Adventure motivation

[Glorelendil]

It's everybody's responsibility. LM should offer "hooks" for each type in the group, but players need to grab those hooks and run with them. E.g., "Wanderer": LM should not repeatedly run adventures in the same locale; Player should encourage his/her Fellowship to explore new areas. "Yeah, I know we went this way last time and know the route, but wouldn't it be cool to take the northern route and see what's there? Maybe it's faster!"

[Rich H]

I don't have a problem with assuming the PCs are good guys. TOR uses terms like 'heroes' to describe PCs on a regular basis and in the modern term of the word as well rather than just to describe someone with exceptional abilities. That being said I am currently writing a TOR adventure with added information related to PC cultures and calling as character motivation for being involved in the adventure.

[Woodclaw]

I think a standard adventure carries enough potential for fulfilling each of the 5 callings that there should be no plausible reason for self-dismissal beyond the character being lazy. That's why Iike the callings so much in the game, as opposed to say, D&D alignments.

Slayer: Likes to kill stuff; there is ample opportunity to kill stuff in an adventure.

Treasure-Hunter: Likes to find material things; there is generally a fairly strong potential to find material things in adventures as they tend to involve bad guys who take things by force; take them back.

Scholar: Likes to learn new things. There is always new stuff to learn about the world and one's self on adventures.

Warden: Likes to protect things. What better way to protect things than to go sniff out the source of evil and waylay it.

Wanderer: Likes to walk around and experience things. If you have a hard time finding a reason to go on an adventure with this calling, then you just need to stop playing RPG's.

But Yusei, I agree with you that Treasure Hunter seems one of the trickier ones to fulfill, especially given the spiritual themes of Tolkien's work and the precedent for a lack of treasure highlighting in this game system.

I have to disagree with you point, Rocmistro, reducing the motivation to the pure callings means to cheapen the characters and reducing them to a pure stat. Even within the same calling two characters might have completly different goals. E.G. A dwarf treasure hunter might be looking for gems and gold, whereas a Elf might be out for masterwork of long forgotten artisans.

Also pushing each motivation in each adveture might prove tricky and might ultimatly spell the doom of the whola campaign.

[Beleg]

I suppose this over simplifies, but isn't "protecting everyone and everything you love from the encroaching shadow" a pretty good reason for anyone to go on an adventure? I mean, I admit I haven't played as many RPGs as most people on here, but especially with D&D all I've gathered is that adventurers go on adventures to either: Get lots of money, get lots of magic items, or to save the world. Unless you're all playing bugbears or something.

Personally I feel that any character who is remotely interested in life outside of his/her hometown in Middle Earth (any player character by necessity) would want to go on an adventure because they might meet new people, find out what has been plaguing their village, save cows from orcs, whatever. The main point is that they would all want to go out and *do* something about the state of the place in which they live.

Those are just my thoughts anyway

[Stormcrow]

I don't have a problem with assuming the PCs are good guys.

Good guys, yes, but altruists? That's pretty much what's expected from the published adventures, but that's not what Tolkien's stories are about. Therein lies my concern.

[DavetheLost]

I have to ask, if players need this much motivation to participate in an adventure and their characters have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming WHY are they playing an Adventure role playing game?

Yes, I know that the classic hero's journey involves hearing the call to adventure and then refusing it, but this doesn't work so well in RPGs. Refuse the call to adventure too strongly and there is no game.

[Mytholder]

Don't Leave The Path and Of Leaves both open with job offers (ok, there's a random thug encounter at the start of the first adventure, but after that, Baldor offers to hire the PCs. Kinfolk, Those Who Tarry and A Darkness all involve a powerful figure asking the PCs for help, and promising a favour in return, and financial rewards can be negotiated in the Encounters. Crossing of Celduin should be motivated by revenge as much as anything else - Lochmand may have poisoned the PCs along with the rest of Dale. In any event, an attacking army is enough of a crisis to put aside any objections.

I don't think the adventures expect altruism from the PCs, although it is assumed they're not outlaws or pure mercenaries. Whatever else, all the Free Folk are enemies of the one Enemy, even if they're not yet aware of the Shadow.

(For that matter, The Hobbit isn't a treasure hunt from Gandalf's perspective; it's an attempt to deny Sauron a potential ally.)

