Divination
Ah, divination. Precognition, mind-reading, or even access to a network of spy satellites. In many games, characters can get access to various means of ferreting out the Storyteller’s secret information. It can be… frustrating. All the moving pieces you’ve got, and all your sinister plans might come out with the casting of one little spell.
But divination can be your friend, too.
If players and their characters are leaning hard on divination or any other way of getting super-secret spoilers, there’s a reason. They might just like to play that way. Some players don’t mind being kept in the dark, they love exploring the shadows and hunger for reveals — but some of them want to know. Maybe they’re completionists and they want to uncover every little bit of the story, or just don’t like having information held out of reach. Maybe they’re just optimizers and they’re going to take every advantage they can get.
If your players like to play a certain way, they are going to play that way. If they’re people you want to game with, run a game that they will like. And if that’s not how you want to run a game, they might not be the players for you. Talk it out, see if you can find a middle ground in which they get to use the tools at their disposal, and you can tell the story you want.
Keep in mind that sometimes when characters are using divination type stuff and asking you what the villain is up to, it’s because they need help. Maybe they missed a vital clue. Maybe a villain’s motivation is a little opaque and they’re having trouble following the story.
If the players are using divination to ask for help, help them. It should be okay for a player to tell you “I’m lost and I’m trying to figure out what we’re supposed to do next, so I’m going to cast divination.” You can always ask above table if that’s what they’re after, or ask “Okay, you’re visiting the psychic center for a precognitive reading. What are you hoping to find out?”
Let divination be your friend. Help your players when they need help. But help can be a spectrum. The psychic center doesn’t have to lay out everything in perfect detail. That’s one option, sure, and it’s okay to do it if your players are getting frustrated. But on the other hand, you can just let everyone know up-front that precognition and divination is no-go for this campaign. Maybe it doesn’t exist in your setting, or maybe you just tell them “I’m not including divination stuff in my game because it makes it less fun for me.”
But there are lots of options between those poles. Maybe give the characters a clear answer, but let them know that people’s actions change the future. If something unexpected occurs, the foretelling might become inaccurate. Hell, the characters’ own actions might be what changes the future! You can also give them unclear answers. The divination might come in the form of a riddle for the characters / players to solve. It might point them to a side quest. (“For the answers you seek, find the serpent-sage on the mountain of red ice…”)
Divination can make things hard on a Storyteller — players reading this, remember this and be kind — and I’ve heard it said that information is the enemy of suspense. And that’s true, but lack of knowledge or context or direction can be the enemy of fun. Between letting characters use these kinds of abilities and spoil my surprises or forcibly keeping them in the dark, I’ll choose to give them the win every time. “You gained an ability that you should be able to use and you used it well. You found out the villain’s secret. Good job! Now let’s see you do something about it.” Cue evil grin.
Knowing is half the battle, but the other half is still to come. Sometimes showing the players and their characters what they’re up against can be even more frightening than not knowing. Sometimes divination can be your best friend.
