Trust goes both ways

Don't trust him though

One of the main tenets of the FKR style of play, or

maybe its core, is “high-trust gameplay”.

When discussing this, major emphasis is put on the trust that the players should give to the GM and their rulings.

I want to argue that, in addition, giving more trust to the players can free up a lot of design space, and possibly create a more enjoyable experience.

There is a portion of fantasy tropes that designers and GMs struggle to translate mechanically in order to achieve the experience that they want. Stuff like mental control, love filters, side-effects of wounds, hunger, heat, poisons, drugs and alcohol, etc.

Stop it. Just describe the situation to the players and trust them to portray their character accordingly.

If they were wounded, make sure to describe the wound and trust them to bring it up when it matters.

If they ate the fruits of the fae and cannot enjoy the flavor of anything else, trust them to play their character as growing sad and frustrated with human food.

If two of the PCs are siblings, lovers, etc. Don't give them a +1 if they fight together or something like that. Just let them roleplay it.

I started implementing this principle in my games and adventures, and I want to experiment more with it in the future. If it resonates with you, or if you disagree, please tell me your experiences and maybe share it around!