Post

They agree wholeheartedly with the PCs plans.

It's a great point.

When you have a player group that is well read, alluding to a famous piece sometimes causes them to read way too deep between the lines are miss the twist completely.

Probably having the npc joke about doing the very thing. No one ever saw it coming. Somehow. All the signs were right there.

@tabcreations.com I don't give them hints at all. I want it to hit them like a sledge hammer when it happens. If I can get them to think they owe the NPC that's even better.

I know that in real life there are no hints. They're mercenaries and spies but I'm playing with my friends so will do things that make narrative sense.

ideally, for a betrayer type of NPC ... at some point, the characters will observe a betrayal in action. For instance, the person could turn against a former acquaintance, who happens to be an enemy of the characters at the time, saving the characters during this event.