@@ -291,36 +291,61 @@ Another way to add impromptu elements into your game is Side Quests.
These are short encounters which slowly feed elements into the background of your game.
They're good for foreshadowing without too much planning, and good for adding things to the path of players who simply want to run around in a sandbox, without the constraint of a full-on plot-arc.
Let's look at an example from a village area:
\subsubsection{Example 1: The Beast}
\begin{exampletext}
\begin{list}{\Square}{}
Villagers have been cutting down trees near a spot sacred to the elves.
Negotiations have failed, and now the elves intend to drive the humans out like vermin by burning down the human houses.
Villagers start responding by attacking any elves, or magic users on sight (they associate all magic with elves).
\item[\CheckedBox]
(Town) Villagers approach the party, asking them to help slay a beast.
\item
(Villages)
Scared villagers tell the \glspl{pc} about the strange beast they've seen, and where it went.
\item
(Villages) Another troupe, also looking to slay the best arrive. If they characters have killed the beast, they take credit; otherwise they journey out to kill the beast themselves.
\item
(Villages)
A powerful alchemist arrives and asks about his missing pet (the beast).
He explains the beast a peaceful herbivore, who only becomes aggressive when cornered.
He will plan vengeance upon anyone who killed the beast.
\item
(Forest)
The alchemist hired a tracker to follow whoever killed the beast, along with a soldier.
He assaults them at the worst possible time, during another encounter (the \glspl{pc} may only hear about the results of this encounter afterwards if they are not present).
\end{exampletext}
\end{list}
\subsubsection{Encounters}
Note they key tenants of Side Quests:
\begin{list}{\Square}{}
\begin{enumerate}
\item[\CheckedBox]{(Villages) Villagers are burning a witch at the stake and will grab any known magic user or elf in the party.}
\item
Every part has an area, and this part of the side quest can happen almost anywhere within that area.
\item
Specific locations (like a dungeon) may exist, but they are not part of the Side Quest.
\item
No part of the Side Quests will rely on a particular outcome from a previous part, or a specific time-period.
\item{(Villages) The party notice a group of elves sneaking up to a village. If they don't stop them, the elves attempt to set fire to various houses.}
\end{enumerate}
\item{(Villages) Watchmen arrive in the villages, with orders to kill all magic users and elves on sight. Repeat.}
Villagers might approach the player-troupe, wherever they are in town.
And when the troupe return, the rival troupe could be in any village, no matter which route home the troupe takes.
This is not meant to `rail-road' players -- if they want to avoid a known location or mission, they can.
Accepting the villager's plea does not feature in the quest.
\end{list}
Pre-planned locations which must be approached can still exist, along with details, but Side Quest parts cannot assume the players choose to engage with them in a particular way (or at all).
That said, you can place some locations as random scenes.
If a tavern could be anywhere in town, you can put the tavern on the map once the \glspl{pc} encounter it, or have them find a mad hermit's house on the outskirts of a village.
Just mark his location (once the \glspl{pc} find him), and the story remains consistent.
When the players enter the villages, you spring part 1 on them, so they see villages burning a witch at the stake.
The second time the players get a Side Quest in the villages, they might get part 2, where they see elves sneaking up to set fire to human houses.
Some Side Quests finish on a loop, so the players can repeatedly encounter watchmen in the village who will not take kindly to known magic users.
Each part's independence means that most Side Quests can still play out, without worrying about how the last one resolved.
However, previous actions can still affect how a given Side Quest plays out -- the alchemist may be friendly or hostile to the \glspl{pc}, depending on what happened with his beast.
Even if the \glspl{pc} did nothing, every part would still begin -- previous actions affect the new scene's actions, but should not stop it occurring.
Notice that none of the encounters require the party to do anything.
If they don't want to engage in the plot, they can sit back and watch unless someone is actively trying to engage with them.
If any Side Quest contains a repeating \gls{npc}, who appears in more than one scene, it's good to introduce multiple \glspl{npc} who can fill this role, in case one dies early one.
Alternatively, a single arch-nemesis might meet the \glspl{pc} in a tavern, and befriend them in the first scene, before subsequent scenes can establish them as a villain without them being present.
One more example:
\subsubsection{Example 2: The Suspicious Priest}
\begin{exampletext}
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@@ -330,11 +355,14 @@ A priest is using his ability to divine the future to capture criminals \emph{be
\begin{list}{\Square}{}
\item[\CheckedBox]{(Villages) A local priest offers to tell the party their fortunes. Combine this with the next encounter, then move it to Town.}
\item[\CheckedBox]
(Villages) A local priest offers to tell the party their fortunes. Combine this with the next encounter, then move it to Town.
\item{(Town) The characters pass by men in stocks who keep shouting that they are all innocent, and were suddenly taken away by various guards after the local priest fingered them for a crime. Move this encounter back to the villages.}
\item
(Town) The characters pass by men in stocks who keep shouting that they are all innocent, and were suddenly taken away by various guards after the local priest fingered them for a crime. Move this encounter back to the villages.
