Blinded By The Light – Part 1
There’s something funny about questions from players. As GMs, we usually know more about the world we’re playing than we tell. What’s interesting is that we tend to know more than even we’re aware of. Many GMs that I’ve talked have told me that it’s easier to answer questions than to stare at a sheet of paper and write down what you know about your campaign setting. We’re storytellers, so it makes sense. It’s similar to that old idea that writers listen to their characters more than tell them what to say.
Of course, it backfires as well. When a player asks you a questions, it’s in your nature to give them information, even if that information wasn’t relevant at the time. If a player asks about a room, it’s easy to start filling that room with antiques, furniture stuffed with stories, and maybe a few books from the Exposition Library of Plothookia. Players also have a tendency to shift through your B.S. and latch onto the chunkiest of morsels. I’ve had players leave the entire kingdom because I described something too well.