Deciding when to roll for the answer to a question has a big impact on the game. Rolling early (when you find the first clue, for example) provides you with answers to your burning questions up front and having an idea of the ultimate destination gives you a context from which to interpret further Oracles. Rolling late, on the other hand, keeps both player and character in maximum suspense but has the potential issue of allowing Oracle rolls to pull the story in too many directions without a clear sense of purpose
Why Roll Early?
Answering even one big question early has a single advantage over waiting to decide. By illuminating the end of the path you immediately develop a framework on which to hang further answers. For example, if I (as the GM) know that the village headman is the murderer right from the outset it affects the questions I ask. Rather than saying "Is (random villager) the killer?" a hundred times until I get a yes, I can tailor my further Oracle questions to zoom in on the determined result ("Is the headman working alone?").
Rolling early helps to turn questions inward. Especially in civilization focused Vows it's common in my stories to want to keep adding characters in all the way up to the final bell. The end result is a convoluted mess! By rolling early and establishing an end-game context, my further Oracle rolls continue moving inward, toward the heart of the matter. New characters are introduced only when they have relevance to the story we're telling, and there's a definite feeling of progression as the Oracle questions dig down toward a definite goal.
The last great thing about rolling early is when you roll that dreaded pair on the challenge dice and reach for Oracle 18: Major Plot Twist. You would think that because you already have a good answer that the twist would be less interesting, but this is when we really pull the rug out from under the audience (He was dead the whole time!) Because we've been giving the audience (us in this case) a peek behind the curtain, and because we have a clear picture of the situation from the framework, rolling on the twist table gives us the opportunity to really twist. After all, as M. Night Shyamalan shows in his movies, the best twists are the ones that go for the audience, rather than the characters.
Rolling Later (Character Knowledge only)
Choosing not to roll early has some advantages as well. By not giving ourselves any player knowledge, we keep a sense of suspense and confusion up until the last possible moment. Using the Oracles in this way practically guarantees that the big reveal will be as shocking to the player as it is to the character. It also gives us more freedom to interpret the results of the Oracle without the framework leading our questions and answers. Not utilizing the story framework also means that your tale will by nature meander a bit more, and produce a wider, less focused story. To avoid this, it may help to use the first few rolls to establish a "theme" for this session, and keep that theme in mind when interpreting further rolls. By using a theme, we can keep a good bit of our story-telling freedom while also keeping our stories from going too far afield.
Becoming the Audience
Becoming our own audience requires practice. Knowing when to roll early (creating context and a framework) and rolling late (leaving the answer as a surprise) is something that's only learned from playing the game. Different players will have different preferences for how much they as the audience want to know vs. how much they as the character want to know. Ultimately though, playing a solo roleplaying game is like directing a movie. Knowing when you need to cut away and reveal some secrets that the hapless hero is plunging right into, and when to keep those secrets until the very last moment is key to driving tension and an appropriate sense of danger in our games.
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