Getting Secrets Approved

GMs at CG events need to get approval for things like monsters and magic items. But what if these elements are (or are part of) a big secret that's crucial to the flow of the game?

First, GMs should make sure that the item is actually a spoiler. Okay, so maybe the Committee members will know out-of-game that there's going to be an undead monster that can cast Mass Nightmare three times a day. Will this actually affect their enjoyment as players? Will they somehow have an edge over all the other players by knowing this? The answer may actually be "no".

If the answer is still yes, there are a number of ways you can handle this with the EC or GWC:

• Insiders. Bring some or all of the Committee onto your game staff, so that you can safely let them in on the secret, and work with them on the ideas until they're okay with it. Then have them talk to the non-staff Committee members and see if they can reassure everyone that the secret thing is kosher. (It's best to bring on at least two Committee members onto your staff, since it's much harder for two people to make a bad call than just one.)
• Decoys. If you're getting monsters, magic items, or treasure approved, include items in your proposal that you don't intend to use. That way the Committee doesn't know which one will actually be showing up. Then, in your postgame report, tell the EC which ones were the fakes that you didn't use.
• Talk around it. See if you can describe the thing in general terms, giving the Committee the idea of what you want approval for, while still maintaining the surprise. (For instance, for treasure items, you don't have to say "There will be a gold brooch with a green gem worth 100 marks"; you can say "We want to put out one treasure item worth 100 marks." The Committee doesn't need to know what kind of item it is.) Talking about the secret isn't always easy or possible (it's tough to do for monsters), but it sometimes works.
• Just trust us. The EC and GWC both hold themselves to high standards, not to spoil secrets and not to metagame with any advance knowledge -- heck, we have to do this, or the Board can boot us! If you tell us a secret thing about your game, we promise we won't abuse it.