Anyone else have this issue? I've heard the phrase used to describe JJ Abrahms directing style for his movies. And I've watched a few and I can confirm I have this same issue, of laying out these compelling mysteries , at least for my players, but then eventually when I have to give some concrete clues as to what's actually going on, I cannot deliver on the hype. Now that my campaign has gotten to a point where there is less and less good reason to keep details from the PCs, it's becoming harder and harder to reconcile everything to make it make sense. Because it was set up as a mystery box. Any advice anyone else do this,?
>>98607587
>>98607587JJ Abrams problems require JJ Abrams solutions, girlboss GMPC that can quide the party and always intuits the right answers should do the trick.
>>98607587I'm afraid this is a problem only a higher IQ can solve.
>>98607623Then asking /tg/ was definitely a misstep.
>>98607640No one can emulate a series of events for you and then deduct clues and mysteries from them so the players can piece it back together. That's just on you. If you just shit up random clues/cool mysteries without any foresight it just means you're retarded and there's nothing anyone can do about that.You want a suggestion? Use already written material.
>>98607587The problem with the mystery box approach is anyone with an active imagination can start piecing together an ideal scenario for their tastes. Meanwhile you are not only not perfectly aware of your players' tastes, but you are dealing with multiple players with (likely) conflicting ideal resolutions to your mystery.The solution is never making your mystery take so long to resolve that no possible resolution to it can be satisfying. Set up mystery, provide clues for a single digit number of sessions (ideally 1-3), resolve. You can even still have built a plot line through this by tying the mysteries together, but you actually have to have reveals that mean something concrete in the short term. In short; break up the big mystery into smaller ones that actually have a meaningful payoff.
>>98607587is mystery box just a meme-y way of saying "in media res"because what I am getting at from the interview where JJ abrams described the mystery box is that you just drop the protagonists into a world where stuff is already happening, which he hardly invented
