue. Here's the thing, beyond creating just the barest character sheets, maybe a map or two and some notes about them, I have not prepared anything else.

- templates & rolling tables are your best friends to make this work. They are certainly mine. I roll for random crap and fit them into the over all picture randomly.

- Another powerful technique in sandbox games is to take the players queues in shaping things. in one game, the GM hadn't put together a whole lot of material, but he decided he would put a pair of axes hanging on a wall. The moment I saw it, I immediately blurted out, "the axe gang!" Instead of taking it for a stupid joke about Kung Fu Hustle, the GM actually wrote it down and started fleshing them out bit by bit.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Actually, this is the main tool when I DM. I create a list of something i think would be cool (good lich hiding an an abandoned church, mushroom worshiping cultists, a medusa who wants a picture of herself, etc.), and then i try to play it loose until i can tie something in.

[GoddessSune]

-Getting players to be active in the game.

This is a common problem. In general, you don't want to do the 'stop and let the players sit around' thing. As the DM you need to keep things moving. When you describe an area, make it interesting. Three easy ways:

1)Add odd/strange things. Don't just have swords hanging on a wall, put some exotic weapons there. Art is also good, a white skull painted on a wall is better then a plain wall. Look through any D&D book and look for the uncommon things. (Even better check out Antiques Roadshow for great stuff)

2)Greed. Anything you describe that even looks of value will attract players like moths to a flame. Even just ''you see a small bag of gold coins on the table'', will get the players jumping around like crazy to have their character grab them. All that glitters will keep players involved, even if the items turn out to be not worth much. Even better, something like a safe or lock box will get the players going to open it, hopping to find riches.

3)Magic. My favorite. Anything cool works great. Even just a levitation candle that floats can get players interested.

-I've got a difficult player who always makes characters with "a bit of himself" in them (Gets drunk, starts fights).

Just let him be ''himself''? If he really ''messes up the game'', you as the DM can just fix things. So say he blows up a tavern, and gets in trouble. Just have him suddenly 'get out of trouble'. For example, the guards just let him go ''oh we caught the guy who really did it, sorry for mistaking you for him''(Even better if you have a 'dead clone' of the character...to spark a mystery).

[GoblinGilmartin]

The weird thing is that I think i already know most of this, but I have a hard time putting it into practice.

[Jay R]

Getting players to be active in the game. Occasionally at points in my game, I'll set up a scene, and then get quiet so the players can look around. They sit there and don't say anything, as if waiting for me to lead them on.
I don't want to lead them around by the ear the entire session.

I've never had the courage to try this, but I've occasionally been tempted:

DM: Here's the situation. [sets up the scene]
Players: [say nothing]
DM: OK, you guys are rooting around through the garbage looking for something to eat...
Players: Hey! We'd never do that!
DM: OK, new rule. From now on, I describe the situation, and you decide what your characters do.

[elliott20]

I've never had the courage to try this, but I've occasionally been tempted:

DM: Here's the situation. [sets up the scene]
Players: [say nothing]
DM: OK, you guys are rooting around through the garbage looking for something to eat...
Players: Hey! We'd never do that!
DM: OK, new rule. From now on, I describe the situation, and you decide what your characters do.

that sounds hilarious... I'm totally going to do that one day just to get their reaction.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

When I ran a Star Wars game, this worked really well: I was the director, and the players were the actors.

I used Star Wars themes and other John Williams soundtracks - and appropriate classical music (of the style that John Williams is emulating in his scores) - as the background to scene setting. Every Episode (session) started in the style of the SW opening crawl, carefully timed to the music.

When I'd done my description, I called "aaand - ACTION!"

When the players went off topic rambling about a great gig or party, I'd wait for a decent break (and join in too, I'm no kill-joy) - but I'd wind it up with "Cut! Guys, stick to the script! Okay, places... and - ACTION!"

I described things in terms of the special effects, stunt doubles and green screen - if the players forgot what they were doing I'd talk them through it, remind them where we got up to and call "ACTION!" again.

It worked really well - keeping the players focused on the game was so easy like that, and it let everyone go off topic once in a while without feeling guilty.

[Jay R]

I never roll for wandering monsters. I prefer to assume that their purpose is to prevent the game from bogging down. If the players spend over five real minutes deciding what to do, then it's ghoul o'clock.

[nedz]

I never roll for wandering monsters. I prefer to assume that their purpose is to prevent the game from bogging down. If the players spend over five real minutes deciding what to do, then it's ghoul o'clock.

Well yes, random encounters arrive for dramatic purposes.

