[Twilight Time] Plot hooks by genreHeather Grove heather at burningvoid.comSun Jan 9 05:56:33 EST 2005January 9, 2005 -- Plot Hooks by GenreVolume 6, Issue 1This is the Twilight Time zine, copyright 2005 by Burning Void Publishing and Heather Grove, except where noted otherwise. You may forward via email to other people, but only in its entirety. Do not repost or reprint by any other means without direct permission.To subscribe or unsubscribe, change your options, or view the archives:http://two.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/twilighttimeYou can also subscribe by sending an email with a subject of "subscribe" (without the quotes) to Twilighttime-request at burningvoid.comGood morning!Just a reminder that we now have an announcement list for those who wish to be kept up-to-date on new articles, reviews, and so on:http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/burningvoid-announceOr subscribe by sending an email with a subject of "subscribe" (without the quotes) to burningvoid-announce-request at seven.pairlist.netWe're doing a lot more with the web site now, in particular with reviews of all kinds! I'm currently receiving review copies of books from a good handful of publishers.In the process of updating the site I was reminded of just how popular some of our "instant plot hook" articles have been, so today we're bringing you plot hooks-by-genre, just a little bit of fun to start off the new year with.Have a great day!Heather+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Instant Plot Hooks-by-GenreSince our "instant plot hooks" (little things meant to take up a spare half-hour here and there in an emergency, and possibly to be expanded into full plots) are so popular, here are a bunch tailored for various genres. Adapt them to your game, or use them as inspiration to help you think up your own. It can be handy to have a handful of these next to you when you GM. You can use them to liven things up, to complicate a pre-existing plot, to fill in a gap when the player characters (PCs) short-circuit your plans, and so on. Or you can use them as inspiration for a full adventure.Science Fiction1. Introduce a new and dangerous frontier. A "new frontier" can be just about any new area open to exploration: a new area of science, a new planet, a new dimension, space travel in general. What makes it so dangerous?2. A cure is found for a terrible disease or illness. But it introduces its own dark secret...3. Someone has found a way to overcome hunger, disease, aging, or something similar. But there's a terrible price for those who wish to take advantage of this...Fantasy1. An ancient and long-thought-extinct race of creatures has merely been hidden away or "sleeping" all this time, and now they're returning. They want their rightful place back, and someone isn't going to want to give it to them...2. A powerful and important artifact has been rescued from thieves or a villain. Everything seems all right, until someone tries to use the artifact's powers...3. Both sides in a war have good reason to insist that the PCs should be on their side, and evidence why this should be so. How do the characters unravel the mystery? Can they stop the war, or must they choose a side--and how?Spy/Military1. The PCs are sent after a traitor who stole information to sell, only to be told when they catch up to him that he did it to lure the bad guys into a trap. Is he telling the truth? Do they believe him? What do they do?2. Someone higher in rank than the PCs starts behaving a little oddly--he doesn't seem to remember little things that he should, or some of his orders don't entirely make sense. Is he a traitor? Has he been compromised, threatened, or replaced? Has someone drugged or poisoned him? Is he distracted by a family tragedy, or starting to go senile? Or is something stranger going on?3. A reliable source tells the PCs that an invasion or attack is coming, but they can't find any evidence of one. Then that person disappears, and the trail of clues begins...Superhero1. A dead and defeated villain seems to have returned, but things aren't that simple. He's behaving oddly, or his memories aren't quite right. Is it really that villain? If so, what's changed? What's he up to now?2. A villain comes to the PCs for help--someone he cares about is in danger, and he honestly believes what he's saying to them. Is it a trap set by someone else? Is the villain truly able to set aside his feelings about the PCs even under these circumstances? Who is the someone he cares about, and why should the PCs help them?3. One of the PCs seems to have lost his powers, but then things get strange. He has odd dreams and hallucinations in which people ask him for help. What's suppressing or stealing his powers? Are the dreams or hallucinations messages? How are these things related?Horror1. One of the PCs (or a close friend or family member) starts to age at an unusual rate. What's going on, and can the PCs stop it in time?2. One or more of the PCs start seeing an unusual animal wherever they go: a white cat, perhaps, a dark brown dog, or a raven. It's almost always sitting quietly and watching them intently. What is it really? Is it an enemy or a friend? Is it evaluating them for something? Is it spying on them?3. One of the PCs starts to go blind, and doctors can't find anything wrong with him. Then the visions start...Mystery1. An item disappears from a museum, but it's one of the cheapest and most worthless items in the collection. Much more important and valuable items right next to it were left behind. Who stole it, and what made this piece worth more to them? What's its secret?2. Children start disappearing from a local hospital and no one knows why. What's going on? Where have they gone? Are they all right? Is someone saving them or harming them?3. Someone has kidnapped the sibling of a minor politician and is demanding the politician vote a certain way on a particular issue--but it's a minor and seemingly inconsequential issue. What makes it so important? Who's doing the kidnapping? What's really going on?As usual, there are a few things to keep in mind when designing your own instant plot hooks.Keep them simple: you need to be able to adapt them to the circumstances at the time when you decide to use them. Don't pin down too many details in advance.Fill them with questions and unexplained events that the party can investigate and you can choose to expand upon.Try to look for the unexpected in them. Where might your players expect such a plot hook to go? How can you take it in a different direction?Try mixing an IPH with a tarot card or some song lyrics to help you expand on it in new and interesting ways.What's Your Opinion?:Comments on this issue's topic? Suggestions? Tips? Special topic requests? Drop me a line. If I pass any of your suggestions on (either through the newsletter or the RPG resources page), I'll attribute them to you. Be sure to tell me if you don't want me to use your name and/or comments!+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SITE UPDATE:Burning Void: resources for roleplayers and writershttp://www.burningvoid.com/I've worked many of the old Twilight Time articles (through part of 2002 at this point) into the main part of the site. There are a bunch of new reviews, and the first site update can guide you to a number of other things:http://seven.pairlist.net/pipermail/burningvoid-announce/2005/000000.html+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++RATINGS:You can give the Twilight Time Zine a rating on the RPG Gateway to let us know how we're doing:http://www.rpggateway.com/cgi-bin/wyrm/rate.cgi?ID=5288The same goes for the Burning Void RPG resources page:http://www.rpggateway.com/cgi-bin/wyrm/rate.cgi?ID=1392+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Privacy Policy:We do not sell or give out your information. We will never hand out your email addresses (or any other information that we somehow end up with), barring a legal requirement to do so. Your privacy is important to us!Missing Issues:If you have subscribed to the zine and do not receive an issue, please check two things. First, make sure any spam filter you may be using has been told that the zine is not spam. Second, make sure there's room in your account for the email--every month we get bounces from accounts that are over-quota. If your account bounces two or more issues in a row, we reserve the right to unsubscribe you from the list.Unsubscribe:The Burning Void Roleplaying Resources Newsletter is entirely voluntary and opt-in ONLY. If you are receiving this directly from us and you did not sign up for this newsletter then something is wrong. Please use the unsubscribe instructions below. If that does not work, let us know right away at <support at burningvoid.com>.In order to unsubscribe, visithttp://two.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/twilighttimeSign in (if you've forgotten or lost your password, the system can email it to you), and follow the instructions. Or, send an email with a subject of "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) to twilighttime-request at burningvoid.com * Previous message: [Twilight Time] Brief Burning Void Announcement * Next message: [Twilight Time] Writers' Exercises and Roleplaying Opportunities * Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ]More information about the Twilighttime mailing list