Deception is really common in fantasy.

I doubt there’s a fantasy book I’ve read that does not contain some sort of deception or betrayal towards by a character the protagonist trusted. Hell, in some cases, the protagonist knows a betrayal is coming, but they don’t know exactly how or when. That’s also fun, to be honest. And as I read this second case, Dune came to my mind. The Atreides were going to Dune, knowing full well this was a trap. I think I will derail myself way too much if I continue talking about Dune, so I will move forward.

The point I wanted to make is that deception and betrayal are staples in fantasy and, in extension, in tabletop RPGs. And it works. The key, however, is to know when and how to use it. Every narrative technique and RPG mechanic has a timing, a way to correctly apply it, and, of course, a limit.

As I’m learning this through experience, I cannot give you instructions on it. The only thing I can say is that sometimes, even when your players guess the deception, it’s absolutely fine to go with it and not change anything. At the end of the day, players aren’t idiots and have experienced narrative techniques through various media. But that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy that media when they guess something. In my case, I like it when I guess something in a story. So don’t feel disappointed if a player figures it out and you don’t have to go out of your way to change what you have prepared just because of it.

And that’s all for this one. The next prompt is “overcome”.

And until next time, have fun!

P.S.: You can find all of my posts for this year’s RPGaDay here. Thanks to AUTOCRATIK and Casting Shadows for hosting another year of the event.