Roleplaying games are, inherently, a mental and social exercise. One player, often the GM, lays out a scene filled with objects, sounds, smells, vibes, and characters with their own subset of those. And throughout it, the players must navigate their own characters, interact and engage. All that happens (mostly) in our imagination, through dialogue and dice rolls, and somehow it forms a complete picture for everyone at the table.

I’ve run enough games to confidently say: Players understand about half of what’s actually going on. As a GM, especially in games with a lot of prep-work ahead of time, it’s easy to forget that just because something makes sense in my head, it doesn’t mean it will in theirs. Likewise, just because a player knows what they’re trying to accomplish in a given moment is no guarantee that the GM understands their goals and desires directly.

Hence, it’s important to ask questions. For everything. Establish clear intentions, goals, motivations. Especially as the GM, I find it best to clarify as much as possible at every given moment.

More than that, I have come to remind players of things their characters would known or remember. When they try to make a choice about some goings-on in a scene, I will remind them of context they seemingly forget–connected clues they found earlier, things other characters said, truths they uncovered. Yeah, it’d be great if everyone kept immaculate notes, but many don’t. And even if they did, they won’t always make the connections between the current scene and something that happened six sessions ago.

It’s important to clearly signal what’s happening in a game to keep the narrative straight, keep players engaged and involved. Especially when running a mystery or puzzle, it’s good to be open about clues and insights the characters would have access to through knowledge or discovery. And if they’re not clear about something, even if you’re given all the hints and signs that they’re on the right track, let them ask questions. As their characters are interrogating a clue in-game, let the players talk through it and interrogate you, the GM.

I have come to dislike reserved or outright misleading GM-styles. It’s about as bad as having a GM that is outright hostile towards the players when running a combat. Getting upset when they roll well or the monster rolls bad. Likewise, withholding clues or being cagey all the time when the players/characters ask question, or gating everything behind arbitrary dice rolls, doesn’t serve the game, the story, and it’s just a big waste of time. Roll to understand the extent of a clue, but don’t hide the clue behind failed rolls just to make it feel game-y. Don’t think a player can read your mind and get everything they need to solve the riddle simply by you given them the clues you think should be enough.

After all, you’re the only connection they have to this world. Signal as much as you can to help them forge their own path in it.