On The Shoulders Of Dwarves

## On the nature of Mysteries The “Known Unknowns” (00:50) The nature of mystery explained by United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld concept of the “[known unknowns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_known_knowns)”. The known Unknowns are what creates a sense of Mystery. For example the monsters in the dungeons. We know there are monsters & traps but their nature is unknown to us. ## In world building: **Open spaces** (02:10) Creating a sense of mystery gives the GM room to add things later, keep something up her sleeve or to postpone important decisions. Because it gives players something to explore, a known unknown. **Slow reveal** - In order to create a sense of mystery - take something unknown and shine a light on it. For running mystery plots, see also [Episode 37 - mystery plots](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/mystery-plots-episode-37-368b71569c7f92/) **What will be our obstacles?** (04:40) What lies behind the next door, how to open this portal, what will sprint this trap