In most modern forms ofDungeons & Dragonscampaigns, roleplaying has become more rewarding and desired in TTRPG spaces, and with this often comes an intricate campaign plot devised by the dungeon master. This leads to memorable campaigns that can be fun for the party to unravel over time, unlocking its many secrets.
This does not mean that the party will know where the plot leads or even begins, unknowingly avoiding it entirely by making their own fun in your lovingly crafted world. If you want them to follow your plot and engage in the desired campaign threads, you will have to be careful in how you railroad them.
10Teleport Missed Content
One of the hardest lessons a DM learns is spending way too much time designing a dungeon only for the players to skip it entirely, wasting hours of prep for nothing. However, because the groundwork has been laid, you only need to place it in their path until they happen to stumble upon it.
This may involve redesigning the dungeon’s aesthetic or a few key monsters inside, but it will ensure that the important plot item you stashed inside gets found by the party. you’re able to also move NPCs and items around, placing them near the party whenever they decide they want to have a conversation or ransack a desk.
If your world-building isn’t set in stone, you’re able to even move entire towns and geography around.
9Bribe The Party
The hooded character in the corner of the tavern eyes the party suspiciously, holding secrets under his cloak that beg to be revealed, as they completely ignore him for the goblin bartender with the funny hat. Players will always chase what interests them, and sullen loners often make players feel pressured to perform for a vague reward.
If you want to play this style of game, where the party chases clues and follows the plot, make it worth their while. A bounty board containing the face of the secret BBEG has a reward of ten thousand gold pieces. The gnomish inventor, who is missing a crucial item for his work, promises enchantments to whoever aids his quest.
8Tie Plot To Character Backstory
The one thing players care about most in the world they are adventuring in is usually their own character, and they will care more about the adventure if they feel tied to the campaign. By including important NPCs from their backstory, or the god they draw power from, they will instinctively chase those threads.
If done correctly, it can also be one of the most rewarding and memorable campaigns for both players and DMs, as it is a more collaborative form of storytelling. Just make sure you include all the players' backstories at some point, so that you aren’t spotlighting one character over others.
7Fudge The Dice
Did your wizard cast True Polymorph on the villain before he could reveal his secret plot? Did your rogue roll too low on their stealth test while tailing the evil court wizard? With the power of a DM screen and a dream, you can allow yourself to tell the story your dice won’tby fudging the rolls.
This is perhaps the simplest way you’re able to perform a more interesting and plot-driven campaign, especially when your players are actively making an attempt to find it out, all while maintaining the integrity of the game. However, this is only true if youneverreveal that you fudge the dice; otherwise, your players will feel like their rolls don’t matter.
You should only fudge when it is critically necessary. If the most narratively satisfying outcome always happens, it can be obvious you’re fudging, and you’d be surprised by what story dice can tell on their own.
6Abduct The Party
A decision that can influence the entire course of a campaign is the party’s choice of which direction to go next. Avoiding the capital city entirely or the location of a portal to the Feywild, now you’ll have to come up withimprovised plot hooksin the village of Dorf, which you named as a joke and never thought about again.
A way to add tension and stakes to the campaign while less-than-gently guiding the players to the right path is by having them abducted by forces out of their control. Perhaps a demon teleports them to their fiery domain, or a night at the tavern has them waking up miles away for mysterious reasons, and now their goals have suddenly shifted.
5Make It Personal
The loving pet owlbear the party rescued while escaping a blazing forest fire is suddenly killed in a conflict with the main villain. Not only will the party swear vengeance until their dying day and curse the villain with every name in the book, but they will also have a desire to follow the campaign’s intended direction.
Even the nicest, most empathetic player can become an unstoppable force when their newly acquired magic item is stolen from their pouch. When the party is personally affected by the events of the campaign’s central conflict, they will be far more motivated to resolve it than if they were only a passive witness.
4Use Milestone Leveling
Milestone leveling involvesdeciding for the party when they level up based on little more than vibes and meeting arbitrary points in the campaign’s plot. This can be a way to both reward and inform the players when they are on the right track, essentially Pavlovianing them into making campaign-driven decisions.
XP leveling is when players gain experience by defeating monsters or navigating obstacles, which gives the player more power in the campaign’s direction. While this is ideal for certain campaigns, it makes the DM’s role more of a neutral narrator than a force for direction and intricate plot moments.
3Every NPC Becomes Important
Often, your players might come across a crowd in a tavern or a busy city street and request to interact with them. This NPC is usually a random nobody with a name picked from a table, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t suddenly a secret thieves' guild agent with ties to the campaign’s villain.
While you won’t be able to reveal this kind of information to your players without being obvious, always be prepared to reward players who make Insight tests or have access to mind-reading spells. Perhaps the rogue recognizes a Thieves' Cant symbol on her satchel, making her identity known as a guild member.
2Funnel Plot Hooks Into The Main Campaign
Plot hooks can act similarly to side quests in video games, prompting players to engage in conflicts that have clear solutions and rewards, and act as an excuse to use class resources and roleplay. While not all plot hooks are equally important, you can design them with the main conflict or plot in mind.
As a gang of Robin Hood types is making the main road dangerous, the local Lady requests the party’s assistance, but they find a caged bard in their camp who has information that could harm the Lady’s reputation. Within each plot hook and side quest, attempt to find a way to engage the players further with hints and paths regarding a larger conflict.
1Maintain The Illusion Of Choice
As a DM, you should rarely tell your players, “no”, unless they are outright ignoring the game’s etiquette. If your rogue wants to sneak into the king’s bedroom to look for secret missives that prove his cruelty, denying them and revealing there is no secret plot isn’t saving them time and disappointment, but removing their agency.
This is where improvisational skills are important, as you will know when players are making mistakes and following dead ends before they even begin. Maybe the rogue doesn’t find proof of an evil reign, but rather a sealed letter from an anonymous agent threatening the king, redirecting the rogue to a new path without wasting misplaced effort.
