Ry
Explorer
How to improve RPG exposition in 3 easy steps:
Step 1: Plan
Before the game, prepare small snippets of info for the players - the kind of stuff that gets listed in "adventure background" and then relayed by a "talking head" NPC. Usually this takes the form of about 3-5 cards with snippets of info on them (about as much as a well-filled Magic card).
Card Contents Example (Death in Freeport):
a. A timeline of the recent political history of Freeport, including the Drac family succession law, assassination of Anton Drac, and Milton Drac's financially ruinous plan for building the lighthouse.
b. A description of a violent run-in with some of the orcish crewmen of The Bloody Vengeance in a sketchy tavern in another port some time ago. The character who gets this is described as "not quite winning" the fight, and having a vague ache in their shoulder.
c. Description of Lucius, an old friend of one of the characters, who about a decade ago started acting very strangely, messed up his life as a temple scribe, then turned up five years later without knowing what had happened for that intervening period. The character wants to check in on his friend, see what he's up to.
d. Scraps of academic information about an ancient civilization of snake-people. The book the information was in generally concluded that the snake empire did not exist.
e. A few rough-and-tumble contacts at the docks in Freeport, and a mention about watching out for press gangs (or how decent thug-money can be made if willing to organize one).
Step 2: Deploy
Give each player one of the above cards. The player reads the information, and decides if their character could know this. If it's inappropriate to their character, have them hand it to someone who they think has an appropriate character for the information. The players are trusted not to mix player and character knowledge, although if the conversation comes up or it seems relevant, the PC is of course free to mention the information.
Now take the boring, talking-heads NPCs out of your game. The players will find out for themselves (do you really think they won't go looking for Lucius after the above notes?)
Step 3: Profit!
This is a great way to remove boredom from the game, and keep players focused - they consider themselves custodians of the information, and it reduces the red herring effect. I find it makes my games feel much more organic - the players aren't always outsiders to the world and its events.
My point is, you don't add a new character just to impart information. You already have a cast of PCs that live and breathe in the world.
Step 1: Plan
Before the game, prepare small snippets of info for the players - the kind of stuff that gets listed in "adventure background" and then relayed by a "talking head" NPC. Usually this takes the form of about 3-5 cards with snippets of info on them (about as much as a well-filled Magic card).
Card Contents Example (Death in Freeport):
a. A timeline of the recent political history of Freeport, including the Drac family succession law, assassination of Anton Drac, and Milton Drac's financially ruinous plan for building the lighthouse.
b. A description of a violent run-in with some of the orcish crewmen of The Bloody Vengeance in a sketchy tavern in another port some time ago. The character who gets this is described as "not quite winning" the fight, and having a vague ache in their shoulder.
c. Description of Lucius, an old friend of one of the characters, who about a decade ago started acting very strangely, messed up his life as a temple scribe, then turned up five years later without knowing what had happened for that intervening period. The character wants to check in on his friend, see what he's up to.
d. Scraps of academic information about an ancient civilization of snake-people. The book the information was in generally concluded that the snake empire did not exist.
e. A few rough-and-tumble contacts at the docks in Freeport, and a mention about watching out for press gangs (or how decent thug-money can be made if willing to organize one).
Step 2: Deploy
Give each player one of the above cards. The player reads the information, and decides if their character could know this. If it's inappropriate to their character, have them hand it to someone who they think has an appropriate character for the information. The players are trusted not to mix player and character knowledge, although if the conversation comes up or it seems relevant, the PC is of course free to mention the information.
Now take the boring, talking-heads NPCs out of your game. The players will find out for themselves (do you really think they won't go looking for Lucius after the above notes?)
Step 3: Profit!
This is a great way to remove boredom from the game, and keep players focused - they consider themselves custodians of the information, and it reduces the red herring effect. I find it makes my games feel much more organic - the players aren't always outsiders to the world and its events.
My point is, you don't add a new character just to impart information. You already have a cast of PCs that live and breathe in the world.
Last edited:
-shudders thinking about Masks of Nyarlathotep in this format-)
