How Giving Your Players Explicitly Clear Choices Can Drive the Action and Narrative of Your Game.
Written by: Trip
We, as GMs, often feel like we have to perpetuate this veil of mystique over the game mechanics, as if that somehow helps to maintain immersion when we are also constantly saying things like “roll for initiative”, “Make an Attack Roll”, and “You take 17 Fire damage.”
I would like to posit an alternative perspective: that there is absolutely nothing wrong with telling your Players exactly what the possible consequences are for an action. Tabletop RPGs are a unique medium in that everything that is happening is completely imaginary and, as such, are prone to wildly different interpretations between different players. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to always 100% accurately portray the scene and the stakes at play to 5 different people all at once.
For example: say you place a massive beastial monster in front of your 1st-level party. You describe its fearsome gaping maw filled with row after row of razor-sharp teeth. You convey its thick hide covered in spines and glistening with a deadly venom. You point out the dozens of bodies strewn about the floor, faces permanently contorted in agonized horror. You might believe that you are properly communicating to the party that this foe might be beyond them–that they should run away and strategize how best to avoid such a beast. But your players are very likely thinking, “This monster’s head will make an excellent trophy!” All of your horrific, foreboding descriptions, which you had intended to turn them away from confrontation, only further confirmed their course of action.
I might have mentioned this in a past article, but there were a few games I’ve been in that would’ve ended prematurely in a TPK had the DM not explicitly made it clear that “Your character gets the feeling that this enemy is far beyond your capabilities, and that you should run!” After all, how was I supposed to know my Level 2 character couldn’t take on a Shambling Mound? It was a bunch of leaves, for goodness sake! 🙄😅
Because of our DM speaking “above the screen” to us, we managed to avoid what would have been a 99% guaranteed TPK. Instead, it turned into a test of getting out of this thing’s lair in such a way that it could not pursue us. I still got to be the heroic Barbarian and go toe-to-toe with a ferocious beast, but instead of doing so until one of us (me) was dead, I was instead only needing to do so long enough for the Rogue to pick the unconscious Blood Hunter up off the floor for the 3rd time that session (poor Dasi. 😅)
But I’m getting sidetracked. The point I’m trying to make is that your Players need information about the choices in front of them in order to make proper decisions that will drive your game forward. Think about it–which is more compelling:
- “You come to a fork in the road. Which way do you go, left or right?”
- “You come to a fork in the road. The left path will lead you through the mountains–a relatively safe path, but it will take you longer to get to the city. The right path is much shorter, but be warned; there have been reports recently of goblin raiding parties attacking travelers, leaving all dead in their wake. Which do you choose?”
Option #2 is much more engaging, yes? The choice between the mountain path and goblin territory is a meaningful decision, whereas the 1st example is basically just a coin-flip.
“But what if the PCs have no way of knowing that information?” I hear you ask.
Simple: Don’t put them in that situation in the first place.
YOU are the GM. You get to decide what information the PCs have at their disposal. You could say that the townsfolk in the previous settlement told them. Or you can simply rely on the old adage “The PCs are smarter than the Players” and simply hand-wave away how they got the info by saying they just know because they have lived in this world for decades and have picked up a lot of knowledge in that time. (Side Note: You could also ask the Players how they know this information? This can be a great way to draw them into roleplaying their characters.)
Now, the final point I would like to make here is: Don’t be afraid to give relevant information to your Players In explicit game-mechanic terms. I will use the example above to demonstrate what I mean.
- “You are headed to the city of Macguffin because you have been tracking the Bandit Lord for months and have narrowed down his location to that city. If you take the long path through the mountains, you will have to make a series of Survival checks. If you succeed on enough of them, you will make it to the city in time to catch your quarry. If you fail, you will have just missed him and you’ll have to investigate to find which way he went and pursue him there.”
- “Alternatively, if you are expecting to just slaughter some goblins and be on your way, think again. The reports show far too many incidents for you to handle in a timely manner, or with your skin intact. You will be reliant on Stealth checks to get by the larger hordes while relying on your steel to cut through any you cannot sneak past. You will not have a chance to Long Rest until you are through the territory and have reached Macguffin.”
This gives your Players clear expectations on what will happen if they choose the left or right path. To most Players, the path through Goblin territory likely sounded more “fun” than the mountain path, but the knowledge that they will not have a chance to Rest between fights may be enough to convey the gravity of the situation. The knowledge that the worst that is likely to happen should they choose the mountain path is that the Bandit Lord will be on his way to the next city, and they’ll have to try again, may persuade them to take that route.
Now, one downside to this type of approach is that you cannot “Quantum Ogre” your Players and just have the goblins be down whichever path they chose. I’m not gonna get into whether or not you should be utilizing Quantum Ogres in your game. That is a topic that has likely been discussed to death by people far smarter than myself. Although I will suggest that, in a situation like the one detailed above, it’s best to give your Players that kind of choice at the end of a session so that you can know what to prepare.
Are there situations where a lack of proper information can drive the action forward more than explicit knowledge would? Perhaps. But I would say that in 99% of cases, too-much information is better than too-little.
And this advice does not just apply to exploration. It applies to combat as well! I am a staunch advocate for letting your Players know about their enemies’ HP, Defense, Attack Power, and any unique Perks or Powers they might have. I have found that this only increases Player engagement and encourages tactical choices in combat. If you want proof, well, look at Baldur’s Gate 3! There are a lot of encounters in that game that only work because the Players have all of the information they need at their fingertips.
And uhhhhhh yeah. I think that’s about it. TL;DR: Give your Players more information if you want better games. Or don’t. I’m not your mother.
About the Author:
My name is Trip and game design is my passion. I started out with D&D about 10 years ago, but have played a few other systems like Fellowship and Monster of the Week. I’ve even tried my hand at designing my own TTRPG a few times (maybe one of these days I’ll actually finish one?) I love both playing and running games, but I also love the oft-overlooked joy of learning new game systems. It always sparks my imagination seeing a new take on mechanics and rules, and I’m always excited to test the boundaries of those rules to see if they work as-intended and whether they can be improved upon. And who knows? Maybe someday I’ll successfully create my own game and become a household name in the TTRPG sphere? A boy can dream. 😅
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