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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mmadsen" data-source="post: 2058215" data-attributes="member: 1645">Some tips from Rich Redman's <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/fb/20031118a" target="_blank">Mystery Plots</a>: A good mystery actually involves two stories -- what appeared to happen, and what did happen. These two tales are sometimes called the surface story and the real story. You have to know both of them. A cardinal rule of mystery fiction is not to over-plot. Keep the crime simple and the reasons why the criminal's identity isn't obvious equally simple. When populating your mystery story, give every GM character a character flaw. Make one a liar, another a gossip, a third a petty thief, a fourth a spouse abuser, and so on. If you give the heroes a reason to dislike everyone, the villain's flaw can hide in plain sight. One of the "rules" of mystery writing is that you have to introduce the villain early. Thus, one of the first characters the heroes meet should be the person who committed the crime. It's a good idea to give one character no motive, no means, and no opportunity to prove herself innocent. Chances are your audience will assume this seemingly innocent person is the criminal. Since red herrings lead to people who did not commit the crime, scattering a few of them around gives you opportunities to present colorful characters and give them some time in the spotlight. When the players find an element of the story that doesn't make sense because you made a mistake, just shut up and wait. Chances are that their overactive imaginations will come up with an explanation they can accept. When they've done so, move on. Summarizing my longest column to date is a tough task, but I'll take my best shot.     * Make sure your players want to investigate a mystery.     * Don't over-plot. Keep things simple.     * Plan out both the real story and the surface story.     * Consider who the heroes are and what information they have access to.     * Set your first mysteries in cities.     * Murder is the most exciting crime for a mystery, but it's not your only choice.     * Your villain must be someone who is both capable of committing the crime and has a reason to do so.     * The victim is the heroes' route into the mystery, so choose her carefully.     * Make a list of clues that could lead the heroes to the villain, considering all the different kinds of clues.     * Suspense happens when something menaces the heroes because of their investigation. The closer the heroes get to the truth, the higher the level of menace should become.     * Practice your poker face and tell the players the truth -- just not all of it.     * Consider FX when crafting your mystery, both as a tool for the heroes' investigation and as a tool for the villain to commit the crime.     * Monsters as killers are too obvious, and monsters as misunderstood victims are clichés. They do make interesting and hard-to-track-down witnesses, though.     * Do your research not only on methods, but also on locations, criminals, and crime fiction.</blockquote>

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