General Mission’s Objectives?

[Spinward Scout]

When setting up scenarios for your game, do you figure out what the mission objectives are?

Or do you just wing it and see what the Players come up with?

And how do you set those mission objectives?

Or am I putting too much thought into this?

 

[vegas]

Mission objectives? Only if there is a patron or command structure the PCs are responsible to. Otherwise as a ref i create drama - a conflict that involves the PCs or that demands their attention - and then I leave it to the players to decide what to do about it.

 

[Condottiere]

Getting paid.

Unless it's personal.

 

[Daidoji Dave]

When setting up scenarios for your game, do you figure out what the mission objectives are?

Mostly, yes. How the players go about meeting the objective, or if they really do at all, is entirely up to them. If they get stuck I don't drop hints on how they're supposed to proceed, and I stay open to ideas and solutions I hadn't anticipated. But in principle, the job is the job.

I especially always have a mission/adventure ready to go for the beginning of a campaign. Even in a sandbox campaign, a new group doesn't have the information needed to make really informed choices as players, so I still start with something directed as they get their feet under them.

As time goes on some groups start picking their own goals. In D&D I've had groups decide to start a mercenary company, or build a castle at low levels before name level. In Traveller its been things more like "you know, we should get out of this system for a while," or "can we do a salvage mission to earn some credits? Is there word about anything like that going around?" and then I can generate an adventure around that, either directly related ("funny you should mention that, there is a ship overdue") or just at the same time/place ("first thing you get in the new system is an SOS broadcast that they're evacuating the highport and need all ships"). So that's player directed gaming of a kind, but it emerges organically over time rather than being something I start with.

Once and only once I GMed for a group that had talked during the week about how to pull off a heist of an NPC they'd met, without warning me ahead of time. I had enough prepped I didn't have to break and generate anything new so I just ran for it. One of the better sessions I've run, but not due to being my idea, just due to having proactive players and me keeping up.

Similarly, I'd run for players signing up with the villain, pulling a Yojimbo and playing both sides against the middle, stealing a ship, robbing a bank... but its not the way to bet on a weekly basis, and I don't suggest all those things or it would just be me playing for the players.

And how do you set those mission objectives?

Typically they're intrinsic to the concept. If the job is keep a patron alive while he hunts a neo-Tyrannosaurus Rex, then that's the mission objective. Keep the patron alive, help him bag a genetically re-engineered T-Rex. What could go wrong?

The challenge with Traveller GMing is more coming up with enough complications and twists to have a satisfying adventure. Instead of a simple "go out, find the T Rex, shoot the T Rex, come back" adventure (what could go wrong? have a rival hunter after the same game and only the first one wins, have some attempted sabotage from that quarter, have terrain difficulties, have a forest fire to survive or a solar flare disrupting comms and electronics, whatever you can think of and more.

Added:
Not mine, and not directly what you're asking, but here's an old post about someone else's approach to mission generation. I don't actually share his mania for last minute adventures, but I still found it useful.

Banishing Adventure-Writer's Block

In my gaming career the only sessions I could easily improvise were those for cyberpunk games. I could create a scenario with 5 minutes notice, and extend on the fly. I had a blast, and played alot. More recently, with some old school D&D and now Traveller (players are my two sons) I've been...

forum.mongoosepublishing.com

 

[mike wightman]

Nope. Most of the stuff that happens is unscripted. The scene is set, the expected outcome the patron wants if relevant is discussed. After that it is the players' game.

I do not like (within my Traveller games)
active duty campaigns
super spy organisation campaigns
mercenary campaigns

 

[atpollard]

Nope. Most of the stuff that happens is unscripted. The scene is set, the expected outcome the patron wants if relevant is discussed. After that it is the players' game.

... the "life is what happens while you were making other plans" philosophy (aka. 'No plan survives contact with the enemy players.' - Helmuth von Moltke me )

 

[bookwyrm]

1. Post 4: I read the 'Banishing Adventure - Writers Block' Thread and it was really good. Thanks for sharing.
2. Post 6: 'No plan survives contact with the players' is awesome! I've quoted the 'enemy' version a few times in conversations with friends and strangers...

 

[infojunky]

When setting up scenarios for your game, do you figure out what the mission objectives are?

Er?

Or Adventure hooks generally include the idea of what it takes to fix/complete it.

As how I come up with them, read, watch movies Etc. etc... When I idea occurs I write it down on a index card or in my notebook, then flesh it out over time...

Note I trend to toss out multiple hooks over the course of a game, only really working about the ones the players bite on.

Or do you just wing it and see what the Players come up with?

See above.

Or all games/sessions are "just winging it" kinda. The note book of ideas helps a lot.

Or am I putting too much thought into this?

Ok, when I run, I throw out ideas, the Hooks are the bits that get the players in to a story. Often when I see I have a hook, I will flesh it out with sub-hooks of possible things the players can do to further the goals of the original idea.

Now related to the hooks are the locations. Often when writing a location in response to a Hook, other hooks occur that can start in that location.

Games are generally a collection of parts, or in MT parlance Adventure Nuggets (BTW it is a great system).

