Pacing is always gonna be kinda an issue. It's not really feasible to get a bunch of people, especially at random, to advance at a pre-set pace without some sort of OOC coordination. Which, if these are random people you're picking up off the street, becomes exponentially more difficult.
You may need to start DMing a little bit. Maybe you have a set amount of goals for a scene and if/when players get that far, the RP is considered "over"/"end-game" until more information is released. Or perhaps you'll need to employ some NPCs who can help limit the amount of things done. When in the moment, people like to get things done as fast as possible, which means that yes, sometimes a lot of hard work or a lot of potential development is pushed aside for the quick fix.
I've seen people do "episodic" RP events/plots. Perhaps that would help with your pacing?
You may need to start DMing a little bit. Maybe you have a set amount of goals for a scene and if/when players get that far, the RP is considered "over"/"end-game" until more information is released. Or perhaps you'll need to employ some NPCs who can help limit the amount of things done. When in the moment, people like to get things done as fast as possible, which means that yes, sometimes a lot of hard work or a lot of potential development is pushed aside for the quick fix.
I've seen people do "episodic" RP events/plots. Perhaps that would help with your pacing?
