Power of Perception

One of the most important jobs of the DM during the game is to describe the world as the characters experience it. Being that this is the only way that the characters have of experiencing the world, it behooves the DM to be as accurate as possible. However, it is important to make the distinction between the world as it is and the world as the characters perceive it to be.

Characters, like any person, are not all knowing, all seeing beings; and there is alot of mystery that the DM can take advantage of by recognizing this. For instance, a DM can describe a encounter as: "You guys are jumped by three ogres. Roll initiative." or "Three large, dirty humanoids step out from the tree cover, threatening you with large clubs seemingly made from an uprooted tree."

In addition to the second description allowing for more immersion, it allows the DM to keep the nature of the encounter a secret. This forces the players to react more appropriately to what their characters would see rather than allowing them to draw upon out of character knowledge to handle the encounter. This is particularly important with creatures that have special weaknesses, such as trolls. If a DM says the word Troll, out comes the torches and acid flasks faster than you can say, "Roll for Initiative".

Particularly in the types of locations that adventurers find themselves, it is not easy to get a clear enough look at your enemies to identify them with certainty. By using this sort of preception difficulties the DM can add a level of uncertainty and tension to their encounters, and by doing so you can provide an added level of engagement for your players.