Low level intrigue adventure ideas

[scottshoemaker]

Starting a campaign for my daughter and her friends. They are newish to gaming. I'm looking for ideas for the following adventure hook

The PCs are invited to judge a pie contest at the local harvest festival. There are "nefarious" happenings that threaten the sanctity of the contest! Can the PCs thwart the plot?

I'd like this to be a benign, investigative adventure that entirely avoids combat, that doesn't go any deeper than someone trying to cheat. I'll have them use various social and detective skills to win the day, however I'm having a hell of a time coming up with the conflict.  My schemes get too grand. They are all very story driven, so this has very little rules crunch.

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

[Ish]

Granny Goodguy’s cottage was broken into and her recipe book was stolen, but she didn’t notice until after everyone had submitted their pies. Patty Patsy and Auntie Social both entered pies into the contest that look and taste just like Granny’s! Both claim that they came up with the recipe on their own, but one of them must be lying!

 

[PourSpelur]

Boris Applebottom wins the contest every year. This year someone switched out his sweet berry pie for a sour berry pie and he lost. Who was the dastardly villain and why'd they do it?

[Raindog]

Pippen Gravenstien was given a new recipe and special apples from a passing pixie. Eating his pies causes people to fall into an unnatural sleep.

[Ish]

Hestia, goddess of the hearth, and Demeter, goddess of the harvest, have had an argument over which is more important: the skill of the cook or the quality of the ingredients. They decided to settle it once and for all.

Hestia has secretly put her support behind one entrant in the pie contest, Demeter his secretly supporting another.

The Hestia-sponsored baker’s pies look absolutely stunning, with incredibly intricate lattice crust design, the fruit inside is laid out in a beautiful mosaic, and all were baked to the perfect golden-brown. But each tastes average, at best. Perhaps even a bit bland.

Demeter’s champion’s pie is a fairly average looking one, one is even a bit burnt in one corner. But each is filled with fresh fruits at the peak of their ripeness, many from distant and exotic lands, the crusts are made of the finest flours, creamiest butters, and richest sugars. They taste heavenly.

The town’s judges are deadlocked, fifty-fifty. One of the PC’s will have to cast the deciding vote.

Anyone familiar with Greek myths know that this will result in one of the goddesses feeling snubbed and choosing to make that PC’s life “interesting” for a while.

[Ish]

This is slightly off topic, but also feels relevant somehow: Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village.