GM Tips: Effective Use of Cliffhangers
Cliffhangers are the espresso shot of storytelling—short, sharp, and guaranteed to jolt your players awake. In TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, a well-timed cliffhanger can turn a standard session into something your players won’t stop talking about (and texting each other about at 3 a.m.). Whether you're running the grandiose, dragon-infested halls of Tyranny of Dragons , the gothic despair of Curse of Strahd , or even your own homebrew chaos, a cliffhanger can be the perfect way to wrap up—or shake up—a session. But like any GM tool, cliffhangers aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Use them too often, or use them poorly, and your players might roll their eyes instead of their dice. So let’s break down how to craft cliffhangers that hit like a critical and avoid the ones that fizzle out like a failed cantrip. What Is a Cliffhanger, Really? A cliffhanger is that moment when the story screeches to a halt, leaving a big, juicy question hanging in the air. It’s the “What happe...