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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 9630841" data-attributes="member: 58197">My take: Stop fighting human psychology and put it to work for you.If you present an indication of danger, the players will zero in on it. This is perfectly logical and entirely in character. It is also a valuable tool to the writer/DM: You can be confident that you have the players' attention and you know where it's going to be directed. So why squander that faffing around with random scenic detail?Lead off with the danger -- maybe not literally first, you probably want to tell them if they're looking at a room or a corridor or a cave or what -- but certainly by the second sentence. And then present additional detail about the thing signaling danger, anticipating the players' questions. Think like a player: Presented with this danger signal, what would I want to know about it? If it suggests imminent combat, address tactical considerations -- terrain obstacles and the like. If it's a more diffuse threat, give them concrete details about the sights, smells, or sounds indicating danger.</blockquote>