Mystery and Meta-gaming

I love a good story, and part of that is suspense and surprise. Even when we know the heroes will win out (not a guarantee in TTRPG), how they get there is the important part. To that end, I intend to hold back information from the party. I will also sometimes ask that, as players, you hold back information from each other. Many characters will have secrets; things only they (and the DM as referee) know. While players could lay all this out in the beginning, I think that being able to reveal your secret at a dramatically appropriate moment can add something to the game.

As an example: A party is sent to hunt down a powerful fugitive. After weeks of tracking and countless challenges they corner her in a ruined keep. As they burst open the door to their layer the paladin strides in. “Hello, Mother,” she spits as she draws her sword. How much cooler is that scene when everyone else is “WFT?! Mother?!” Not just the characters but the players. How much less exciting is it when the players are thinking… oh, here is were Ambur finally gets to fight mommy.

With this is mind, I will as - but not require- that some information be kept secret for dramatic reasons.

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On that note, players are smart people who know they are playing a game that has rules and a narrative. The characters don't 'know' this. It is important to keep in mind what your player might actually know. Here's an example:

The party has split up in a dungeon - always a great idea. After several minutes the group with Seti and Peach has been ambushed and are in danger of being defeated. The other group with Raven and Ambur would like to rush to their friends aid, but how? Wrong: The player running Ambur tells the DM, "Ambur thinks this passage is a dead end and decides to head over to where Seti and Peach went." The DM asks why and the player shrugs. "She just does." As a result, the DM may rule that Ambur goes, but at a leisurely pace since there's no need to rush. They don't arrive until after the fight has ended. Right: Ambur's player asks the DM, "Does Ambur hear anything from this fight? Can I make a Perception check?" The DM thinks and says, "okay. It's a little ways off but stone can be good at carrying sound and there's no other noises. Make the roll at advantage based on that."

In the second example, the player wasn't using in-game info in the game. The player knows what's going on and acts on it, but doesn't let it affect the way they play their character.