[RPG] How to describe unknown items without giving away what they are

dnd-5egm-techniques

I am currently working in my first D&D 5e campaign and I feel confident enough to the point where I will make a custom world with lore written by me. The idea is basically a world that is supposedly in the medieval era when it comes to technology, but in reality, when the players start exploring the world and the like, they will start finding clues that… perhaps there were some more advanced civilizations before them (Basically, a civilization that had proper guns between others)

Here's the thing and the point of my question, I want to be able to describe items that people wouldn't know that they are what they are, but without giving away what the item is, say, describing a broken syringe as a "Strange glass tube with a needle" kind of gives the item away, you know, keep the mystery of items, make even the most common items like a broken syringe as exciting as finding a gun, having it the entire time without knowing what it is and only to then find out it's an actual gun and using it in a peaking and exciting manner.

Does anyone happen to have dealt with this? How can I describe these objects without totally giving away what those are?

Best Answer

Describe the items cryptically

I agree with @NathanS' solution, which is to rely on the players' ability to have their player recognise the item without their character sharing that knowledge. If you describe an item accurately, this is an outcome you have to assume will eventually happen.

The only alternative to that is to describe it in such a way that is accurate, but which still prevents the player from recognising the item. (You can't outright lie or refuse to answer player questions about the item, not fairly anyway.)

Essentially, what you want is to make the description a puzzle, a riddle. You want to leave out information now, then provide the key to the mystery later on when the player should recognise the item.

  • Part of the item is missing. (A glass tube with a hole in the end.)
  • The item is disassembled. (A bunch of metal parts. Must be from some old tools, collected for scrap.)
  • The item is in an unusual orientation. (A metal pipe, presumably for tobacco. It has a wooden handle at the top end and a hook to hang it on a shelf.)
  • Part of the item is obscured. (It's large and buried partially underground.)
  • The item is described in unfamiliar mediaeval terms, or using incorrect assumptions common to the people of that world. (This cloth is waterproof. I got it from an elf trader who thinks it's some kind of linen treated with wax or oil.)
  • The item is described in a cryptic way that nobody in the real world thinks of it, but which will make sense once you know what the item is. (A black five-inch ornamental rectangle of layered obsidian and fine steel. You can see your face reflected in it.)
  • The item is easily mistaken for a mediaeval thing. (This rowboat has a sealed box on the back with a peculiar ornamental rotating rudder attached. Presumably, the box is a counterweight to balance the boat.)
  • The item has been modified since. (Someone has put cartweels on a motor car and turned it into a horse-drawn carriage.)

If the player still recognises the item ahead of time, then good for them, they solved the puzzle. This is even more likely in an RPG because the player can inspect the item closely, ask questions, ask for more detail. Ultimately, you can't guarantee the player won't recognise an item, in which case you must fall back on @NathanS' answer to trust the players not to act on information their characters couldn't possibly known.

Related Topic