Murmur

Ever sit in a busy restaurant?   Looked around?  Or just paid attention to the background hum of voices and noise?

You get scraps and bits of conversation and sound mixed with peoples' movements.  Its the murmur and its what lends authenticity to where you are.  Sit in a quiet restaurant and it seems emptier and odd.  Why bring it up?

Well so often the worlds we build for players lack this backdrop.  That missing element makes it feel fake and hollow.  Fitting it in is critical.  Now I'm not much of a "how" guy at least not for this blog.  Its about the philosophy and thought of gaming after all.  But I will say that the world is your oyster and you should plumb its depths accordingly.  Pull from it the info you need to provide that backdrop.

Your players should never hang on your every word or scribbled note.  Give them things that mean nothing.  Throw out info in chunks steady streams and make sure to starve them once in a while.  Make them filter info and make more true decisions.  It allows you to build good stories and for them to make mistakes.