The Background
I run a game that focuses on narrative and roleplay. Often, my players will create their own McGuffin that I will then shift into a primary plot device. This usually takes the party away from some primary plot points and drives the story in a different direction. I feel this all works pretty well because it always allows the players to feel as if they’ve made an important discovery and that they’re driving the story, not me. The downside? This leaves some unresolved threads.
Recently, my players have been asking about those threads and what happened because we didn’t resolve them. I explain that not taking care of them has had consequences that they haven’t been around to see. Essentially, the world continues without them. However, we’ve reached a point in the story (homebrewed) where these threads matter. So we’re going back to see the consequences of unfinished business.
The Discussion
I’d like to see your take on unfinished business and how you represent consequences in the world. Do you allow the story to just move on to the BBEG, or do you make the players feel like their choices matter beyond the immediate session? How do you do either, neither, or something else entirely?
absolutely let the players drive the narrative.
of course ‘things are happening on the side’, but those events only manifest when instantiated by the players, and then it’s kinda fly by wire.
if i’ve created a BBEG, they’ll run into them eventually as i create the setting and things that can happen, but they’ll drive the plot and story.
100% yes. I believe my players have a much better time when they “find the plot.” There are narrative lines to pull, but the key is to allow the players to find these lines in what they believe to be important. I can create as many characters and plot devices as I like, but many times, the players’ actions will necessitate a whole new character or route.
This happened in a recent session. I had a location with named NPCs who could help the party escape from a city where they were wanted. Even after all the info on these characters and coming so close (literally one room away), the players decided they wanted to find someone else. Now Patrick Seaworth, an arm-wrestling legend, exists in the world.