BoldItalic
First Post
@OP
Don't expect the players to second-guess. If they open the chest, tell them immediately that there is a secret compartment in the lid and ask the player who opens the chest to make a perception roll to see if his PC finds it. If he rolls low, the secret compartment retrospectively never existed and its contents will never be found; if he rolls high, his PC notices the secret compartment and he has the option to try to open it, check for traps, and so on. Either way, the players are involved in the development of the narrative.
Don't expect the players to second-guess. If they open the chest, tell them immediately that there is a secret compartment in the lid and ask the player who opens the chest to make a perception roll to see if his PC finds it. If he rolls low, the secret compartment retrospectively never existed and its contents will never be found; if he rolls high, his PC notices the secret compartment and he has the option to try to open it, check for traps, and so on. Either way, the players are involved in the development of the narrative.