Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 bawylie Dec 16, 2014 22:50:37	One of the harder adventures to write & run in any TTRPG is a good mystery. It's difficult to thread the needle between an easy Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew or an unfathomable Sherlock Holmes. Mostly because it's hard for players to connect unrelated evidence into a coherent theory. Probably none of your players are detectives, even if they're pretending to be.
#2 OrwellianHaggis Dec 17, 2014 2:01:03	Great analysis, thanks. I've tried doing mysteries before and found them extremely difficult to run, but now I see even my starting aim was wrong (the mystery is there to be solved, and doing so is only the hallway point in the adventure). I may have to have another go at one.
#3 Orzel Dec 17, 2014 4:28:59	My "Trouble at Piketown" adventure works just like a Scooby episode except with illusions, teleports, and transmutations. You'd be surprised how hard it is to prove things when people have access to magic. "I caught him... and he teleported" "I killed him... and he is a she and wrapped in illusion" "Oh evidence... just disintegrated by the thieves". "The manifest and logs... I prepared explosive ru... #$%&!.
(Reply to #3) bawylie	Orzel wrote:
(Reply to #2) bawylie	OrwellianHaggis wrote:
#6 iserith Dec 17, 2014 6:44:25	Excellent advice!
#7 bille Dec 17, 2014 9:43:25	Really good stuff. I'm planning a mystery structure to open my next campaign  - not just because I like mysteries, I ran Call of Cthulhu for years - but because it's a great way to get PCs to explore a new setting. It forces them to actively seek out information about people, places, power structures and organisations rather than having it fed to them through DM exposition (which never sticks beyond the first sentence anyway).
#8 bawylie Dec 17, 2014 9:51:18	Mystery is a good way to let the setting reveal the backstory naturally.    I played 1 call of Cthullhu session. So I don't know from that. But I noticed people seem to believe D&D can't handle mysteries. And frankly, I don't think this is system dependent. I think it's a matter of DMs knowing how to use the system and how to run a mystery with independent actors.
#9 Orzel Dec 17, 2014 10:17:52	I think it is more that DMs get too caught up in D&D mechanics for mysteries. D&D has its own flavor of mystery. Clues are invisible or blow up. NPC motives are bizzare to outsiders but easy to follow. Planninf time can be instant or centuries.
#10 bawylie Dec 17, 2014 10:31:57	Even so, it works. Across planes, time, and destruction. Stick to the bullet points and it works. Evidence has to mean something. Has to be findable or followable.
#11 TheNovaLord Dec 17, 2014 11:16:18	I do like a good mystery but magic tends to be too helpful in a fantasy setting so when you hit say 5th level there tends to be spells to find all the answers.
#12 eventhorizon1 Dec 17, 2014 11:23:17	@bawylie ,outstanding post . always needed help with getting these to work.
(Reply to #11) bawylie	TheNovaLord wrote:
(Reply to #12) bawylie	eventhorizon1 wrote:
(Reply to #11) Orzel	TheNovaLord wrote:
#16 sleypy Dec 17, 2014 14:35:45	Interest article. Bawlyie. This comes at a good time for me because I am develop a basic timeline for the upcoming 8 week season Miskatonic Society that is running locally.   I was reading this Guide, The Lazy Man's Guide to Constructing a Call of Cthulhu Adventure, which has many similarities (though a very different source of inspiration).
(Reply to #41) bawylie	Orzel wrote:
#43 Orzel Dec 18, 2014 22:25:21	bawylie wrote:
#44 Shasarak Dec 18, 2014 22:39:09	How much XP will we get for killing Kazanh?   Plus the irony of talking with a dead Necromancers corpse is delicious!   Mmm, delicious irony and the expression on his face.
#45 sleypy Dec 18, 2014 22:44:04	Mysteries should have a red herring or two. Divination should not be unfairly targeted, but neither should get  a free pass just because it cost a resource.   I think at the point when players are dragging innocent people off the street on false charges and cast spells on them against their will that they are creating a whole new set of difficulties that can fill the void left by the mystery. That sounds like a strong indicator that the players don't want a mystery, and that is probably the most important clue to be  picked up on.