In my next session the players will encounter a festival. I mentioned

>>54770420
It's going to include dance, drinks, games, songs and social drama? Plus all tents with alchemist selling not so practical but funny potions.

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>>54770590
I get that, how do I design and run meaningful encounters around those?

>>54770900
>>54770420

What's the purpose of the festival? What's it celebrating? A spirit/god? Maybe the PCs have to orare able to participate in celebratory prayer/song/performances. Successful rolls grant them an advantage/bonus for the next few sessions related to the god celebrated.

>>54770900

Have already established characters show up. Especially potential villains, a social environment where they can have terse social conflict with but wont necessarily be able to actually attack each other.

The core to meaningful encounters is conflict, so try to include rivals, rude people or even people trying to be friends with the characters. Basically anything that involves one person wanting something and the other person not necessarily wanting the same is a good thing and necessary to make meaning.

Dance - Dance competition, and that shitty prick noble is making moves on your girl.

Games are pretty obvious, maybe come up with some creative little subsystems to add some strategy to it beyond simply opposed skill rolls. Name other players, make some of them be obnoxious, maybe introduce some characters that have either already been encountered or characters that will become a big deal in the future.

Songs - Songs are about something the characters probably have an opinion about, or depending on the game stuff that they've been directly involved in. Crowd reactions making fun of the characters or praising people they hate could stir some RP opportunity.

Festivals and parties in RPGs are a great opportunity to provide closure to less central plot elements such as love interests and petty rivalries, whilst also being a great chance to flesh out the world and lay the groundwork for the next adventures by establishing key characters in a casual environment that the characters will be able to feel them out through social interaction.

>>54770900
Introduce some NPCs fo them to interact with. Most probably don't need stats, bu have a bunch of games ready to go. Locals, performers, priests, physicians, merchants, tinkers, thieves, notables in disguise. that sort of thing. Maybe they have news of the road ahead, maybe they have quest hooks. Let them buy drinks, maybe come up with some names for them. Have some games and let them gamble on them, possibly in secret if gambling in proscribed in the area.

I can't say beyond that without knowing who's having the festival and why and what the culture is like. A weekly trade meet is very different from from a harvest festival is different from a knightly tournament, etc..

>>54770420
Play the opening sequence of Neverwinter Nights 2.

>>54771044
>bu have a bunch of games ready to go
Ugh.

Have a bunch of names ready to go.

>>54770548
Better make Czech Easter. Nothing says you're good Christians like beating woman until she has blisters on her ass in a good spirited "symbolical rape fertility rites".

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One of the tents are performing an exciting new play titled The Ochre Monarch!

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>>54770938
>>54771004
>>54771044
This helps a lot, I snipped this so somebody else may benefit in the future.
Thanks a bunch!