Sharing With Players and Clear Communication

A classic anecdote from the early days of Dungeons and Dragons goes like this:

Dungeon Master: You see a well groomed garden. In the middle, on a small hill, you see a gazebo.

Player: (Pause) I sheathe my sword and draw my bow and arrows. Does it respond in any way?

Dungeon Master: No. It's a gazebo!

Player: I shoot it with my bow.

*A few moments later, after the player expresses confusion as to why his arrows are ineffective, why the gazebo does not respond to him, and so forth.*

Dungeon Master: It's a gazebo, Eric, a GAZEBO! If you really want to try to destroy it, you could try to chop it with an axe, I suppose, or you could try to burn it, but I don't know why anybody would even try.

Player: (Long pause. He has no axe or fire spells.) I run away.

Dungeon Master: (Thoroughly frustrated) It's too late. You've awakened the gazebo. It catches you and eats you.

-Original story by Richard Aronson, 1986

Aronson's tale of The Dreaded Gazebo highlights a common issue of what happens when players and DM just aren't on the same page. Sometimes it results in entertaining misunderstandings like the one above, but other times it can be just plain frustrating when someone is lacking a piece of vital information about the encounter at hand.

Don't force players to fight blindly.

Full Disclosure

Sharing is caring, and sharing information with your players is something worth caring about a lot. For instance, giving players more information about the statistics of their allies and enemies allows them to make more informed tactical decisions. I've seen a lot of games that have a move or power squirreled away in some splatbook that allows you to determine the HP of a target, or its current status effects. But why would you even need to keep that info secret in most cases? Sharing the numerical health level not only assures the players that they are following the rules, it gives a clear sense of progress and greater enjoyment than having them beat against the target until it hits that indeterminate tipping point and falls down.

Let the players know the basic requirements for missions, as well. Obtuse objectives and unclear motives may seem to put the players in control, but it is also very frustrating. Present something to the players in the form of a treasure map, request from an NPC, or orders from an officer that give them a reason to care about completing the quest, don't expect or attempt to force them to risk everything in a dungeon just for the heck of it. Your players want adventure, so give it to them! A series of interesting and compelling events that they can clearly react to and build a story around. If your players are wandering aimlessly or without purpose, it is time to drop them another clear plot hook so that they can resume following the thread of the story.

Ideally, a successful campaign will make a good story to tell, and a story that involved crawling around a dungeon looking for a reason isn't what most players are looking for. Delving dungeons to find an ancient treasure or rescue a princess? Now that's the ticket! Make the goals apparent before you try mixing up the adventure with unexpected twists. Make the players feel like part of the story, not spectators being pulled along.

Of course any plot hooks and incentives should be presented to the players, not forced upon them. Players don't respond well to being 'railroaded' or having their options reduced to zero. But presenting interesting rewards and consequences is the first goal for the dungeon master.

The Most Important Phrase

The most important phrase to any game-runner is "What do you do?" This is a call to action and active participation. It challenges the player to resolve something, and also reminds them that it is their game to play. If the answer you get is "I don't know," the player may need more information. Provide additional details about whatever is happening, or take this opportunity to deliver a recap of the situation so far. Remember that you can freely provide information that would be known to the player character, and it is in fact preferable to do this rather than have it delivered by NPCs. It is generally more satisfying for a player to be told that they know which flowers are poisonous because they paid attention in the academy than to need a professor on hand to point them out.

Making Mysteries

The ultimate test of player communication is building an adventure that includes a mystery. Unclear communication can make the resolution of a who-dunnit nearly impossible. That's why the best plan is to over-prepare for these segments. 

When it comes to planting clues, the simpler and more numerous the better. This isn't to say that your audience is ignorant, but once the group is around the table shouting out ideas and following their own trains of thought, you will find it will take much longer than if you had presented the same puzzle to a single player. Also, mysteries are hard to design in such a way that the solution is clear yet challenging for the players. So like all things RPG, it is better to have too many clues prepared than too few. Always having new information to provide is the key to generating a steady flow of activity and keeping the game's pace up.


Illustration Is Key

One more thing to remember is that visuals always help. Use those maps, tokens, and miniatures when possible. You can draw out and illustrate things from the game world yourself, and any kind of visual aide you have handy can prevent confusion among your group. Spatial relations between characters, monsters, and the environment can quickly become a chaotic mess if you don't have a way to map it out for everyone to see. This includes tokens for status effects and conditions, so the players have a comprehensive understanding of what's going on during the encounter.

Even outside of combat, it can be useful to know that the dwarf is drinking at the bar, the elf is standing by the stairs, and the paladin is at the table. It will become very important when deciding who noticed the spy in the corner, or when a bar room brawl breaks out. And when travelling through a dungeon, be sure to confirm the marching order of the PCs and set up a visual reminder so you always know who sets off the trap or gets flanked from behind!

Happy ventures!