A while back I had the pleasure of acting as second chair to another GM while I learned about the BR system. On one occasion, I led a small group of PC's on a side adventure while the majority of the group was engauged by the head man. A couple games later, there was quite a stir when trolls were coming out of the mountains asking for a character by name. The lord of the realm was quite taken aback when it was brought to light that one of his court members had recently had dealings with these foul creatures. Or maybe it was because they came asking for his help in removing another group of trolls that had moved into the area and was causing trouble. Sometimes the traditional bad guys aren't really so bad.

My favorite tactic to use against players is to confuse the issue. Be it changing the name of a creature, or revising the creature so that it has different weaknesses. Make things difficult for the player to guess what you're throwing at him and you return some of the suspense to the game that you had when you were first learning to play. And, there's the bonus of seeing your players' faces when the characters fearfully brandish flaming torches to fend off the evil Swampmen only to have the critters eat the torches. Or the relief when the same trolls whimper and cower at the mere sight of a shocking grasp.

Mystery is as much a part of role-playing as combat or political intrigue or the traditional bar brawl. Although this isn't a adventure seed, it help's to make an adventure memorable.

J