Help with my scenario

[Benedict]

I have what I think is a great idea for a scenario, but I am really struggling with the details to turn it into an adventure.

My PCs are moving to Aghrapur as part of the Turanian army (as per my earlier post 'The intrigues of Aghrapur'). My scenario idea is that the PCs are given duties ensuring security during the visit of the Vendhyan Minister for Peace and War. The PCs are to ensure the safety of the minister's retinue during the visit, as Vendhya is a strategic ally, but also to foil any espionage or mischief by the Vendhyans, as they are of course strategic competitors.

The problem is, I don't know what should happen during the visit. Some scenes that I have pictured include a rumble between the Vendhyan soldiers and the Aghrapur city guard, assassins/spies climbing walls using tiger claws, a dancer sending coded signals through her hand movements and an elephant stampede through the souk. However, I don't know what any of them mean. What could be going on behind the scenes?

 

[throrII]

Perhaps one of the members of the Vendhyan envoy party is secretly an acolyte of the Black Circle, and is attempting to gain a lock of King Yedzigard's hair, so as to kill him as they killed Bunda Chan. Using a dancing girl to get close to the King is a possibility.

 

[Benedict]

Perhaps one of the members of the Vendhyan envoy party is secretly an acolyte of the Black Circle, and is attempting to gain a lock of King Yedzigard's hair, so as to kill him as they killed Bunda Chan. Using a dancing girl to get close to the King is a possibility.

I would like to include the Black Seers.

I have a picture in my mind of the PCs seeing a small group of spies or thugs climbing a tower and entering a window, with a Black Seer also entering as a cloud of crimson smoke. But I don't know what might happen on the other side of the window. Perhaps the PCs arrive to prevent someone important being murdered, but are unaware that it is actually the Black Seer in the guise of the important person.

Overall I would like the PCs to find Vendhyans up to all sorts of tricks – breaking into places etc. – but not knowing why. Not knowing if it is an attempt to assassinate the sultan or grand vizier or an attempt to assassinate the Vendhyan minister, or something else. (Ideally it would then turn out to be something completely different that only becomes apparent later.) What I am thinking at the moment is that what looks like an attempt on the life of the high priest of Tarim is actually a plot to both kill him and replace him with an impostor.

I still don't know how to work in the secret dance code and elephant stampede however.

 

[Aholibamah]

Have this happen. Have the Vendhyan party have its own intrigues. Secretly one party is all for war while the party supporting the envoy is for the treaty.

You can also have the Black Circle involved in a general attempt to foil current schemes and place their own puppets in power.

So for instance the dancing girl might be one of two or three plants placed in the entourage or among attendants offered by the Turanians who is expecting a contact of a certain kind and will make a signal of a certain kind to him--perhaps this is in response to a moment when the Vendhyan envoy will rise and make a gesture of gratitude following the dance. Then the assassins attempt to strike, but the heroes are near and foil the deed--then must try to track them down or do whatever seems to make most sense. You could either throw them a bone and make it clear or else perhaps just have them roll to see if they remember the dancing girl as a connection.

As for the elephant stampede, perhaps it is actually a solemn parade or something that goes disastrously wrong, heading for a grandstand where the officials are gathered as the beasts are trumpeting in terror at SOMETHING.

And perhaps if they missed the first clue the same dancing girl sweetly has offered the elephants a treat.

Wouldn't it be interesting if instead of being just a plant the dancing girl was a master assassin trained by the Black Circle? You could have a supposedly sinister sorceror as a red herring when in fact he is merely a sage who likes to seem grand and mysterious and is actually rather harmless apart from bilking either a Turanian or the Vendhyan lord out of some cash for his supposed magics.

 

[thulsa]

I have what I think is a great idea for a scenario, but I am really struggling with the details to turn it into an adventure.

For general inspiration, I would recommend the following book, "Flashman and the Mountain of Light" (which I consider among the best of the Flashman books):

http://www.amazon.com/Flashman-Mountain-George-MacDonald-Fraser/dp/0452267854

While the Flashman books are rather, eh, tongue-in-cheek, they are very funny and they have some great examples of intrigues and plotting that just beg to be used as RPG material. Since this book is set in India, it should give you some good imagery for use in the Turan/Vendhya region.

- thulsa

 

[Spectator]

Right on Thulsa!
I thought I was the only guy who knew about Flashman.
Definitely the ultimate anti-hero but so well written its great.

"THe mountain of light" was solid.

But I'm a Sucker for "The great game".

 

[Doc Martin]

Can I add my recommendation of Flashman to the growing list - damn funny, as politically incorrect as it comes, but also fantastic adventure/action stories. I would suggest reading the lot as inspiration for the sort of adventures an outsider can get into in strange lands - and, as ever, there are no lands and cultures stranger than those that actually existed historically. 'Flashman and the Dragon' has him in China - easily converts to Khitai with messianic rebels fighting an ancient and corrupt dynasty; 'Flashman at the Charge' takes him to central Asia where brave nomads battle imperial expansion (Hyrkanians VS Turan I would suggest). Basically, all but the books set in the States offer plots and situations that would make great Hyborian adventures with only a little conversion.

To get back to the original post, as a GM who sometimes runs these sorts of intrigues (and doesn't always get it right) one thing to bear in mind is that all the cunning plotting in the world is wasted if the players don't find out about it. Sometimes you just have to be a little bit crude and drop in the information - happening to 'overhear' a conversation is a trick I have used.

I you really want to emphasise the doom-laden and corrupt feel of the setting (your choice of course) you might bring matters to an end by having the PCs patron decide they know too much (can't afford to have them making embarassing revelations about our 'noble' allies and all that) and set out to have them killed. Just give them a chance to escape by the skin of their teeth - perhaps they will have been kind to someone along the way who will give them a warning?

Hope it all helps - happy plotting!

 

[Brass Jester]

I have what I think is a great idea for a scenario, but I am really struggling with the details to turn it into an adventure.

However, I don't know what any of them mean. What could be going on behind the scenes?

What you could do is just put all this stuff onto a timeline and just let it run. Listen to what theories the players come up with and work from there (ie: let their devious twisted minds inspire your scenario). I like the Dancing Girl idea and will probably pinch that; although I don't yet know what to do with it.

 

[librarycharlie]

One awesome twist is to make something look like intrigue, but have the truth be much, much simpler. Everyone's searching for conspiracies, but ignoring the obvious.

In my campaign, some Lord was recently murdered, and all indications point to a powerful son of a regional sorcerer. This makes some people think the sorcerer is making a play for power in the area.

Actually, however, the man was murdered by a slave who he had abused regularly, who had seen the sorcerer's son and was able to frame the boy for the crime. The appearance of great intrigue was actually just cover for a single, clever individual who wanted nothing more complicated than revenge.

Good times!