Comments on: Preparing Red Herring in 6 Easy Steps

By: Using Rituals In Skill Challenges — Dungeon's Master

Using Rituals In Skill Challenges — Dungeon's Master — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:03:26 +0000

[...] This ritual presents the DM with a great deal of options. First, a successful check should count towards the overall success of the skill challenge and second, it should provide the relevant information. It can be used to do much more than this including plot hooks, side adventures and integrating character backstories. A PC’s decision to use this ritual is license for the DM to be creative and spontaneous during the game. A failed check can be just as fun as the PC will still learn something, possibly even a red herring. [...]

By: satyre

satyre — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:27:46 +0000

Red herring is a fine accompaniment to any game and Wyatt is right, there is an implicit reward in taking part. I’ll second the part about red herrings being superb ways of setting up future encounters.

Like all good things you can overuse red herring, particularly if your players have a lot of information in the first place. Remember to cleanse your palate after one of these encounters with something relevant to your plot.
satyre´s last blog ..of sapphires

By: JesterOC

JesterOC — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:46:01 +0000

Interesting article. On the one hand I think that red herrings should not be used intentionally by the DM, on the other hand I feel that information for the PC’s should not be spoon fed to them. Of course if you don’t spoon feed your PC’s every bit of information, then they are going to have to figure out what the clues to their objective means. And thus more often then not they will come to the “wrong” conclusions.

I think your tips are a good way to help make the “wrong path” entertaining.

By: Ameron

Ameron — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:12:01 +0000

@David
Sounds like you’ve had some experience with this kind of thing (probably unintentionally). Just remember rule #1: Be prepared. You’re absolutely right that PCs will draw conclusions and do the unexpected.

@David the Archmage
Just remember ruler #3: Don’t overdo it. This kind of distraction can be very rewarding, but it needs to happen in moderation. I agree that this is really just “dressing” but every now and then it’s fun to have it be more than that.

@Aaron deOliveira
Sounds like you handled the situation beautifully. Your quick thinking turned what could have been disastrous into a “normal” encounter. It’s funny that the PCs didn’t even remember. I guess you handled it so well it seemed like just another part of the game and not some unexpected tangent.

@Rook
Sounds like you’re an expert when it comes to this. Your comment echoes my point, just because the PCs are on a quest doesn’t mean that other things aren’t happening all around them. It takes a strong DM to bring PCs back to the main plot if they veer too far off of it. Leaving a few details unexplained is good for PCs. It makes them think in broader terms.

@Wyatt
This is certainly not a story-telling device that all DMs will want to use or even find useful in their game. It has a real risk of steering your PCs in directions you had no intention of having them go. I’m merely sharing a few tips that I’ve found helpful when I’ve used this technique. Thanks for your comment.

By: Wyatt

Wyatt — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:35:40 +0000

I don’t ever really have red herrings because the side trips always have some form of reward or utility even if it’s just XP. Though, my definition of red herring is being “misleading” and “distracting” according to my dictionary, which doesn’t sound like what I do at all.
Wyatt´s last blog ..10 Things You Must Know About The Spirits of Eden

By: Rook

Rook — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:35:47 +0000

Do I use red herrings? Just about every time the PCs “go to the Inn/Tavern”. I love to throw in little bits of info at them to see what they react to. I usually prepare a short list of one-liners that the PCs will “overhear”, unintentionally or not. Some are true, some not and some are, from a certain point of view. I’ll use these rumors to point out new directions for them to explore, lead them to important NPCs, and of course, sow suspicion.

The key to doing this is prepare, prepare, prepare. I always have at least a general idea of what to do should the PCs follow this tidbit or that one. What I really find challenging is when they follow a lead that is totally unrelated to the plot. Most times I can either turn that lead back into the main plot OR bring it to a close so that the players realize it was just a side encounter. And if they don’t, then the mystery plagues them for awhile. But hey, such is Life. Sometimes you just never find out what that encounter was all about.
Rook´s last blog ..My Foray into 4E: The pros and cons of flufflessness

By: Aaron deOliveira

Aaron deOliveira — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:56:24 +0000

i love using red herrings. my favorite one encompasses Rule 1. PC’s are unpredictible. my PCs entered a town and i had a NPC set up to give them some basic background information about where they were. the PC’s decide that this NPC is a threat so they decide to kick down his door and break into his house and attack him. i didn’t have anything prepared for this NPC other than what he was supposed to tell them. so i decided to make him a vampire to give him some abilities to fend the PCs off with. once the PCs figure out he’s a vampire, they decide to break into his hastily constructed crypt and kill him. so they grab the NPC’s servant and use him as a human shield while they break into the crypt and kill the vampire. surprisingly the servant survives being used as a shield. the PCs just dump him after killing his employer and destroying his home.

i eventually went back and had the servant try to get some vengeance on the PCs later. the funny thing was that they didn’t really remember him.

By: David the Archmage

David the Archmage — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:21:54 +0000

I usually just call these dungeon dressing or side encounters! But spending a little more time to think about it… I haven’t used these too often, but every once in a while it’s fun to do.
David the Archmage´s last blog ..Megadungeon mapping thoughts

By: David

David — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:57:48 +0000

Red herrings are a part of real life. But in the game, I find they’re a hindrance to the story, not a help. Players are easily distracted and often draw very unexpected conclusions from information the DM thinks is innocent—more than enough even when it’s unplanned.

On the other hand, sewing a seed for future adventure may be worth it.
David´s last blog ..Giant Chess in Trafalgar Square