This post is part of a related thread: Player Knowledge VS Character Knowledge
Game Master (GM): The flames of the torch dims. The oppressive darkness of the dungeon pushes in. The walls feel closer. The air is thick, making each breath a notable struggle. Holding your hand out before you, the only thing you see past your wrist is the light reflecting off your fingernails.
Sometimes, keeping player and character knowledge separate won’t do it for you. You may find yourself purposefully wanting to keep that information away from the other players, even if those players are proficient at separating player and character knowledge.
In the scenario mentioned above, you have one player that can see in the dark. In order to give them additional information no one else knows, you can pass that player a note.
Yes. I feel the collective eye roll. Yeah, it’s literally the most common tactic. People use it in any and every situation. Despite that, I’ve seen GMs fumble with note passing more often than I’ve seen them succeed with it (myself included). For that reason, here are some ways to make note passing go quicker, smoother, and make it better for everyone at the table.
TIMING IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN METHOD
If you are going to pass a note, try to do it when at least half of the other players are involved with something else. You can wait to reveal information until the other players have a distraction, or you can plan a few events or questions you designed to keep those discussing something amongst themselves for a spell.
Write the note before the session
If you know the group is going into a dungeon with that oppressive darkness and that one character can see through it, write out some basic notes for that character. Things like:
– You see a pressure plate on the floor. It looks like it will spring a trap.
– There is a kobold constantly watching your party as it silently walks backward. It constantly stays about 60 feet from the edge of the party. It doesn’t seem to notice that you can see it.
If you don’t have everything planned –which is fine- but you know where they are going, have some cards with some blank spaces on them. Here are a few ideas:
– You find ___________
– While it vanishes around the corner, you catch a glimpse of ___________
– ___________ in front of you, you see ___________
– You notice ___________ coming form ___________
If a character has a different heightened sense, such as sent or psychic abilities, you can make notes for them that focus on noticing things with those abilities.
Give it something unique that confirms what you know the character would know. You’re writing these in advance. Take this for example:
You see a glimpse of a strange creature. Its round body floats above the ground. A large mouth salivates as the giant eye above its mouth stares into the pages of an ancient tome. Tendrils, each with an eye of their own dart around, swivel about, checking their surroundings.
With that description, don’t just put (beholder) after it. Perhaps you could write something like, “the beholder muttered arcane words about reversing time to itself.” is far more interesting. Also, try and make it flavorful. Tailor the language to the character knowledge for that character.
You probably won’t pass all of your prepared notes out. The player may still have to pass perception checks to see hidden doors and scurrying critters.
Use technology!
Sending a text message is private and you can probably swipe or thumb-type faster than you can scribble with a pen. In addition, you can still have some drafts at the ready so you can fill in details about dragons or traps or whatever they may notice.
If you’re playing online, you have even more options. Virtual tabletop websites often have a private message feature. Roll20.net has the whisper option, which lets you send private messages to specific players. For some of us, typing with a keyboard can be very fast, so cranking out messages or filling in the blanks from your premade draft messages can be done while other players are discussing something that doesn’t need your input.
If you’re using a VoIP program like Discord or Skype, you can easily send individual messages to players. Also, text messaging is still an option.
Using technology makes it easier to send messages containing things like maps, large images, and full-color images.
Take the player out of the room and tell them
While this is different than passing a note, I need to address it as well.
Taking a player out of the room is the second most commonly used method, yet I think it is the one people should use most sparingly. There’s a sense of tension and mystery when the GM walks a player out of the room. The remaining players will- without fail- gossip and discuss what might be going on. Suspicions will rise. Calm players might get twitchy.
But most importantly, you will create a feeling of isolation.
That can be a good thing. However, if you don’t want to make the player you take a side to become othered by the group, don’t do it. It will take much longer to get the group to stop being suspicious than it takes to make them that way.
To answer the question in the title: Yes, but do it when you’ve thought about how and when you do it will effect all of the players. It’s a lot to take into account, but it will make for a smoother and more fun experience.
Twitter: @RexiconJesse
RexiconJesse - Jesse Galena 