How Should A Gamemaster Go About This?

[Patrick Newcarry]

So there is a specific question that has been burning me for a while.

How does a GM convey interactions between BBEGs like you see in movies like Rogue One and The Lord of the Rings trilogy with Saruman? I find these interactions some of the most interesting examples of non-protagonist conversations within those storylines.

For example, in Rogue One, how could a GM convey to his players, even if it's after it happened, the interaction between Darth Vader and Director Krennic?

Just a thought I had, because I think that it would make for a more interesting story for the players and make it more immersive.

[Pizza Lord]

The most common is journal entries or missives, either from the master conveying orders and instructions or the writer making notations to remind themselves.

Otherwise, you could do the hiding-on-the-balcony thing and eavesdropping as long as you're willing to risk them revealing themselves. Also, a magic mirror or crystal ball in a bad guy's room may either have a recorded image or allow eavesdropping on a conversation going on elsewhere or in the past.

[the xiao]

you can just tell them "meanwhile..." uf you dont mind them knowing a little more about the plot. It is nicw if your players differentiate between player and character knowledge.

[Wraithguard]

The xiao mentions an important point if you mention events currently transpiring. Player knowledge and character knowledge are two things that some people have a hard time keeping separate.

[Gallant Armor]

Borrow from Harry Potter and have an intermittent psychic link connecting the party to the BBEG. Have them be tormented by images of his evil deeds and machinations.

Having to bear witness while being powerless to act should serve as strong motivation for the party to stop the BBEG once and for all.

[Mark Hoover]

Other ways to convey villain interactions:

1. Hearsay: should the PCs capture an enemy minion, they could blather on about some meeting they attended wherein the BBEG chastised his second, telling their underling in no uncertain terms what the penalty for failing the master again would be...

2. Rumors and innuendo: when the heroes are gathering information you can insert snips of villain-centric scenes as tavern talk

3. 2-D illusions: in 1st Ed, cantrips were individual effects under a single spell called Cantrip. One of these effects was a simple, 2-D illusion you could project on a flat surface, kind of like a home movie. Imagine if the players happen across one of these with sound added, as left as a triggered effect by a minion who recorded his boss' "displeasure" with one of the middle-management types, just so the other minions could crow about it afterwards?

Now if you're not looking to display whole villainous interactions from the BBEG to an underling but rather just convey a bit of info to the players in the form of dialogue direct from the bad guys, look no further than comic books for your answer.

1. The villain's monologue: Dr Doom ranting about his evil plot as he gloats over the onrushing Fantastic Four

2. Enemy expletives: these are when the bad guys punctuate the fight scenes with snips of dialogue: "Ha... you are weak like the last batch of heroes who tried to defeat us! Their blood still paints the walls even as the paladin's sword hangs in the hall of the Dread Queen below..."

3. Minion banter: sometimes villains might narrate, strategize, or otherwise communicate with one another mid-battle. Some of this dialogue could easily deliver clues, motivations or other info from the bad guys' side of the curtain.

Finally... Haunts. This is a good mechanic for delivering a quick burst of info while at the same time giving the players something to interact with. However it doesn't always have to be ghostly, negative energy fueling the delivery system. Other sources might be

1. The Passion left behind by fey revels

2. Lingering Arcane energy from a coven's ritual

3. A unique variant of an Alchemical Ooze Swarm