Shut up (no really)

In a game fuelled by conversation, silence cuts.

This article contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you make purchases using these links, at no cost to you.

A player asks the GM a question. They believe it’s a simple question. The answer is sure to come swift, right? The GM says nothing. 5 seconds pass, then 10.

Why isn’t the GM answering? Hesitation? Looking up rules? Or is a surprise looming? Unless the GM lets you in on what’s happening, you won’t know. Even when they answer, you still might not be privy as to why they took their time.

Silence is one of the best techniques in a GM’s arsenal because it conjures player doubt. What is the GM thinking? Why are they considering what I said so carefully? Give players some space and they will drown themselves in unpleasant possibilities.

Example:

The player says “I want to talk to the Lord.”

The GM asks “What do you convey?”

The player answers “I talk about how House Sidil are after us, we want help, and will do what it takes to gain his protection.”

Quick GM reponse: “The lord considers what you say, and replies ‘well perhaps we can work something out, what can you offer?’” ~business as usual~

Delayed GM response: “(5 second pause) Perhaps. (5 second pause) What do you offer?” ~OOOH THE TENSION IS PALPABLE~

---

Buy time with dread

Many GM ‘mistakes’ happen under the pressure to respond at speed. Some will argue speedy responses make a good GM. I believe the opposite.

A good GM has the strength to take their time in responding to player input, allowing themselves space to work out their response. Time taken to figure things out creates tension at a table whilst taking pressure off GMs to respond at speed.

This is particularly helpful if you need time to read a dungeon room, like in a pointcrawl dungeon that I demoed here.

Players

This works for player characters too. When a character is silent in a game played by talking, it leads to questions. What is the character thinking about? What is the player thinking about? It creates interest, curiosity, and makes your words powerful.

---

Say Less

It seems counter intuitive in a game all about talking, but take your time and make your words count. It’s easy to be uncomfortable with silence at the table, but it’s a valuable instrument of tension. In fact it’s essential in horror games like Call of Cthulhu and those with grim atmospheres like Blades in the Dark.

---

~Please note: use of this technique by all around the table will lead to an odd game.~

---

Recommendations

Podcast: Chris McDowall interviewed Quintin of Quinn’s Quest on the Bastionland Podcast, where Quintin selected three games to chew over. They had some interesting thoughts relating to crossovers between Old/New-School Renaissance and story games.

Blog: Sean McCoy (creator of Mothership) talks over some lean and mean GM prep philosophies. He comments on the purpose of empty rooms, worth thinking on. See more of his great advice in the Mothership Warden’s Operation Manual.

Book(s): For PocketQuest 2024 KJ over at Watch Well Games reviewed a load of the submissions, including mine. She’s put together a bundle on DriveThruRPG featuring all the games she reviewed. The works of indie creators who grafted to make great heist games this year are in there, as is my one-page food centric heist game Hangry.