My players have not encountered each other, but are engaged in their own individual plots. At some point, I'd like them to be a part of the same colony, without forcing it (IE get them to becoming a "party" and working together).
I think I've hit a point where each group needs something from the other:
Group 1 has safety and weapons, but no food
Group 2 has safety and food, but no weapons
Group 3 has food and weapons, but no safety
This setup was entirely on accident, but I think it will lead to them all running into each other for different reasons.
At this point, should I just airdrop hints that the other group(s) have what they need? Or how can I get to the end goal of unification?
The Zombie TTRPG is a homebrew that I made, rules are here:
Maybe some sort of “military broadcast” or other hints about a military base of some sort? They should know that others may try and clean it out before they get there which introduces a ticking clock element. Maybe the message includes a warning that if the security system doesn’t get disabled the base will self destruct in X many hours?
Then when they show up, they encounter enemies (zombie mob/other survivors) and have to work together to defeat them. When they succeed, they get the things they need (food, weapons, a defendable base)
Pretty much anything that telegraphs people gathering somewhere with supplies, or hints towards somewhere that can be fortified (army base, buildings that can lock down like government buildings, schools, possibly hospitals, etc) is a pretty easy way to get your players to gravitate towards it.