Questions about "Quest"ions

[Razzinold]

Ok so here's the thing, I am fairly new to being the GM, so far my players like the game, they liked the battle they just had against the Haunting Children from Dino Swamp, they complimented me on the level of organization and detail I put into to make things "alive" but where I find I lack (which is fitting because I just read the GM pros/weakness thread) is I need to come up with a better system for NPC's to answer quest, questions.

Basically it's this, when I am running the type of adventure where they need to find a person, gang, info about a sacred relic, etc. I need a better way to handle, how much and when to, give the info the players need to move on to the next step of the quest.

For instance, their new assignment is to try and track down a gang that is believed to be harvesting bionic parts from living people. So obviously they need to scout around and ask questions. Say they ask the bartender of some bar if he knows anything, what do I do, tell them no and let them move on, tell them no and kinda hint he's lying, or tell them yes and give them bits and pieces?
I find I can come up with good stories but with being new to GMing, it's this part I have trouble with. I suppose I could just let them try a few places and then the next person they ask happens to have information, but that seems weak story wise to me. And if I draw it out too much it will get boring. How do you keep it believable and exciting ? For this example the main part of the adventure, is the actual adventure part of doing the detective work.

I used to have a chart I would roll on (based on a 20 sided die with some percentile elements thrown in) when they asked an NPC a question something like:
1-4 Honestly doesn't know anything
5-8 Knows but lies and says they don't
9- 12 Knows but refuses to tell
13- 16 Lies and passes it off as truth
17-20 Tells the truth

and then I had sub categories like, if it was knows but refuses to tell, I had things listed like
1-5 willing to take a bribe
6-10 can't be forced/scared into talking
11-15 Willing to talk with show of force
16- 20 Minor torture/threats/beating
or Tells Truth:
1-6 gives the info freely
7-13 wants payment
14-20 trades for a service

things like that, and I had percentile beside them all. Should I just stick with this kind of system or does someone know a better method ? Obviously I know the answers, but obviously I can't allow every NPC (which is also me ) they encounter to know the answers too!

any ideas, comments on my chart example (the one I used to have written out was more detailed but I lost it, I just came up with that one now in like a minute, lol) ?

[Razzinold]

ok so other people use the list idea as well. Ok I will write my list down again and just use that, and mix it up with your idea of the rumour mill that may send them off on a wild goose chase if they don't do more investigating.
Thanks for the input!

[The Dark Elf]

I have to say I would never use a randomness to what NPCs know info that is important to the quest/adventure.

If they are researching randomly then give them a hint (in game).
If they interview someone ALWAYS reveal a little at a time and let the PCs piece the puzzle. Each bit of info could easily be a lead to where to find out more "I dont know anything about no cyber snatching, but if I ever wanna by cheap bioincs I'd go to Blah blah blah..."

[Juce734]

I find it difficult to when trying to have my players find information out. If more people could explain more in depth how they handle stuff like this it could really benefit all of us I feel.

[Noon]

Juce, you need to start by looking at it in out of game terms - what are we trying to actually do at the table? Simply add filler before the end of the session?

Alot of people get intense about having an 'investigation' - but what is the practical purpose of it at the gaming table? Why not just tell them the answer "Oh, we could never do that?" why? If investigation is simply a time waster filler, why can't you just tell them? Or atleast after leaving them to flop about for the time you want filled, then go and tell them directly or through some NPC?

One reference to consider are books where 'investigations' occur. The irony is that these aren't about investigations at all - generally they are a long sequence of the characters in the book showing their own personality or facing situations where they have to lose one of two things they care about.

Which basically means if your PC's are mindless combat drones, you can't do investigations. They will always come off as bland and awkward rather than clever and exciting.

[Juce734]

Juce, you need to start by looking at it in out of game terms - what are we trying to actually do at the table? Simply add filler before the end of the session?

Alot of people get intense about having an 'investigation' - but what is the practical purpose of it at the gaming table? Why not just tell them the answer "Oh, we could never do that?" why? If investigation is simply a time waster filler, why can't you just tell them? Or atleast after leaving them to flop about for the time you want filled, then go and tell them directly or through some NPC?

One reference to consider are books where 'investigations' occur. The irony is that these aren't about investigations at all - generally they are a long sequence of the characters in the book showing their own personality or facing situations where they have to lose one of two things they care about.

Which basically means if your PC's are mindless combat drones, you can't do investigations. They will always come off as bland and awkward rather than clever and exciting.

I think I have 1 player in my group who is capable but the other 2 players do seem a little bit like they just go thru the motions. It creates a lot more work for me as I try to plan more creative ways to get hints across but I don't want to always have an NPC do the work for them.

[Noon]

You mention 'work'. If you could choose, which would you have the investigation be about? Character development OR the players do work?

[Juce734]

You mention 'work'. If you could choose, which would you have the investigation be about? Character development OR the players do work?

Really either to be honest. I chalk it up to inexperience. My sister and her husband want to game but when we do they need things to happen in front of them. They don't patrol, or try to figure anything out.

Example from our old campaign...

They had a murder scene at a bar. My sister had invisibility as a power. I laid out a map for them of where everything was but she didn't try to do anything. She walked in to see how many bodies were there and then left. She didn't try to figure anything out.

After that gaming session when they returned home she wanted more to happen. Which I had planned more but they didn't follow the lead.

A few sessions later I had her character kidnapped and made the other 2 rescue her basically but had it be a ransom note and brought the action to them. They had more fun but I want to help them develope as players so they can get an idea what they can do.

I think part of it is they chose things that seemed cool at the time but not stuff they had ideas how to use creatively.

[Noon]

What did she do when she left? What did she leave for?

Okay, lets skip the idea of 'an investigation' for a second. What do the characters actually want out of life?

I'm guessing it's nothing as yet.

I'd suggest having an evil land developer going to demolish an orphanage.

Really, have something that is threatening a moral value we as real people hold dear and if they sit still and do nothing, it slowly but surely happens and will have finished happening by sessions end.

Otherwise - you say they don't do creative things. What would you do as a player? Carefully unravel the investigation because...why? I mean, say you find the butler did it and...are you punching the air and going 'YEAH!'? Do you feel you've won the investigation, if you were a player?

[kamikazzijoe]

My players always go to the bartenders so I keep which one knows what in my back pocket. Train you players in something similar and you can hit some specific plot points with minimal clunkiness.
Another trick to use when the players seem to have run cold on the clue trail is to have the target group "take interest" in the people searching for them. I have a small country rebellion scenario I run a lot and when the players seem to be getting frustrated, I start to leave a bread crumb trail of demon attacks.