Another important resource at the gamemaster’s disposal that usually goes overlooked is to listen to the table. What I mean by that is as your players talk while they are at the table, listen to what they say.
The players tend to talk about everything. They discuss their plans. They mull bits of information their characters discovered. They think aloud about situations or things that happened in the campaign or session.
This is a gold mine of information that you as the gamemaster can use, especially if you are running a session without preparation.
As Your RPG Players Talk, Steal from Them
As your players talk at the table go ahead and steal from what they say.
Players say things like to each other:
- I think the innkeeper is the murderer.
- That bard is shady.
- Where did the orphan boy go?
- When we entered this dungeon, it felt like we entered a new world.
- Why is the river flooded?
- That old beggar was more than she seemed.
These statements are precious gems for the GM or DM to take and use.
For example, the party finds a strange note in a dungeon. All the note says is something like, “I need help.” The note was just a result of a roll on a random table, so the gamemaster has no idea of how to use it in the session or campaign.
However, the note could spark an idea in a player’s mind. They could say something like, “Wasn’t the innkeeper in that town asking for help?” or “Maybe there is someone trapped deeper in the dungeon.”
As you hear these tidbits of information you can steal them and use them in the session, even though you would never have thought it.
Continuing the example. The gamemaster has no idea what to do with the random note. A player mentions he thinks someone is trapped in the dungeon. Now, the GM has something to work with.
Give It a Twist
You do not have slavishly follow what the players say. Use the players’ thoughts and ideas to introduce red herrings.
For example, your players say think the shady NPC in the inn is the bandit leader they are hunting. You as the gamemaster can feed them information to make that NPC more suspicious only to reveal at a critical moment he’s not the bandit leader.
This will engage your players in the story more and make your sessions memorable.
Players Will Feel Like They Got It, But Be Surprised
By listening to the table you will actually be including your players more in the session, hopefully without them actually realizing.
They will feel like they are understanding what is happening, but when the twist comes they will be surprised. They will be happy on two levels.
They get satisfaction from being smart and figuring out something about the story, but they get surprised as well.
As an added bonus, the gamemaster looks like a genius and all you did was take the best of what the players said and tweak it.
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