[Rich H]

I don't have a problem with assuming the PCs are good guys.

Good guys, yes, but altruists? That's pretty much what's expected from the published adventures, but that's not what Tolkien's stories are about. Therein lies my concern.

I don't think the adventures do require the characters to be altruists. I think you're seeing things in the scenarios that many others aren't, or more accurately, you aren't seeing reasons and motivations that others are.

From the adventures I've read I can see material (eg, treasure/payment) or non-material (eg, increased renown and standing, favours, advancement of allies, etc) reasons for being involved in many of them then add to that personality motivations (eg, revenge) in other adventures and I think there's more than enough motivation for PCs to take part in them.

From the adventures I've GM'd:

1) To Journey's End and the Eagles' Eyrie - PCs were tasked with aiding Balin by their respective kings/leaders. Great honour, renown, and standing the reward for such; highly valuable for PCs - developing relationships with people in high office, standing and renown amongst their own folk and those of their allies, etc.

2) Kinstrife & Dark Tidings - I introduced Oderic before he was slain, establishing a bond with the woodman PC, and he also journeyed (as representative of the Beornings) with the PCs in "To Journey's End...". So, when they discovered him slain their motivation was very personal - a friend and/or ally had been killed and they wanted to see those responsible brought to justice.

3) Don't Leave the Path - on the way back through Mirkwood (reversing the journey from west to east) I used elements from this adventure, introducing Baldor and Belgo. This was the most altruistic my players/characters have been. They saw father and son in trouble and immediately got involved, offering aid. I didn't have to do anything else, what with the PCs travelling in the same direction. Unfortunately, Belgo's father fell foul and lost his mind to the elf stream. The PCs, through Gilbrannon (the elf PC) convinced the elves to care for him and Brand (a man of Dale) adopted Belgo into his household. During the journey though he did bond with Thogrim (the dwarf PC). I can see Belgo becoming a future PC.

4) A Return to the Marsh Bell - in the first adventure the PCs passed this by, but now they have returned with a force of dwarves to explore and, hopefully, establish a waypoint; the first step to opening the old Men-i-Naugrim; and eventually Moria. Again, the rewards here are standing with their allies and leaders and actually affecting/changing the world around them in a positive way (assuming they succeed), in addition to establishing and carrying out long-term goals.

I don't think the majority of these are altruistic at all, and I don't find the published material to be like that either. There are strong motivations in the above; both personal and political/power related creating a nice blend - at least for the campaign we want to play.

[jamesrbrown]

The great gulf between altruism and selfishness is like the gap between joy and sorrow. The reconciliation of altruism and selfishness can be a very powerful and emotional experience in a game of The One Ring. A player-hero may begin narcissistic, but an adventure may include events that change his nature. Perhaps an ally or close friend sacrifices his life for him.

[PaulButler]

I have to ask, if players need this much motivation to participate in an adventure and their characters have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming WHY are they playing an Adventure role playing game?

Yes, I know that the classic hero's journey involves hearing the call to adventure and then refusing it, but this doesn't work so well in RPGs. Refuse the call to adventure too strongly and there is no game.

THIS. A thousand times.

Yes, the LM should work (a bit) to engage the characters with the adventures, so that it falls in line with what those characters may ultimately be motivated by. BUT, to Rocmistro's point:

If you can't help me or yourself with this basic, most simple thing (finding motivation), then that's on you. Go design a character who has a little easier time finding motivation."

it IS on the players too.
It's like those players that show up to your admittedly heroically themed D&D game with a lawful evil Assassin or Thief. You've presented the kind of game that you're going to run, but a player has decided to say "screw you, I'm gonna make it something else." That's not cool.

At some point along the way, the players should bite at those story hooks, or what's the point of playing?
And if as LM, you haven't expressed the tone of your campaign, well, then it's on you. Creating and molding player expectation is a huge. Hell, as the manager of a hobby gaming store, we once ran an entire four-hour Gamemaster Workshop on exactly this problem! You must decide (and state!) the kind of game you want to play, and you should make sure that the players involved in your game are along for the ride.

(Those so inclined can read a rant by my Assistant Manager on this exact issue. Said rant directly lead to the aforementioned Gamemaster Workshop: http://www.gamesandstuffonline.com/inde ... Itemid=139