Seeing the World Through the Characters' Eyes: A DM's Theory of Mind

Seeing the world through the eyes of the characters

As dungeon masters, we know a lot more than our players. The imbalance of information between us and the players can lead to misunderstandings, unnecessary arguments, and disappointment for both, the players and the dungeon master. Seeing the world through the eyes of the players and their characters lets us anticipate these challenges. It can bridge the gap between our shared imaginations.

A game of imperfect information

It is easy to forget the things that the players don’t know. We spend a lot of time thinking about our game and the setting we are playing in. Players think a lot about their characters and their place in the world but they have blind spots. Players must have blind spots for the world to stay mysterious and fantastical.

This fact, however, is easily forgotten. To us, it might seem obvious that the ruined altar is cursed. Why aren’t the players more afraid? Why aren’t they attacking the hobgoblin wraith, who, clearly, commands the skeleton horde? Because they don’t know. The scene unfolds in our heads in front of a backdrop of lore, history, and detail. A backdrop that the players don’t have access to. We try our best to describe the relevant details but some things are bound to be lost in translation.

Exercising some theory of mind allows us to put ourselves in the position of our players and their characters. To notice the potential inaccuracies of translation from the DM’s brain to the players’ brains, we must see the world through their characters’ eyes.

Creating immersive descriptions by taking the characters’ point of view

Don’t bury the lead

One technique we can use to anticipate gaps in the players’ knowledge is to describe the world through the eyes of their characters. What do the characters see when they enter the dusty crypt? What immediately draws their attention? We can start by describing the big things that stand out.

The characters’ eyes will quickly leap to the ruined altar, and the menacing hobgoblin wraith. If we imagine the scene as a cartoon sequence, these are the aspects that immediately stand out from the background. Don’t bury the lead. We shouldn’t start by describing the subtleties of smell, sound, and sight in the crypt. Instead, we can begin with, “The first thing you see…” By following the characters’ gaze, we guide the players’ imagination towards the important aspects of a scene.

The characters know more than the players

Characters have more information than the players. After all, the characters are in the crypt while the players sit around a table. We want players to be able to rely on their characters’ expertise and knowledge. But we also want players to figure out things about the world themselves. Treading this line is a big part of dungeon mastering. We will spend the rest of our careers as DMs figuring out the balance between too much and too little information. Exercising theory of mind, and seeing the world through the characters’ eyes can help us in this effort.

However, there is a general guideline, we can follow: Details that stand out to the characters should stand out to the players. When in doubt, have players roll an ability check to determine whether their characters know or perceive something. The cleric would probably recognize the vile energy of the desecrated altar immediately. Not sure whether the wizard would remember the ancient hobgoblin empire that ruled these lands millennia ago? Have the player roll a history check when their character sees the hobgoblin wraith. Taking a proactive stance regarding information that the characters would have will smooth over the translation of the situation from our imagination into the players’ minds.

An emergent world

Our game of D&D exists in a superimposed quantum state. Nothing truly exists until it makes an appearance in play. As dungeon masters we are engaged in Schrödinger’s world building. Looking at the fiction of our game through the eyes of the players and their characters helps us remember this fact. However, viewing the fictional world as a solidified mental image, makes us less flexible in following the players’ lead. The bugbear barbarian PC might speculate that the ruined altar has captured their ancestors’ souls. We had no idea that there would be goblinoid souls contained in the stone slab. From the character’s perspective, however, it is plausible enough for us to roll with it. Fantastical stories can emerge when we let go of the notion that we as dungeon masters have all the answers. Seeing the world through the eyes of the characters can help us keep an open mind.

Theory of mind for dungeon masters

Theory of mind, empathizing, taking a different perspective. The skillset of putting ourselves in the shoes of our players and their characters is crucial for us as dungeon masters. We know more about the fiction of the game world than the players. Remembering this challenging but necessary aspect of the game can help us run better D&D games.

Seeing and describing the world through the eyes of the characters draws players into the fiction. Don’t bury the lead! Beginning descriptions with the things the characters would notice first focuses players on the relevant details of a situation. Characters know more than the players. Whenever we can, we should use the characters’ expertise and knowledge to help the players make informed decisions. Seeing our shared game world through the eyes of the characters reminds us that nothing exists before someone vocalizes it at the table. View the world from the perspective of the players and their characters and watch the game become the collaborative process of shared imagination that it is meant to be.