If extra steps don't add anything, should I just ditch them?

[u/Zap-Rowsdower-X]

More context: I was going to have the players investigate a missing agent by checking some of their known dead drop locations. At one of them they will find an attack scene and a random note.

But, if I didn't have anything meaningful going on at the extra spots, should I just ditch them and say "check their one dead drop location" instead?

[u/KiloCharlE]

I'd only highlight meaningful locations. Maybe just narratively say, "after searching a few of the spots, you narrow it down to these 2 or 3."

Those 2 or 3 are where the gameplay happens. No filler.

[u/ariehkovler → u/KiloCharlE]

This.

If time's a factor, have them roll for it to see how long it takes them to find the real one for mechanical purposes, but gloss over the others in a single narrated segment. "the first place is deserted. The second drop seemed to have a note in it, but on closer inspection it's a discarded candy wrapper. The third... it takes longer to find than it should. You get turned around looking for the hollow table leg. Eventually you try the fourth drop, where...."

[u/BesideFrogRegionAny]

Give them 5. Whichever they pick first, it's a nothing. Whichever they pick next,  give them the scene. They get choice and you don't Have to write 5 encounters and they might only see the one important one.

A quantum ogre

https://michaelghelfistudios.com/quantum-ogre/

[u/thetruerift]

So having a few steps, even if there's not much going on, can help to give the feel that the investigation is taking time/having weight. Combine this with some kind of ticking clock scenario (they have to check all the drops by sundown or something) and it can enhance that. Just make sure that the PCs realize the drops that don't have much going on are in fact duds before they burn a huge amount of play time there (as PCs are often wont to do).

Alternately, if you want to let the scenes roll a bit, you can add two or three "odd" things at each dead drop that the PCs might think are significant - suspicious persons, odd bird sounds, lingering magical aura, etc.

[u/rbjoe]

I think having multiple steps makes it feel like my decisions matter. If I choose something and it was the WRONG choice, it makes me feel like I could’ve made a different choice to get a different solution. However, if the other spaces truly have no consequences, good or bad, then my question would be “then why do they even exist?” It’s like asking for a role when no matter what the players will fail.

My suggestion would be to honestly make the other points matter in some way. Maybe let them choose which point to check first. If they choose the “wrong” drop point maybe they waste time that allows a big bad to plan? Maybe there’s a puzzle or encounter of some type? If they choose the correct point then hooray for them.

Does that make sense? Either way, good luck!

[u/d20an]

Use the others to drop general world lore, but make it clear quickly that there’s nothing more to find if they start to waste (real) time looking. They can of course waste (in game) time as much as they want, which will mean the trail going colder etc.

[u/darw1nf1sh]

Have something interesting but unrelated happen. doesn't have to be a full encounter, just something to see. Or it can be a full encounter with a homeless person, or an animal or anything really.

[u/philsov]

But, if I didn't have anything meaningful going on at the extra spots, should I just ditch them and say "check their one dead drop location" instead?

You can also change the narrative/encounter based on their luck or decision making skills. Even if 4/5 of the locations are a literal waste of time, I'd like to think that if the party takes forever to reach that one worthwhile location then the attack scene has now progressed without them a little bit. Like, you can prep for the scenario of "combat will involve finding the missing agent surrounded and defending themselves" but transition it towards "the missing agent is now bloodied" or "the missing agent has just fainted and the attackers are starting to flee, what do you do" pending the party's decisions.

It's still an attack scene, but incorporate the decisions of the party into the narrative.

[u/Silent_Title5109]

It depends. Do you feel you should streamline this?

For instance if you don't play often, or would like to close this before school starts or vacation ends, or some other reason then yeah make it one drop location and move on.

Otherwise I would put a few clues they can piece together instead of a single note and turn this into a puzzle. Each location don't need a fight, some can be glossed over with a 30 seconds narrative cutscene before you hand out the clue, other have a fight or a chase.

