Welcome back readers. In this post, I want to know your secrets; specifically, those you keep around the table. One thing I have yet to utilize as a Game Master is the impact of character secrets in a game. A character secret is a tool, created by either the character who has that secret or the GM, that is meant to enhance role playing, the plot, or the overall experience itself. For example, in a group of four, Player A is seeking revenge on the main villain because they are secretly their ex-wife; but no one else in the party know is, and Player A doesn’t want to reveal because of the possible adversity they might face from other players. This is a character secret. Sometimes, we GMs ask our players to write up a secret or something similar to work them into the story. Make it interesting for them ya know? Sometimes, players ask for their secrets to be worked in.
In the recent installment of the FearTheBoot tabletop podcast, the gang discusses how character secrets would best be used, if used at all. One point they touch on is the disruptive nature secrets can have, either to plot progression or to the experience of the other players. Consider the above example used for Player A. If the GM knows, and the player knows, what would be the point of contention for you as one of those other players? As a GM, I can recognize the plot potential and really incredible game moments that can come out of a tactful revel of a character secret; still, there is something to be considered here in opposition.
What if we took the same set up with Player A, but we added Player B to "the know". These two, and the GM know the secret, and now we have intra-party secrets and conversations around those secrets. Some players might feel differently about this set up. Here is a list of considerations (10 to be exact, because everyone loves 10-lists) GM’s should have concerning character secrets:
- Is the player who is asking your permission to have a secret doing it to enhance their experience or the experience of the other party members? Can you convince them to tailor their secret so that it invites the other members to be interested in it?
- How might would players’ characters confront another character who has an obvious secret, and how long might they allow it to go on before taking them out of roleplay?
- Does the secret of the player have them acting within a silo at several moments throughout the game? ie. sneaking off during sleep hours, side missions, cryptic dialogs.
- How effective are secrets that the players all know, but their characters don’t? Are these secrets as effective, or do they lose their potential for great game moments?
- Can every character have their own secret, or is that too much?
- What if characters all had one piece of a larger secret, and what kind of a group would you need to have in order to make that work?
- What is the responsibility of the GM when a player is being disruptive with their secret? Should the GM go ahead and reveal it as the player might have, thus “taking it away”?
- Do secrets work better in shorter games with more momentum, or longer games with more buildup?
- How flexible should a GM be to honor a player request for a secret, even if it impedes on the storyline originally created for the game?
- Finally, what fun could these secrets have that normal game play cannot provide?
I’d love to hear your secrets, or your thoughts on the considerations above. When I get to a game where either I encourage secrets or a player requests one, I think my go-to guide will be this question: is your secret intended to be used as a weapon to make you a better character than other players (more badass, more intriguing, simply more…)? If so, re-work your secret. I won’t know for sure until I play through the secrets unfolded.
As a final tidbit, I have learned of a tabletop game called Silent Memories that inherently works with player secrets. The premise, as I understand it, is that players’ character creation stories will form the persona and character of “The Mark”. Sounds like a great opportunity for the players to influence where the GM takes the game, instead of the natural occurrence of the reverse. Any reader play this? I will look more into it.
