The party defeated the Orc patrol and found the stolen letter hidden in a knapsack. As players, we knew that this was the letter upon which the entire campaign would turn; we’d been searching for it for weeks, evading danger and following the clues. And now we have it.

The stalwart warrior moves forward to open the letter. Around the table, the DM produces a super-snazzy prop letter made from parchment paper and tied with a crimson ribbon. Really, really well done stuff. The warrior’s player picks up the nifty letter, opens it up — and then promptly hands it off to the wizard’s player without missing a beat.

See, the warrior couldn’t read. So rather than read the note and dispense the wisdom, the warrior’s player made the tough choice to step out of the spotlight and let another more qualified player step in. It was a great, great moment, and it really made me appreciate that group of guys.

I think this is even better because it doesn’t spell out exactly how one goes about setting up another player for their roleplaying thing, so it leaves it up to the players’ imaginations. That is much better than spelling out exactly what to do, which can limit things.