I used to pre-roll a list of 20 encounters and then develop and use the 7-10 I liked. Now I just pre-select appropriate stuff. Appropriate being environmentally appropriate more then level appropriate.

[elliott20]

Well yes, random encounters arrive for dramatic purposes.

I used to pre-roll a list of 20 encounters and then develop and use the 7-10 I liked. Now I just pre-select appropriate stuff. Appropriate being environmentally appropriate more then level appropriate.

I used random encounters less as a "this is what you run into" but rather as a plot point inspiration generator. i.e. in my current game, a Kingmaker Sandbox game, I felt that the players were starting to get stagnant in their plotting, and so to push things forward I rolled on the random encounter table to see what would happen. I rolled up ogres. This doesn't mean I just stick ogres in the middle o the road and that's it. Instead, I create a ogre emissary that has come to the players to negotiate land territory disputes. (At least, as well as Ogres can negotiate anyway)

This actually kickstarted a whole string of other plot points that got the players moving. (including one where one of the players have decided to try to convert one of the ogres into his alignment)

The key to random encounter tables, I believe, is to not use them as simply things that pop into the road the way a JRPG uses enemies. That's silly, and not very useful. But rather, use it to spur reactions. And if the players don't react, and move on, I roll again and use something else.

[Negativethac0]

It might have missed my attention, but - They say they want to play, and you mention you have talked to them about it. But have you asked them what they want to play and why?

I've had a couple of groups very much like this and it turned out we just had too different expectations about everything. I am pretty much like you, I love sandboxing and have a really hard time sticking to something premade (even when I do, I need to expand somehow). But they admit they didn't care much for it.

In my experience it can actually help to sit down and ask them how they'd describe a perfect session and then decide how/whether you're able to provide that, while still having fun on your own.

[ArcturusV]

I suppose since pacing got mentioned, as pertains to Random Encounters, I will mention that pacing is something almost no RPG book I've ever had mentions. But it's so key... it's the difference between okay campaigns and great campaigns. The fact that no books mention it really mystifies me.

I mean, the breakthrough came because, when I was in high school, I had a group who were kind of jerks. They all loved RPGing, but no one ever wanted to DM (Myself included only because I always had to DM and once in a while would like to just be a player). So here's what would happen:

Friend: Hey, wanna come over to my place on Saturday and play a RPG?

Me: .... yeah. You gonna DM it?

Friend: Suuuure. Just show up at 9 AM, and we'll be good to go.

Then I would show up at the time. We'd chat a bit, settle down to game. And here's almost invariably what would happen:

*just finished the second encounter and we're starting to get into it*

Friend: Okay... I'm done.

Me: What?

Friend: I'm done. Ran out of stuff I prepared. But you all liked the adventure so far, right?

Me/Us: Yeah....

Friend: Okay, so here's what we'll do. (Me) will get 15 minutes while we go make food or something and make up the rest of the adventure and GM it.

Me: WHAT?!

Friend: It's cool, you're a good GM, I trust you'll have something awesome.

Me: IN FIFTEEN MINUTES?!

Friend: ... we'll take our time with the food. So you'll have 20 minutes.

Me: ... *busily gets working*

Now that sort of thing was, well... it was a crucible of DMing that made me a better DM. And no, that wasn't a one time thing. They pulled that on me... several times. At least 12. Suffice to say around the 12th time it happened I was pretty prepared.

But it was coming up with a good pacing scheme that really saved my ass on there. I didn't have time to map out a good world, or a dungeon, or really anything other than a bare 5 questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, as it related to the plot.

So a lot of it was done on the fly. And I cam to realize one of the faults I had with a lot of published campaigns or campaigns other people ran. They tended to turn into a slog due to bad pacing. You had things like back to back to back combat encounters. Or an entire 2 hour block where you're sitting around talking. And eventually no matter how fun you made something like that, it would eventually get boring.

So it was just a simple idea (That I've yet to see printed in a RPG book, and seems several adventure modules still fail to use). Good pacing. Alternate Conflict with Development/Exploration segments. Conflicts don't always have to be fights. Development doesn't always have to be sitting and chatting with NPCs. But as long as you maintain that sort of alteration to it, it ensures that:

A) Neither the Combat Based or Non-Combat based characters feel like they are just 5th wheels to the party.

B) No one sort of action dominates the game and makes your encounters (Of any sort) feel like it's just more of the same.

C) It makes it VERY easy to adapt plot lines if your players go off the tracks, as you just keep following the pacing and threading in alternating scene types until they get to where you want them to be again.

D) It helps you design locations/dungeons so they have a more interesting flow than just kicking in doors and killing everything in sight. You know one room is a fight, the next room is something else, maybe the original occupant's drawing room.

