@Misadventure said in Hidden information and enjoyment:
you are expected to provide secrets and twists and things they didn't prepare for.
I've found that players are no better at accepting unwelcome plot twists/secrets from staff than they are from fellow players, and are just as content with stuff to do as they are "secrets and twists". But YMMV depending on the game.
@Ghost said in Hidden information and enjoyment:
It's really, really hard to do anything secret when it comes to "cooperative gaming/storytelling" without effectively neutering the sense of surprise. This got me in to regular trouble in MU games.
Well yeah - surprise and collaboration are kind of opposing goals. It's like if you're co-authoring a book, you don't suddenly show up one day and "SURPRISE PLOT TWIST!" to your writing partner. It's more like: "Hey, I came up with a cool plot twist - what do you think?" And even if you sketch out a plot, you still don't know exactly how the dialogue or dice will go. There's still an improv level of surprise to it.
I get where you're coming from, though. I've had loads of fun with TTRPG plot surprises. I just haven't seen that same kind of experience mirrored in MUs. Usually it just ends poorly.
@Ghost said in Hidden information and enjoyment:
if I clear every plot twist ahead of time players tend to metagame it by having their character prepared for it.
That's where the collaboration comes in. It's not about 'clearing' a plot twist with the other player, it's about working with them to achieve something that's mutually fun.
Obviously I'm glossing over a lot. If you're staff, you can't run every metaplot by committee. And as a player, sometimes you've got jerks who just won't compromise. But this is the ideal, for me.