Dear reader, I hope you are having a relaxed Sunday. And now for your reading enjoyment, here is an RPG a Day 2025 post. The prompt for today, the 24th, is Reveal.
The reveal, the twist, is such a popular concept in the media that the urge to use it in our games is almost inevitable. TV Tropes has a nice write-up of the concept of the reveal.
A reveal is necessary for many plots to work, as stated in the link shared above, a mystery or investigation hinges on a reveal. Reveals as a surprise in many plots can be refreshing, but like everything, this is better in moderation.
I can understand the urge to overuse reveals, as much of the content we consume is built around them, and we are conditioned to expect them. As a beginning Game Master, I was guilty of this. I could see the excitement when my players discovered an unexpected twist, so I kept piling them up.
When I first ran the sample dungeon in the D&D Mentzer Red Box, I ran the adventure by the book. We had fun, but I could see the grind boring some of my players. So, I added a few new monsters. I saw their eyes light up, so I added more surprises and more reveals. I saw they loved discovering the properties of magic items, so I created a room full of boxes with magic items, with no rhyme or reason, and whenever they pulled out an item, I made up the descriptions and powers. Not an official item from the game, but something I created out of thin air. That’s how the halfling got an earring that turned her into a butterfly.
That’s an extreme example. I was a new GM, and I learned from that. I learned it so well that sometimes I’ve sat on reveals for years, only springing up the surprise on the players campaigns later. Some can be real a-ha moments. Like the time the BBEG was the low-level assassin they fought two campaigns ago! Or real duds, like the time they realized both fantasy campaigns happened in the same world. I was excited; the players seemed less so.
So, the advice is that revealing information used sparingly can be effective. Too much will make it less effective. But delaying reveals too much can make them fall flat. A healthy balance is the recommendation.
I think I’ll keep it short and sweet for today. What does the prompt reveal mean for you? Do you like big reveals that change a game? Or do those unexpected big surprises ruin the game for you? I’d love to read your comments or reactions to the prompt; feel free to share them here in the comments or tag me wherever you do. If you choose to join in the conversation, don’t forget to include the #RPGaDay2025 hashtag so the community can find your contribution.
