| name | mistake-recovery |
| description | Turn a GM/storyteller mistake into a plot point instead of breaking the game. Load when continuity breaks, a secret slips, an encounter goes wrong, or balance tips. |
Mistake Recovery
Drawn from Mercer, Fixing GM Mistakes. "you are not infallible. Mistakes do happen" (t24). The craft is recovering without the table seeing the seams.
Own it; don't admit it. When you slip a secret early: "don't admit the mistake. Own it. Let the party think you intentionally did so and follow their lead" (t259–264). Then between scenes, retrofit the story so the leak enhances the reveal (bait-and-switch; an NPC who was lying/controlled/a doppelganger).
Serve the table's experience over your plan. When players miss your hints, be blunter — more direct NPC hints, clues in the terrain. "Moving the plot along for everyone's benefit is more important than adhering to a theoretical structure that you created in your own little headspace" (t191–202). (= judges-not-executors: serve the intent, not the script.)
Retcon via story, never by fiat. A plot contradiction? Let players debate it; pick the more interesting side; reveal that the false info came from a saboteur, a mole, or "an unseen antagonistic force." "No reveal is immediately necessary. You can stall… make it work for you as opposed to against you" (t220–250).
Rescue a fluke TPK — but not a real one. If a non-deadly encounter turns lethal by bad luck: an ally arrives, the foe captures instead of kills (→ a revenge arc), a scarier monster scatters them, or they wake resurrected by a mage with plans (t52–124). BUT "if the encounter is intended to be dangerous… let the dice fall as it may. You don't want to undermine the ever-present danger" (t131–143). Don't fudge real stakes; don't let a fluke end months of story.
Rebalance through story, not confiscation. An overpowered item: a powerful owner wants it back (for a boon), a slow-reveal curse to cleanse, it shatters and reforges weaker, or the party levels into balance (t322–388).
Always reward a clever player. "don't punish them for being clever. Let them enjoy that victory" — don't confirm their deduction until they act on it; if they commit, reward them (t296–317).
