The Skaven Conspiracy
The questions was raised in a Google+ Community about how each of us GMs handle the Skaven "conspiracy," (that is, the fact that the general populous isn't supposed to know they exist, though there are many veterans returning from the field and many people who know dwarves). Here's how I do it:
I have Skaven well known by adventurers, but only a bedtime story to the normal populous. Adventurers try not to worry the populous by pretty much not talking about it. There's more than enough other stuff to worry about in the world.
It's like a "don't ask/don't tell" policy. The people who know about them don't tell about them. The people that don't know about them don't ask about them. It's a sort of willful ignorance.
I have Skaven well known by adventurers, but only a bedtime story to the normal populous. Adventurers try not to worry the populous by pretty much not talking about it. There's more than enough other stuff to worry about in the world.
It's like a "don't ask/don't tell" policy. The people who know about them don't tell about them. The people that don't know about them don't ask about them. It's a sort of willful ignorance.
However, I have a feeling that, deep down, every citizen of the Empire knows that Skaven really exist.