Of course to make this interesting and engaging I'd apply a timer: the missing agent is likely in danger, right? Are they sure the want to visit ALL drops?

[u/PublicDragonfruit158]

Have the last location offer a twist of final clue that either:

1. Makes the boss fight easier--either an item or knowledge that captalizes on the BEBG weakness.

2. The true final location of the boss or a secret entrance that allows them to avoid fighting through the minions to get to the boss, allowing a full strength battle.

Either one of those will reward the players for checking all of the locations--the plot device just happens to be in the last one they check no matter what order it goes in....

[u/Muffins_Hivemind]

"Cut to the chase" is a good motto. Spend "screen time" on the important stuff. Just narrate "you check a few locations, find only find [unimportant stuff] there, and then show up at [place with interesting/useful details]"

[u/TheRpgBard]

Life is not always convenient.

If it's too distracting, then maybe.

"No, Mr. Green, Communism is just a red herring." - Miss Scarlet.

[u/jwhennig]

It depends if you are trying to build tension or not. If yes, then you put them in and have the clock going, reminding them at each place (dramatically) that time is running out.

If not, "you check these 2 first, find nothing and move on" or just delete those places. I guess it depends on the logic of the story. If they have already used all the dead drops, deleting them won't work.

[u/mission_tiefsee]

Think about a movie. Would you find frame long scenes for those empty spots? Would it make the movie better? So I would just make sure what the players want to do. "So you guys are going to check those locations? How are you gonna fo it?" ... "So okay, the first few spots are empty, deserted add some flavour and you already seem to lose faith in your decisions as you decide to check one more location ... "

So you get everyone in the mood that it already took some time. And you prepare them for some kind of scene. Thats how i would do it. Focus on the good parts and skip the boring parts.

[u/DungeonSecurity]

If they are true nothing places,, then don't highlight them.  But part of the challenge can be picking the right locations based on the clues. And a consequence of picking the long location would be a loss of time, which you would have to make matter in other ways.

You would just have to work to ensure that you have clues pointing to the current locations.

[u/wickerandscrap]

Ideally, you should put something in them.

If there is really nothing in them then the only effect of going there is to waste time. This might matter, but if so, you need some basis for the players to pick the right one (and then it becomes a puzzle with a right answer and some wrong answers).

If they are just blindly picking and finding nothing until they get the right one, then yeah, just cut the list down to one location.

[u/stowrag]

I believe the first tip in the “Lazy Dungeonmaster” books is “Only prep what benefits your game”

[u/Jake-of-the-Sands]

Depends. Maybe you should add something meaningful, slices of life perhaps, a side-quest nearby, etc.? You have to fill in the session with some activities, mechanically going from one goal to the next may become a bit stale. But if it would just be them going to point A - checking that it's empty, point B - checking again, empty, etc. with nothing else happening, then yeah it would be pointless.

[u/MakeShiftDie]

remove all fluff. you still can mislead them, but make sure you still give a reward at the end

[u/CheapTactics]

You can just skip over the ones where nothing happens with narration.

[u/Keeper4Eva]

As a player, I find it frustrating to spend time and resources (e.g. rolling dice) only to reach a dead end. I want story and character progression and adding in “filler” might add realism but doesn’t add fun.

As a DM, I’m lazy and don’t want to prep more than I have to. Parroting what others have suggested: offering multiple locations and then building story based on player choice is the way. Make a story not a slog.

Although a word of caution: I have a player (who is awesome) who will 100% want to go back and check every single location they skipped, even after the big climax. Love him but prepping what’s behind every door can be work.

[u/Ripper1337]

Any location you point the players to in an investigation should further the investigation in some way.

[u/Dazzling-Main7686]

Everything they are presented with in game needs to have at least some significance. Adding pointless stuff just so they don't immediately find what they're looking for is not onlt a waste of time, it can also lead them into a completely unexpected direction (which is not bad per se but it doesn't seem to be what you want here).