Designing Secrets for TTRPGs

Secrets are an amazing element to include in a tabletop roleplaying game. They provide something for the players to do, whoever is keeping the secret will become built-in opposition creating conflict, and revealing the truth behind a secret can be an inherent plot twist in and of itself.

But what exactly is a secret, and how do we get the most fun out of them at the game table? Let's dive in.

The nature of a secret

So, what exactly is a secret? It's not as simple as saying that a secret is any unknown fact about the world. There are many types of unknown facts, but a secret is an unknown fact which someone is trying to keep unknown. The truth behind it is actively hidden, not just unknown.

• The meaning of a text in a language the PCs don't understand is an unknown fact, but not a secret; the text wasn't intentionally written in a language that this group of PCs happen to not understand. There was no intention to keep its information from them.
• However, the correct sequence of buttons to press to open the door to the treasure chamber is a secret. The correct sequence is intentionally kept hidden to keep intruders out.

Why should we put secrets in our games?

There are several reasons for this.

1. Players typically enjoy mysteries, and uncovering the truth behind them. It gives them something to do, and if they solve it, they rightfully get to feel clever. And it is specifically the players who solve mysteries, not their characters. Their characters swing swords, and the characters' skills and the roll of the dice decide if they're successful or not - that's largely outside of the control of the players themselves in the moment. But solving a mystery? That's something the players do, not their characters.
2. Most games contain conflict of some kind as a necessary component to create challenge and tension. Secrets provide an automatic conflict between those who keep them, and those who seek to uncover them.
3. A well-designed secret provides a plot twist when it is uncovered. Something which takes the game in an unexpected but interesting direction.
4. NPCs with secrets have more depth than those without. Unraveling an NPC's secret can provide an interesting side quest and change of pace, even if the NPC in question is friendly.

So how do we design secrets to make them fun?

1. Stakes: First of all, make sure the secret matters - that it has "stakes". The fact that Farmer John secretly loves romance novels does not matter. The only thing that happens if this truth is revealed is that John is embarrassed. Revealing the truth should have some sort of game-altering effect.
   • Let's say the king is dead, but the queen is keeping this secret from the populace and is actually running the show behind the scenes herself. If the truth got out - who knows what would happen? This is a non-trivial secret.
2. Discoverability: If it's not obvious that there's a secret here to uncover, then there must be some sort of hints at its existence which the PCs can reasonably find.
   • Perhaps someone loyal to the king publicly questions the official story of him traveling abroad to the remote city of Nelithandra, which is the lie told to explain away his lack of public appearances of late? This gives the players the idea that perhaps all is not as it seems, and that there may be secrets here to unfold.
3. Weaknesses: If the secret is impenetrable, then the players have no chance. There must be some way for them to discover hints and draw conclusions pointing to the truth. If you haven't already, you should definitely read Justin Alexander's "Three Clue Rule". Seriously, go read it. Trust me when I say that article is way more important to the topic of secrets in TTRPGs than this one. The short version of the Three Clue Rule is that for each conclusion you want the players to draw, there must be at least three hints. That way they will have a reasonable chance of drawing the important conclusions even if they fail to uncover some of the hints pointing toward it.
   • Conclusion: The queen's official story that the king has traveled abroad to Nelithandra, and that's why he hasn't been seen publicly recently, is a lie. There should be at least three clues pointing to the conclusion that this story is not true:
     • Clue 1: Talking to merchants of a caravan which recently arrived here from Nelithandra reveals that they have no idea what the queen is talking about - they have heard nothing of the king being in their city.
     • Clue 2: If the party decides to go through the effort of visiting Nelithandra in search for the king, or if they contact someone there through magical means, they can also discover that he is not there.
     • Clue 3: Sneaking into the royal stables will reveal that the king's carriage, which he always uses when he travels, is hidden inside and is thus not currently in use for travel to Nelithandra or anywhere else.
4. Active opposition: In most cases, the secret-keeper (if they're still alive and around) should try to actively oppose the truth behind the secret from being revealed.
   • The queen and those loyal to her would certainly do their best to thwart the PCs' investigation (should they learn of it), to keep the secret under wraps and the population under control.
5. Dilemma: In some cases, it should not obviously be preferable for the PCs to publicly reveal the truth behind a secret even if they find it.
   • Perhaps the queen is actually doing a much better job than the king ever did, and revealing the truth would create an uprising where innocents might be harmed?
     • If the PCs agree to keep the queen's secret, then they will most likely have a new, powerful ally in her. Or, perhaps they choose to blackmail her?
     • If they choose to publicly reveal the king's death and the queen's deception, they will be the heroes of at least some of the population. This creates an interesting and meaningful choice for the players, where the best option is not obvious. Whatever they choose will affect the world moving forward.
6. Failure does not stop the game: GMs should, whenever possible, strive to design their TTRPG situations such that the game does not end even if the PCs fail to resolve them. If the players realize or expect that they will always succeed somehow, then the game loses its tension. Therefore, it should be possible to continue the campaign without it getting boring even if the secret is never unraveled.
   • If the PCs never learn that the king is actually dead, then the world goes on as before. And who knows, perhaps a rival NPC adventuring party eventually discovers the truth?

This structure gives us three possible outcomes:

1. The secret is kept, and the truth remains hidden.
2. The secret is uncovered, but not publicly revealed.
3. The secret is uncovered and publicly revealed.

This provides a fork in the road where the players' choices meaningfully affects the course of the game. Even you as the GM don't know the outcome beforehand, which will make the game more interesting for you too.

But how do you come up with ideas for secrets?

Coming up with the idea for a secret can often turn out to be the hardest part of its design. If you're having trouble, you could refer to the D12 Secret Generator or use the online version below.

Checklist for secrets

Following the structure outlined in this article, we can check the design of a secret against this checklist to make sure we're not forgetting something.

1. What are the stakes of the secret? In other words, why does it matter whether or not the truth behind it is uncovered?
2. If appropriate, who actively opposes any investigation into the secret, why, and how?
3. How can the presence of the secret be discovered? Remember Justin Alexander's "Three Clue Rule".
4. What are the weaknesses of the secret, through which it can be unraveled?
5. Optional: Does this secret provide a dilemma - an interesting choice - in whether or not it is publicly revealed once found out? This is optional because it's not appropriate to all types of secrets, such as the secret combination to open the door to the treasure vault in a dungeon.
6. Will the game be able to proceed without getting boring even if the party fails to unravel the secret?

Conclusion

Secrets are fun, and provide a lot of built-in advantages especially when designed with care. They add depth to your world and its characters and give players, more so than their characters, something to do. Additionally, they can enable interesting forks in the narrative, the outcome of which not even the GM will know in advance.

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