E) It helps with the pacing, as if things ever drag down you can start to switch to the next scene type and it feels natural (Because that's how the campaign has been going) rather than "And out of nowhere a ghoul attacks you".

[Lorsa]

When I started roleplaying, we were like 4-5 people, then ended up being 3 and eventually just 2, me and my best friend. This was after about a year and a half of roleplaying and the other people quit or became uninterested for various reasons. Beside the point really.

So for about 3 years of time, before meeting more people to play with again, I ran a lot of solo campaigns with my friends. Ideally we were supposed to alternate who was the GM although most often I would come to his house and our conversation would go like:

He: "I want to play RPG today"
Me: "Me too!"
"So who's the GM?"
"Ehrm... I've been doing it for like 3 months straight now..."
"But... I don't 'really' feel like I can do it today, please please can't you?"
"Alright.... sure... better than no roleplaying at all I guess. So... which campaign do you want to play? (usually had like 2 fantasy and 1 sci-fi running)"
"Ehrm.... the sci-fi one today maybe?"
"Ok sure."

At this point usually one of his parents would come and say it was dinner time.

He: "Ok, so I'll just go for dinner, be back in 10-15 min!"

So I'd have that time to think about what I wanted the next 'thing to happen' to be (as in next adventure start / encounter / whatever). By the time he got back I was usually ready to start GMing, not knowing I would or which campaign we were going to play before I got there.

Somehow I feel those 3 years made a huge impact on how I view roleplaying. It's not supposed to be complicated or take a lot of time or something like that (after that I HAVE had times when I spent an amazing amount of time planning loads of stuff but still). It's supposed to be about a bunch of people sitting down and having fun together. Whip up some new characters if needed and let's go! I am often surprised and astonished how some GM's seem to take forever to plan even the smallest little thing or how they can't run a game if they are not 'properly prepared'. How fun is that when all you want to do is play?

If you can't come up with an adventure by the time your players finish making the characters something is wrong. A food break should be enough to get a situation started. I often feel people make it so extremely complicated when it doesn't have to be!

[elliott20]

Spirits of the Century actually has some pretty good advice on how to run a quick pick up game.

Cliffnotes version is that you should have a general idea of how all of the parties will interact with each other WITHOUT the PCs interference first. Then just have the parties respond to the player's involvement logically. This requires that you have a pretty good handle on the different NPC's motivations and stuff before hand, but that part is fairly simple by comparison to do.

Super Quick Structure right from the SRD

Spoiler

Show

Step One: What is the Hook?
A dynamic game begins with a central hook. It might be a thing, like a valuable treasure or a trade secret. It could be a person, like a traveling billionaire, a famous diva or a brilliant scientist. It might even be a place, like an opera house on opening night, or a just-disturbed gravesite. What it is doesn’t matter, what does matter is what people want with it. <Example>
Step Two: Who Wants It?

The next thing you need is an NPC. The best choice for the first NPC is the character you expect to be the villain of the piece. That character has an interest in the hook. Maybe they want to steal it, maybe they want to destroy it. The why, will be answered in the next question.

“Who” does not always need to be one person. It may be a group, such as an organization, or perhaps an interested individual and his lieutenant. These secondary characters usually are just extensions of the motives of the main character. <Example>
Step Three: What is He Going to Do With It?

Ask yourself, if no-one got in the way, and nothing went wrong, what is the NPC going to do with the hook? What’s their plan?

Bear in mind, when you answer this question, you’re really looking in the medium term. In the short term, they’ll be doing whatever they can to get (or protect or destroy or eat or whatever) the hook, and in the long term, they’ll have applied whatever it is they did with the thing and started using it towards their ultimate goal. The medium term plan is what they’re going to have to do to bridge that gap.

Note, sometimes what the character plans and what the actual consequences are not the same thing in all cases. Thieves stealing something dangerous to sell, but instead being inflicted with a terrible curse, is a great example of how this can go wrong. <Example>

Notice that because plans are medium term, the result is very rarely something so extreme as “and then I rule the world”. Instead, it focuses on a step in the process towards ruling the world.
Step Four: Is That Enough?

If you think you’ve got enough to start things going, then rock on. If not, go back to step two and come up with a new NPC, and answer questions two and three. Keep doing this until you feel you have a sufficiently dynamic situation and a clear picture of what’s going on.

In these subsequent steps, take a moment to consider the characters’ aspects. If they have any aspects for appropriate NPCs, this is a great time to bring them in. Barring that, take a look over the aspects and see if you can bring in NPCs whose plans or motives are going to resonate with those aspects. <Example>