Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 8825364" data-attributes="member: 29398">Go back to my example upthread of the scout sneaking across the manor grounds where the manor is, unknown to anyone, deserted.&nbsp; By not even going through the motions of rolling I've given the player (and thus, character) the meta-game information that the crossing was safe and unobserved - information that the character in the moment wouldn't and couldn't know.&nbsp; So in order to prevent this, I'm going to roll.Obvious example: the gate guard works for the local Thieves' guild and has a lot more going for him than meets the eye.&nbsp; The PCs think he's a simple gate guard, slow of wit and strong of arm, because that's what the guard wants them - and everyone else passing through that gate - to think.&nbsp; No way in hell am I telling the players that the DC to bluff this guy is about 18 when they've every reason to think it's maybe half that; nor am I going to tell them that instead of just securing passage at the gate, the real stakes when interacting with him are whether or not he puts the PCs on the Thieves' radar as marks who could use a little selective wealth reduction while in town.Another example: they latch on to a piece of information and draw the wrong conclusions, then proceed as if those conclusions were correct.Say they find an incriminating letter signed &quot;B&quot;, and somehow talk themselves into thinking it came from Duchess Britta when in fact it came from Bloodknife the Assassin.&nbsp; So they go off and start investigating a Duchess-sized red herring of their own creation.&nbsp; Nothing intentional on my part as DM, they made the wrong deduction; but I still have to run it straight, as if their investigation of the Duchess is what the adventure intends them to do (even though I'm probably flying by the seat of my pants at this point!).&nbsp; I can't just tell them they're wasting their time even though I-as-DM know that herring's getting bigger by the moment, at least not without violating the integrity of their roleplaying.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 8825364, member: 29398"] Go back to my example upthread of the scout sneaking across the manor grounds where the manor is, unknown to anyone, deserted. By not even going through the motions of rolling I've given the player (and thus, character) the meta-game information that the crossing was safe and unobserved - information that the character in the moment wouldn't and couldn't know. So in order to prevent this, I'm going to roll. Obvious example: the gate guard works for the local Thieves' guild and has a lot more going for him than meets the eye. The PCs think he's a simple gate guard, slow of wit and strong of arm, because that's what the guard wants them - and everyone else passing through that gate - to think. No way in hell am I telling the players that the DC to bluff this guy is about 18 when they've every reason to think it's maybe half that; nor am I going to tell them that instead of just securing passage at the gate, the real stakes when interacting with him are whether or not he puts the PCs on the Thieves' radar as marks who could use a little selective wealth reduction while in town. Another example: they latch on to a piece of information and draw the wrong conclusions, then proceed as if those conclusions were correct. Say they find an incriminating letter signed "B", and somehow talk themselves into thinking it came from Duchess Britta when in fact it came from Bloodknife the Assassin. So they go off and start investigating a Duchess-sized red herring of their own creation. Nothing intentional on my part as DM, they made the wrong deduction; but I still have to run it straight, as if their investigation of the Duchess is what the adventure intends them to do (even though I'm probably flying by the seat of my pants at this point!). I can't just tell them they're wasting their time even though I-as-DM know that herring's getting bigger by the moment, at least not without violating the integrity of their roleplaying. [/QUOTE]

Verification