You are an author: Narrative tricks for DMing success

“A few months ago, this dwarf queen got tricked by an imp disguised as a rat into causing a distraction so a diabolist could steal the most perfect diamond ever cut from a bunch of dwarven exiles hiking through the forgotten underhalls of knockoff Moria. In one sudden surprise turn, an innocuous rat turned into an imp, the queen was dead, the diamond was stolen, and the party was left standing stunned by the chaotic reversal. One of my players turned to the others and said, “I totally knew that was going to happen. I should have done something.” I shit you not. Well, I shit you a little. I speak in hyperbolic exaggeration for humor’s sake. The point is, in one surprise round, the adventure was totally lost forever, and my players didn’t flip the table, accuse me of a screwjob, and stomp away. No one even said, “Angry, you suck at things.” Not even my therapist, whom I probably shouldn’t let participate in my roleplaying game campaigns. Instead, all the clues clicked into place like it was the flashback montage at the end of a Nolan movie, and the players slapped their foreheads and then started making new characters.”