The players come to a T-intersection. Do they go left or right?
As the DM, I know what awaits them in either direction. It is exciting to see where they go. I’m ready to spring traps, have monsters drop from the ceiling, or have them find treasure.
As players, however, this is a non-choice, and hardly exciting. If they don’t know the consequences, then they might as well flip a coin and move on. Like Lewis Carroll says in Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take.”
So, the perennial DM question: How to give the players enough information to make a meaningful choice, but without spoilers?
My answer: You can’t spoil anything, so give them all the info. The more info they have, the more important their next decision or die roll is.
I used to kill myself coming up with ways to provide information without coming straight out and saying that X is X. The problem with that is, it is still overly cryptic. Because it makes sense in my head does not mean it will make sense in a player’s head. Plain, straight, brief information is best.
Example: Players come to a T-intersection. Do they go left or right?
Option 1: Give no info unless the party specifically tries to make rolls and whatnot. And only then, give it grindingly. If they go left, spring the fire trap and feel like you got 'em! We’ve all played in games like this. We might have even done this as DMs as one point. It isn’t fun, it isn’t clever, and it really makes for a “Players vs. The DM” type of situation.
Option 2: Spill the beans: “Examining the corridors, you find that the left path is a short distance to the hideout, as you can hear the pirates’ party songs. However, the ground and walls are covered in flammable resin. The path on the right is free of resin, but leads directly away from the hideout to smaller side-rooms.”
Now the party has a tactical decision. Do they take the shortcut through a very likely trapped corridor, or play it safe? If they are on a timer, this mundane choice just became a lot more interesting for the players. If they fail finding/removing traps, they know exactly what is going to happen. If they pick the safe route but run out of time, they knew that going in. It is no longer “Player vs. The DM”, and that is a good thing.
Honestly, the more detail and info they can glean, the better. I used to be so annoyed at familiars scouting ahead everywhere, acting like surveillance drones. Or Barbarians with Eagle Eye seeing a MILE away with perfect clarity. And how about the entire party having darkvision because 5e can’t get enough of that? I used to hate that stuff, but now it is an excuse to tell them exactly what the stakes are. If they send a magic owl ahead to silently scout? Throw in all the details: “The left path is relatively short, can easily get to the hideout entrance in 1 turn running, provided the resin causes no issues. The right path circles further around to another hideout entrance, it would take 3 times as long. There are additional rooms branching from the right side, appearing like a kitchen, a barracks, and an armory full of powder barrels.”
Now we are cooking with gas. Major decisions are afoot. Go for the fast track straight to the hideout? Or take 3 times as long sneaking the other way, possibly getting some exploding barrels, maybe poison the food, or find some loot in the armory? Your party can spend 10 minutes deciding on a course of action while you just have another beer.
This is something I need to get better at. I tend to see the details as my little DM secrets, to be hoarded. But doing so is not always for the best. Letting the players know what is at stake makes even travel more interesting.
Example: The Princess explodes in 15 days. You are currently 20 days travel away.
IF the Ranger makes his wilderness survival roll, then you can cut that down by half.
Now the Ranger not only feels special, but also nervous. The party is rooting for him. Everyone knows if he fails they’ll be floundering in the wilderness and wasting valuable time that might end with an exploding Princess.
So, go forth, and let the players know what the consequences are, for only then will a choice matter!