A exercise, if I may. Choose a subsector, pick a half dozen or so of the most interesting systems, write down the first idea you have for each. I use index cards with the world name and UWP at the top and a one sentence description of the area around the port. I then flip trough them adding things like notable features, Situations and the like as the occur. Do this every so often as a Idea occurs.

Related note the things that the players say or are looking for, especially as it relates to the bits that you have already done. The Ideas for adventures/hooks will pop out more and more as you play.

Now if you have a player that really gets into some aspect of the game, co-opt them, include their ideas. The more you can involve them the better the game will be.

I tend to run a sandbox.

 

[atpollard]

When planning either adventures or campaigns, I have found this to be VERY helpful:

Using the 5×5 Method for Adventure Design

 

[atpollard]

A variation that I use is to create a grid, say 4 x 6 for an example. In each of the 4 rows is a "Plot Thread" ... an "adventure" or some unfolding event that the players are either directly or indirectly related to. Here are our 4 sample "PLOT THREADS":

1. Local Bar is struggling and may go bankrupt (the PLAYERS are free to do something or nothing about it ... it is just happening at the bar near the spaceport where they drink).
2. There is a Cargo of Electronic "widgets" that can be purchased for far below the standard price (a good roll on Speculative Cargo ... the group can attempt to locate and purchase it, or not).
3. Crime is increasing and the Local LEO seem less capable of dealing with it.
4. There are rumors of increased political tensions in the region (a small war is about to happen, but this is beyond the scale of the players to change interplanetary political events).

In addition to the 4 "PLOT THREADS", we have 6 columns of "PEOPLE/PLACES":

• A: Local Bar
• B: Abandoned Factory
• C: Downport
• D: "Wild Weasel" - "Streetwise" local character
• E: "The Preacher" - Local Clergy operates mission for poor.
• F: "El Chapo" - Local Business owner with rumors of "black market connection" [old man].

Indexing the PLOT THREADS to the PEOPLE/PLACES creates a table of information ... what can be learned about each PLOT from each PERSON/PLACE. The Players start out in one of the PEOPLE/PLACES where they have access to RUMORS and INFORMATION on at least SOME of the PLOTS. The players can follow the rumor/information to one of the other sources and learn more about THAT PLOT and/or OTHER PLOTS. The PERSON/PLACE only knows what it knows and tells what you ask ... it is for the players to sort out what facts go with which plots.

As an example: Starting at A (Local Bar) ...

1. Maria serves you your drinks and you overhear her comment to another waitress that business and her pay are both down again this week. [If you inquire further, they tell you that the criminals are becoming more brazen and driving away customers - hint at #3].
2. There is a hand-written note on the bulletin board advertising "ELECTRONICS FOR SALE, Good Prices, CASH ONLY!" and a phone number. [Speculative Cargo]
3. Each time you leave the bar, there is a 1 in 6 chance that someone will attempt to rob the group. d6: 1-3=group with fists, 4-5 two men with knives, 6=one man with gun.
4. TV in bar playing news report about "special ambassador" sent to deal with rising tensions. Patron drinking at bar complains that his reserve unit was ordered to report for unscheduled training exercises.

Some "RUMORS/INFORMATION" can be TIME related ... so when you go to the PERSON/LOCATION could change WHAT they know.

The best part is that PLAYERS create links between facts that may or may not exist. Then the REF can decide whether the original concept or the PLAYER idea is better and go with it. Behind the scenes the REF has a few simple facts that drive the rumors.

1. The bar is struggling because the GANG is attempting to drive it out of business [Protection Racket].
2. The Electronics Cargo is legitimate, but there is a "story behind the story" about WHY the owner needs to sell Quickly, For Cash. The PLAYERS may need to WORK to earn that profit. Perhaps there is a business partner attempting to stop the sale as part of a hostile takeover. Perhaps the parts have no paperwork and will need to be exported discreetly. Perhaps a collection agency is attempting to repossess those parts and the Players may need to KEEP THEM by force against hired thugs seeking to claim them. Perhaps the seller is hiding from people wanting to hurt him and FINDING a paranoid seller will be a challenge.
3. Crime is getting a helping hand. Off World agents are funding and equipping local gangs to weaken the local government as preparations for a possible invasion. LEO is being trained and siphoned off as Marines in preparation for a diplomatic worst case.
4. The Political situation is much worse than the press is telling the people. Corsairs under letters of marque have begun destroying starships to hamper trade, increase insurance rates and draw Naval Forces into Commerce Protection. The region is on the brink of a shooting war, but panic must be avoided.

• B: The Abandonded Factory is the Gang Headquarters and the location where the Electronic parts are locked up.
• C: Downport has been quietly closed to locals to prevent exodus and information about "Piracy". Crews with ships discover extra security.
• D: "Wild Weasel" is a mentally unstable [PTSD] psion living on the street that "hears" thoughts but cannot remember where he heard them. He has LOTS of random rumors.
• E: "The Preacher" is an ex-Marine Master Sergeant who has connections to people throughout the city - rich and poor. He is all about helping the "widows and children".
• F: "El Chapo" is not "Black Market" ... he is ONI retired.