October 22, 2026
Red herrings: use sparingly
Distractions add texture, but too many turn a puzzle into an audit of every object.
A room full of interesting objects feels alive. A room where every object might be a clue becomes exhausting, because players have to rule each one out.
Texture, not traps
Set dressing should look like set dressing. A book on a shelf among forty other books is texture; a single book on an empty table is a promise. Break that promise and players stop trusting the space.
A simple rule of thumb
- Nothing written on a prop should be a lie unless the story says someone lied
- Numbers that appear in the room should either matter or obviously not (a price tag, a page number)
- Locked containers must open at some point
If testers spend more than a few minutes on something that does not matter, remove it or make it obviously decorative.