RPG Design Panelcast Episode 251 - Creating Mysteries in RPGs
Mar 28, 2020
Join game designer Darren Watts, known for his expertise in superhero RPGs, and law professor Betsy Rosenblatt, who has crafted procedural mystery games. They dive into the intricacies of crafting engaging mysteries in tabletop RPGs. The duo discusses the balance between procedurally generated and authored mysteries, offers tips on utilizing the three-clue rule, and shares techniques for building tension with hidden deadlines. Their insights will help GMs guide players through thrilling investigations without giving away too much.
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Dread's Communal Mystery Example
- Benjamin Baugh's Dread Secrets of Candlewick Manor used play to generate the mystery solution communally.
- Kenneth Hite adapted that technique into The Last Flight of the KG400 to reveal players' shared past mistakes.
Design For A Useful Fail State
- Avoid designing mysteries that fail to produce any story if players miss clues.
- Structure scenarios so the fail state still yields an interesting outcome instead of nothing happening.
Genre Shapes Mystery Fairness
- Genre shifts alter what counts as a solvable mystery and what players can fairly deduce.
- Sci-fi or tech-mysteries risk answers that rely on unseen rules, making fair clueing harder.