\item{(Villages) A dozen guards are tracking the characters. Repeat.}
\item
(Villages) A dozen guards are tracking the characters. Repeat.
\end{list}
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@@ -360,7 +388,7 @@ In addition to story-based Side Quests, it's good to give each area a bunch of e
This collection of non-quests serves two functions.
The first is to provide some short encounter when the time calls for it, but without getting the party wrapped up in yet another adventure.
If you already have five Side Quests happening at the same time, that's probably as much as the party want to handle.
If you already have five Side Quests happening at the same time, that's probably as much as the players can handle.
The second use is in wrapping up a campaign.
If you have only two more plot-threads you want to wrap up, the rest of the world doesn't need to feel empty -- encounters can continue, but they needn't start more plot-threads.
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@@ -381,51 +409,38 @@ If you want to run Side Quests as a secondary part of your game, you can just ru
If you want them to be the primary mover in your campaign, you can run a Side Quest every time the group enters a new area.
You can also make one plot line the \emph{primary} quest by making it longer than the others.
Putting the above Side Quests together, if a party were moving from the villages, to the forest, then back to the villages, and finally to town, they would
encounter Villagers burning a witch at the stake.
In the forest, they would find a gnome attempting to sell them half-faked goods.
If the party took some gems from the gnome and wanted to sell them in town, they'd have to return through the villages.
The encounter with the priest would combine with seeing elves sneaking about at night, so perhaps the priest travels with them, and that night he and the party all see the elves attempting to burn down houses.
Finally, once everyone reaches town, the party would find those men in stocks, put there by the prophecies of the priest.
However you run Side Quests, players should each receive 4 \gls{xp} for completing a Side Quest for each part the party engaged with.
A 2 part Side Quest grants 8 \gls{xp}, while a 4 part Side Quest grants 16 \gls{xp} to each party member.
\subsubsection{Anatomy of Side Quests}
Putting the above Side Quests together, the events could play out as follows:
Side Quests often begin with an example to introduce the players to the scene.
This example won't work for every group in just any situation, but provides a starting point to picture how things might play out.
\begin{boxtext}
As you sit down to write your first Side Quest, you are assaulted by a blank white page!
\end{boxtext}
After that, you'll find details such as the \glspl{npc}, with their stats and motives.
After the Side Quests have finished, you'll find details of any locations relevant to the Side Quests.
Side Quests should never require characters going to a specific location, since they are something which happen \emph{to} the party, but Side Quests can still reference an area, such as the local priest's church, or the sacred lake which the elves guard.
\subsubsection{Preparation}
Rolling up Encounters and Side Quests beforehand can really get a game rolling, and you'll have more opportunity to integrate those encounters together.
You'll find space on your \gls{gm} sheet (back of the book) to write down a couple of Encounters and Side Quests per area.
Once a Side Quest becomes available, tick the box next to it in the miniature table of contents (the first one is ticked by default).
Once you have completed a part, mark it with an `X' then tick the next part to show it's ready to play once the party have entered the area.
\subsubsection{Holes in the Map}
\begin{enumerate}
Some encounters include places (not as attached locations, but as the actual encounter).
For example, one Side Quest might include finding `the Elven Citadel', while traversing the swamps.
From that point on, the Elven Citadel is in the swamps.
\item
(Town)
Villagers ask the party to slay a beast.
\item
(Village)
A priest is reading villagers fortunes.
One villager is fated to die a horrible death soon, and the other villagers say that the beast will get him, because they saw it the other day.
The priest asks to read the \glspl{pc}' fortunes.
\item
(Village)
After tracking and injuring the beast, but ultimately fleeing, the \glspl{pc} rest overnight, while the rival troupe moves out to finish the beast off, and take all the glory for themselves.
\item
(Town)
An alchemist, staying in the same tavern as the \glspl{pc} asks if they've seen his pet, claiming it would never hurt anyone.
The \glspl{pc} point him towards the rival troupe, who have already taken all the credit for killing the beast.
\item
(Town)
The next day, they see a line of criminals proclaiming they are all innocent.
\item
(Village)
Guards try to arrest them, so they fight, and eventually have to flee into the forest.
\item
The old rival troupe attempt to claim the bounty on the \glspl{pc} head, and hunt them down -- but the alchemist appears at the last moment to save them.
This has unintended side effects for maps, as some areas cannot be placed on any map until they occur.
Of course, all the set locations attached to side quest parts can be placed onto the map, so no map needs to be barren.
\end{enumerate}
If you have paper to spare, designating a party cartographer can bring a map to life by filling in the areas as you go.
However you run Side Quests, players should each receive 4 \gls{xp} for completing a Side Quest for each part the party engaged with.
A 2 part Side Quest grants 8 \gls{xp}, while a 4 part Side Quest grants 16 \gls{xp} to each party member.
