: Re: Are major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story distracting or do they make a story more appealing? Is it too distracting to include a major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story? I mean a

The Unknown is essential

If we talk about mystery as in just something the reader doesn't know, and knows they don't know, then this is essential in fantasy and nearly any contemporary genre. If you know everything, what's the point of reading the book? There should always be something the reader is looking forward to learning, such as:

Who is the baddie?
How will the hero escape this time?
Will the girl get the guy in the end?
What is behind that big door nobody's allowed to touch?
Why is the old man always so grumpy?
What will happen next?

A lot of your Game of Thrones examples fit here, such as who the White Walkers are, what abilities does Bran have, who is holding Theon, etc.

Solvability defines a classic "mystery"

What defines what most people would consider a mystery is if it is solvable by the reader, or at least feels solvable. If there are clues that factor in to the exposition, and it's not just revealed by chance or circumstance, then this adds a more specific type of subplot that definitely appeals to a significant subset of fantasy fans. In your GOT examples, things like who poisoned the Hand might fit, because the reader feels like they could have deduced it after it's revealed, and in fact I'm sure some readers did.

This kind of mystery can add a lot of extra value to a reader even when they are not actually reading, as it gives them something to think about, ponder, reasons to re-read, etc. If done well, so that there are enough clues to engage an inquisitive reader with lots of free time, but a casual reader who just reads through once won't feel like they are missing too much, then this is definitely beneficial to add. I find that Patrick Rothfuss likely does a great job of this, with a rich backstory and lots of buried clues that still don't distract from the main story, and aren't required to enjoy the books.

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: If it's not important to the plot, setting, or characterization Then don't mention it. Mention relevant details, whether those are age, gender, mean- or friendly-looking, etc. If it does matter

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: How to describe my character using they/them so the reader doesn't know their gender until their pronouns show up later? I'm experimenting with writing nonbinary or generally gender-ambiguous characters

: Re: Are major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story distracting or do they make a story more appealing? Is it too distracting to include a major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story? I mean a

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: If it's not important to the plot, setting, or characterization Then don't mention it. Mention relevant details, whether those are age, gender, mean- or friendly-looking, etc. If it does matter

: It depends on your readership. The extreme sensitivity to racial or gender issues is not equally present in all parts of the current (2019) population. Some people would explode on you for

: How do I make a "contract" with my reader? (EDITED TO MAKE IT LESS BROAD AND MORE CLEAR). I recently asked a question about if I really need to include scientific proof for my mostly-non-scientific

: How to describe my character using they/them so the reader doesn't know their gender until their pronouns show up later? I'm experimenting with writing nonbinary or generally gender-ambiguous characters

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