A Basic Structure for Social Interaction & Intrigue Encounters
Campaign Session III - Entitled: Lim
The Logline of the Session The company entered the humble outpost called Lim and met its cast of denizens. A praevoran (hawk-headed beast man) sorcerer belonging to a cabal known as the Sertrus Synod sought a powerful tome from the protector of the outpost. The protector sought to keep the tome from falling into the Synod's hands. The company intervened to break the stalemate, ending with the destruction of the tome and an spiteful praevoran departing.
After a few sessions of adventuring, the players deserve some respite, a chance to solve problems with talk rather than sword, and an opportunity to gain contacts and allies as well as new adventure leads.
On Intrigue Encounters
Here I want to try to define the basic structure for an intrigue encounter, the flipside of the coin to your basic combat encounter. Remember that an encounter is any scene with a conflict between two entities that is driven by their mutually-exclusive desires. An intrigue encounter is that but where direct force-of-arms is not an option and thus subterfuge is incentivized.
In an intrigue encounter, the PCs are generally a third party drawn into the conflict because of the inability or disinterest by either party at conflict in using direct force-of-arms to achieve their ends. As usual, there must be a reason why the mutually-exclusive desires have come to a head at this moment, an imperative for the conflict to be solved now as opposed to later.
Given the combat focus of almost every TTRPG system, it is easy for DMs to simply not know how to run an intrigue encounter. Fundamentally, all encounters of substance must have a conflict. In combat, it's often fairly clear. A few examples:
The PCs want to get the monster's treasure and the monster wants to defend its treasure.
The PCs want to pass through the area but the monster wants to defend its nest which lies in the area.
The monster wants to eat the PCs but the PCs don't want to be eaten.
In each case, both the PCs and their potential foes have a clear objective. It is the fact that the objectives are mutually exclusive that causes the encounter and drives the action.
A Specific Structure
When running an intrigue encounter, you still need a clear conflict, and you want it to be about as simple. So let's define a basic structure for intrigue encounters focusing on the source of conflict, urgency, and the reason for force withheld.
Person A and Person B both want Thing X which is currently in the possession of one of them. For some reason, neither person can take it by force, or at least, neither wants to. The PCs are courted by each to act on their behalf with the other knowing.
Typically, in civilization, say when you're in a town, direct force-of-arms is frowned upon or illegal. Conflicts must be resolved through diplomacy, coercion, and subterfuge. Even the local lord who can use force-of-arms to solve conflicts probably doesn't want that to be his go-to since it risks costly escalation if done poorly, especially if the local lord's authority is unstable. This is often enough to incentivize subterfuge and diplomacy.
The conflict is obvious and we have a functional incentive against direct force-of-arms. We still lack urgency, the reason why the PCs should care about the situation now as opposed to say, waiting a few months and then returning. Likewise, the urgency also explains why Person A and Person B are at odds with each other in this moment as opposed to any other. One very easy way to add in urgency is to make the person trying to get Thing X willing to resort to direct force-of-arms if they do not get their way and soon. This potential should be clear to all parties in the situation, including the PCs. If it is not known, then no urgency can by felt by it.
Conclusion
This is only one of a few functional structures for intrigue encounters. I seek to provide a basic starting point. You can play around with the possession of Thing X, for example. What if the neither Person A or Person B have Thing X, but the PCs can get it? Then Person A and Person B will both entreat the PCs to acquire it and give it to them. Add in a reason for the PCs to desire to keep the item, and you have a potential three way conflict. The point is that there are several variations on the basic intrigue encounter structure. The key is to keep things simple and tangible, remove the ability to solve the problem through direct force-of-arms, and add in some good ol' urgency. Sufficient if the PCs are drawn into the situation by promises of wealth and affinity from both persons involved. Even better if the PCs are invested because they must resolve the situation to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
A Game Recommendation
If you want an excellent intrigue adventure, play through the starting area of Outer Worlds. You need a rare component to fix your downed spaceship and there's only one on the planet, and two factions have vested interests. It's a wonderful little adventure, one of the best RPG missions I've ever played through. It's so good that I've half a mind to steal it straight up and hope my players in a future sci-fi campaign haven't played the game...