I love me a good “Meanwhile…”, in which the GM describes to the players something that happens which the PCs have no way of knowing. It’s a powerful tool, and it should be used sparsely, but at the right moment it can do several things at once.
Here, Nadav effectively confirms everything the players were talking about, in continuation of last page’s revelations. He also introduces important NPCs, because he wants the players to have some familiarly with them, to have some emotional triggers regarding these people, even though the PCs never met them. He also takes care to presents these new people as actual people, with relationship and cares (so they won’t be just cardboard cut-outs of villains).
Finally, he reveals the full scale of Syn’s plan – throwing the moon into the sun. There’s no reason to keep this a secret – the players would have figured this out soon enough, and the important details are already on the table (the moon is the core; it’s happening in The Seat). At the same time, there’s a lot to gain from revealing this now – for example, it solidifies the “final act” feeling, effectively expressing that “this is it, there are no more secrets to reveal” without actually saying that. And that’s exactly the feeling you want your players to have when there’s still a secret to reveal
So in short: Think players first, PCs second; The important thing about a secret is not to keep it so, but the timing of its revelation (drama is your goal, not secrecy for its own sake).
And with that, we’re done for now!
We’re taking a break
As is customary after the end of an episode, we’re taking a break of a few weeks (at least a month) to plot the course forward and also so Aviv can rest her wrist and play more Babble Royale (watch her in action).
We are pausing our Patreon for the meantime, as we always do. And when we’re back, it’s for the final Crystal Heart chapter!
To reach us in the meantime, we’re @AvivOr and @nnesk, and the CH Discord is always open. See you in a few weeks!
