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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wyrdsmith" data-source="post: 5371090" data-attributes="member: 98046">Lesson 1 in Cooperative Storytelling: Know Your AudienceI'd like to address the issue of this "paradox" by first stating that the gaming groups I run always represent a cross-section of gamers (somewhat of a circumstantial position, I realize, but bear with me).  There are always a couple of die-hards who try to utilize the ruleset to their utmost benefit, some who enjoy more "limited" aspects such as tactical wargaming and/or straight-up roleplaying scenarios, and always at least one newbie who has never even played an RPG before.That said, I think the issue here starts with the people you're playing with, rather than any inherent obstacles in the RAW.  For instance, the first time I sat down with my 4E group I had a group of six players.  While three of them had played a previous 3.5 campaign with me, it was a brand-new experience for two of them.  Out of the remaining four, we had two "casual" gamers and two newbies.  Needless to say, damn near EVERYTHING was mysterious to the group (somewhat even to me, the DM who'd been reading the 4E stuff for almost six weeks before the campaign started...) as no one had any familiarity with the ruleset and how it would work during actual play.Now, almost everyone in our group had copies of the PHB, and a handful owned the full set of books and frequently trolled online forums about RPGs to help with their in-game strategizing (or "stat-i-gizing" as I sometimes call it).  So that leads us to the big question of this thread: how to preserve the mystery?Step 1:  Customize, damnit!This one should be easy for any gamemaster with a smidge of experience.  You already know how most of the rules work, so just concoct opponents/obstacles/situations that fit into the rules but are aren't yet (or hopefully ever) published.  Mix-and-match, convert/steal ideas from other RPGs/settings, or go straight from scratch.  Keep in mind, though, that your real tools for mystification have very little to do with rule application and EVERYTHING to do with presentation.  From my experience, all it takes is just a tad of ambiguous--yet pertinent!--description to get your players involved and hopefully, sweating/rolling frantically.Step 2:  Seperate Player/Character Knowledge, Describe AccordinglyBefore you ask: yes, this is a continuation of Step 1.  However, this step deals with things that already familiar to your group.  For instance, you GMs out there may think that everyone KNOWS what an orc looks like (depending on the setting and whether you spell it "orc" or "ork"), remember that there ARE some (maybe like five) new gamers out there who haven't even seen the Lord of the Rings movies.  Even if they did, that particular mythos does very little to describe particular traits or even origin (the MOVIES, not the books).My point is (and it's a belaboured one, I know) that all it takes is the right description keep BOTH your veterans and your newbies in the dark.Example:  "You're menaced by two orcs in leather armor wielding battle-axes.  Roll initiative"  (Not bad for most groups, but if you want to keep the PCs on their toes...)The Wyrdsmith Way:  "A pair of man-shaped creatures advance toward you, each swathed in patchwork leather and brandishing cruel-looking war-axes darkened by rust or worse."Now, you're experienced gamers will either A) assume they're orcs/hobgoblins/whatever and plan accordingly, or B) take a minute to nail down a few descriptive terms to pigeon-hole their opponents.  Either way, you've got right where you want 'em: they're already participating in the encounter before a die is rolled, and all the newbies in the group are learning valuable RPG "survival skills".Assume they just rush in, however.  Even better!  You should ALWAYS be prepared with at least one action/ability that isn't in published material.  This technique works especially awesome when you present your group with identical opponents, then grant one or two of them special abilities of your own devising.  The hard-core will be stumped, while the newbies will just take it in as even more fantastical gaming fun!Well, I would do my third and final step for this thread, but I've just had a female compatriot cast a Summon Wyrdsmith to Lunch spell, and that's one spell's mechanics I am all-too-familiar with.  Besides, this reply has already run over long, so til next time, stay wyrd!</blockquote>

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