Inference is one of the greatest mental tools that evolution has given humans.

You see the hoof print of a deer in the snow. The snow is fresh, it stopped snowing just before dawn, a few hours ago. The print is clear and clean.

Readers and players of RPG’s make inferences all the time. A storyteller or game master can use that propensity. The key is showing not telling.

There’s a corpse, face down, next to the door. There are bloody scratch marks on the door. The door handle is broken off.