In any role playing game what truly brings a campaign to life is that elusive spark of dread coupled with curiosity to investigate further — to do this your need to inject a sense of suspense foretelling. Foretelling is the art of hinting at what lies ahead, of building tension not with exposition, but with atmosphere and implication.
So what techniques are available for foretelling? What pathways and choices do game masters have to create that mental scene—a sense of expectation, of wanting to go somewhere while remaining cautious, even fearful about what might be found?
Symbolism and Inventory as Narrative Clues
One method is embedding symbolic elements into the players’ inventory or NPC interactions. Symbols—whether a torn page, a bloodstained map, or a goblin street urchin covered in cult tattoos screaming about “the blood moon that lies ahead” immediately before it collapses and dies. These all suggest that something vital is coming, or an option for exploration lies ahead. Even better provide seeds that provide the players with a couple of options (but never more than three) of where to proceed and a sense of worry (or wonder) about what they didn’t choose.
Symbols can be fragments, half-truths, or misunderstood omens. What you are trying to achieve is to make players feel that the world is whispering to them, and a sense they are and the world are both moving toward a fate unseen.
Environmental Foretelling: The World as a Warning
Another powerful technique is environmental foretelling—subtle shifts in the world that signal change. The water grows still. The temperature drops. Crickets fall silent. Cockroaches skitter unnaturally during a long rest. These are not random details; they are the breath of the world holding itself, waiting.
Be mindful that absence can also be a warning. A stillness in the air, the hush before a storm, or shadows lost in the midday sun — removal or loss can suggest that something or someone lies ahead.
Worshipers, and Obligations to Patrons
Don’t forget the power of ritual and connection. Fantasy game characters often draw their powers from gods or mysterious patrons. A cleric may receive a divine message warning of danger or a request to investigate from their deity whilst a warlock may receive encouragement to investigate, a promise of a reward of more power, or perhaps a threat of lost access to their patron’s favor by choosing to follow or not follow the patrons desire. Be mindful that role play connections direct to players characters can be seized but they should never over utilised, or abused as that may result in loss of Player agenc0y and willingness to play the game. Done with care and with respect to the Player these interactions can help make the characters world and faith or following feel alive, reactive, and prophetic.
Creating suspense is not about giving answers. It’s about creating questions that echo through the story. It’s the art of making players lean forward, eyes wide, wondering what comes next—and whether they’re ready for it.
