Transcribed from PMs so everyone can participate:
paladintodd says:
How about if the the party heads off on the game trail without Cook, the fog picks up and they find themselves back in the camp - just as was happening to the bandits. Eventually, they realize they have to bring Cook with them. He's the only one that can navigate the fog - for reasons we don't know yet. In the back of my head Cook's magic and the temple are connected in some way.
I was trying to hint at that. Maybe they'll insist Cook comes with them, maybe not.
Don't know if that's presumptuous? Do we tell the others straight off or wait to surprise them with it?
vagueGM says:
Presumptuous? Not a problem. :)
That is fine, we can do that. The slight problems are that it only helps with the temple part. We will then need to cone up with a reason for Cook to continue with the group afterwards, but that can happen as we play (maybe he proves himself useful (seem unlikely:) or they find they need to protect him (there can be many reasons)). Tying too closely to the current story elements can leave a character feeling 'spare' after it is concluded, but we can keep aspects of this going as long as needed to keep Cook relevant.
The problem with private conversations and with 'hints' is that people need to act upon them. Do you really see the other players walking out of the camp and leaving Cook behind without this conversation happening in public?
Player secrets are always a problem, unless the other players know about them, they can not help the characters bring the secrets into the story. Best to be explicit about such things and rely on the players to keep the secret from their characters and to help make them be cool. "Be a Fan of the Characters" applies to everyone at the table.
Is there anything you want kept secret from the players? Or can we move this to the OOC?
paladintodd says:
All of this can be public. Just wanted to check first.
Want me to say something OOC "it's cool if you leave Cook behind, the fog will bring you back and you'll realize you need him". You say something? I don't see Cook heading off on the game trail himself.
As for Cook only being tied to the temple -- if Cook meets his end there or his story resolves there, that's cool with me. I'm more interested in the story than in Cook specifically.
Let us know if you
want for
Cook to meet his end and we can make it happen, but we can also retire him, or redeem him, or find another reason to keep him along afterwards if we want. We may feel differently at the end, so none of this planning is set in stone. "Play to find out what happens".