Rule of threes. Every clue should be presented to the party three different times, in three different (increasingly aggressive and hard to dismiss) ways. Maybe the first is a note in a locked chest. The second is a note on the dead body of a relevant NPC. And the third is a note on an enemy courier who is very obviously trying to get it to the BBEG. That last one is important, because it gives the party a chance to murder-hobo, while still providing them with the clue.
If, after three times, they still haven’t gotten it? The BBEG gets the message, and {bad thing} happens in the background, (which probably makes their eventual assault on the BBEG’s lair harder.)
Rule of threes. Every clue should be presented to the party three different times, in three different (increasingly aggressive and hard to dismiss) ways. Maybe the first is a note in a locked chest. The second is a note on the dead body of a relevant NPC. And the third is a note on an enemy courier who is very obviously trying to get it to the BBEG. That last one is important, because it gives the party a chance to murder-hobo, while still providing them with the clue.
If, after three times, they still haven’t gotten it? The BBEG gets the message, and {bad thing} happens in the background, (which probably makes their eventual assault on the BBEG’s lair harder.)