@ KRIEMEDEAN : I just want to say a few things, off-topic: I love you. I don't know anything about you, but your prolific and thoughtful responses in this sub-forum makes me so happy and excited and everything. I think it says a lot about a role-player who is interested in setting some time aside for discussing techniques, etc. I just wanted to say this, ha.





I can understand the uncertainty that comes with handling special information, but uncertainty shouldn't be reduced to a state of: I have no idea what you want me to do with this! It would be so much better if you just puppet me through the experience!

There's a fundamental difference between clarification and simple refusal to take initiative. I am more than happy to clear up any misunderstandings, but I am extremely reluctant to be the one to suggest actions. I want my role-players to come with proposals and ideas. I don't want to spoon-feed them every scene.


While it's true that every role-play has moments of surprise, I think the games Eden was describing (and the games I was referring to) are heavily steeped in back-plotting. There's a lot of behind-the-scene activity that not every player (or even the GM) is privy to. I think a good way to describe these kind of games is to compare the game to Clue. At the beginning of the game, every player is dealt a special and unique hand. This hand is the scope of the player's knowledge in relations to who committed the crime. And, throughout the game, the players are trying their best to figure out the story: who is the killer, what is the weapon, and where was the crime? Except there is one addition to the game: Other players might be plotting to kill you or each other or various miscellaneous things.

Intrigue is, in essence, people scheming and plotting towards some end-goal while mystery is simple the existence of an unknown.