This is like the 4th time I've watching this video and taken notes. Awesome stuff!
@reznet2 Жыл бұрын
I hear that lol
@RyanWBL Жыл бұрын
Would love to see some more collaboration videos with you two.
@JLittleBass10 ай бұрын
Wow, the Professor himself is taking notes. That's how you know you're onto something!!
@josephpement59388 ай бұрын
I'm on about my 10th. Gotta pump those numbers up!
@jameswalker43976 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the recognition of Grimtooth's Traps. We (the people who worked on it) thank you. The humor was to make it apeal, and it also reflects the style of our approach to games. It was meant to get people to have fun and think about what you, as a GM, are doing. I like your presentation felt the urge to comment. You are spot on with your ideas. Great GMs think like this...
@Runehammer16 жыл бұрын
!! Awesome to have you here! Loved those books!!!
@ndowroccus41683 жыл бұрын
At 19:00 is genius level (to know, is to know more). ....you don’t have to spend time figuring out how to COMPLETE a trap for your players, let them decide, while they are in the trap, they will attempt things - when you hear one that makes sense - reward that player by telling EUREKA! To that player...they will feel like a hero and you didn’t spend hours figuring out an amazing trap. This improv is soooooo good to know. Example: my group just got a wand, they don’t know how it works and the magic user that examined it said “you need to find the command word, speak it aloud while motioning the wand” I have no idea what the command word is (on purpose)...I am going to know what it is when the Mage attempts one I like, or seems appropriate). Win - win.
@MitchelPigsley6 жыл бұрын
Every game master needs to watch this. Incredible job as always Hankerin!
@tatuira936 жыл бұрын
From now on I'll start saying "Thank you my pectorals are mended" in that voice every time I get healed by someone.
@MegaKemper6 жыл бұрын
This is the stuff that I really like about your channel.
@jonmakar56466 жыл бұрын
I had your Room Design tenets written down in a little neat table above my encounter ideas, all of which I designed using the three tenets: Threats, Treats, and Timers.... Since you created these new tenets for Traps, and even abstracted them to levels not always thought of as Traps, I did the same, factoring in your 3 T's of Room Design. Behold, the 8 T's of Conflict Design: Territory_______________________Confines of Scene Temptation/ Treasure Treat____Incentive/ Bait/ Reward Trigger________________________Initiates/ Causes Encounter Threat_________________________Danger/ Risk; Resource Drain Timer_________________________Urgency/ Feeling of Desperation Tool/ Trait Treat_______________Condition/ Resource Toggle________________________Alters/ Alleviates Threat/ Tool/ Trait Ticket_________________________Key/ Path to Resolution/ Reward
@cabeskywalker43464 жыл бұрын
This should be pinned
@ROYBGP4 жыл бұрын
Jon Makar galaxy knowledge
@rolanejo85124 жыл бұрын
You, sir, are awesome!
@alamos526 жыл бұрын
I use your enthusiasm and silliness as a model and inspiration when I have to go teach class =) Stay weird mate
@twilightgardenspresentatio63845 жыл бұрын
Domenick Poster it’s important to have fun. No matter what you are doing, having fun makes it better.
@Tysto9 ай бұрын
I love puzzles. You don't solve puzzles with intelligence. It's cleverness, & your cleverness is your own. It's the heart of role-playing games. Dungeons should be puzzles. Monsters should be puzzles. Social encounters should be puzzles. “How does this work?” “What do they want?” You don’t solve that with dice. But yes, there should be a countdown, either time or tries. Or at least there should be penalties for wrong guesses or failure.
@dac87676 жыл бұрын
i'm a new DM and I've been struggling to make my dungeons interesting. this is immensely helpful. thanks dude!
@3DPrintedTabletop6 жыл бұрын
I needed this. After running a terrible pit trap that dragged our game an extra hour (and seeing the drain in my player's faces), I'm committing myself up to up my game. Thanks so much, Hank
@raymonddeancona45224 жыл бұрын
Love it. Going back thru your catalog for room design and trap theory... With quarantine I've been sticking to 5 room "dungeon" adventures for my party - trap theory is PERFECT for this!
@Runehammer14 жыл бұрын
you spelled it wrong. it is spelled CORN TEEN
@spikebarnett6 жыл бұрын
I love it when Hankerin delves into theory. Looking forward to the next key Key Mechanics video, which I would argue this video could be categorized as.
@kurtthecat39956 жыл бұрын
Especially when he demonstrates and sets up examples his board.
@ericlimjc Жыл бұрын
I rewatch this after reading Hank's email. Trap theory still blows my mind after rewatching. Good stuff.
@relicarcane98784 жыл бұрын
I'm an actual trapper of critters. I didn't think this video would be so in depth, inspiring, and PHILOSOPHICAL! There are some serious life lessons in this video, especially during these trying political times surrounded by enemies who fancy themselves slick and clever. So far it's a simple matter of just not taking the bait! "Strange game. The only winning move is not to play" -Joshua. Thanks!
@AcornFox6 жыл бұрын
I like this. I'd say the word "trap" implies a different, i.e more holistic, way of thinking about it than just "encounter". To me, the "encounter" is just the fight with the bandits in the cave. The trap is the broken branch that leads the players off the road to the mouth of the shallow cave, the choke point they unknowingly walk through to get to the poorly hidden strongbox they see at the end that triggers the creaking pulleys that slowly lowers the crude gate at the entrance. it's the raucous laughter from outside as the highwaymen hop down from the trees to separate you from your hard earned coin... A 15 perception or insight check at any point would have raised the red flags. You took the bait and ran for the oh so convenient loot. Roll initiative. This will only hurt a bit. It's not a ground breaking encounter, but when you think in abstract chunks that fit together any which way, it practically writes itself. Great stuff, Hank.
@anthonymitchell63225 жыл бұрын
"My name is Runesmith and welcome to my Masterclass."
@derekcutsinger35116 жыл бұрын
Yes! Classic Hankerin-style video. Time to party like it’s 2016 again woot woot!
@tims.4405 жыл бұрын
This channel is so underrated.
@mph196614 жыл бұрын
The trick to teaching anything is to make the student not realize they are learning. You have done this in spades. thanks mate. Love your videos. extremely informative.
@thegrymwolf63603 жыл бұрын
Mate, you have made D&D 1000x more enjoyable for me. Thanks for the great work!
@justanotherdayinthelife98414 жыл бұрын
You can always use puzzles in a centerpiece area often visited and it links to the story on a higher level, if the players eventually see it and get it (via clues being dropped of this puzzles function). When they get it its a big bonus thing the players get to wield vs the bad guys at least for a time, players get to skip an encounter, players get to come at an encounter ambushing the bad guys, or some equivalent. It isnt necessary but is fun for an option for other types of players still working within the runehammer frame yet repeated contact with the area will grow enough familiarity as to slowly discern this in the background.
@noxure6 жыл бұрын
Powerful stuff; very inspiring. Pretty much nailed how D&D and adventure games in general work. The conclusion of my own analysis is slightly different though: "A trap is a system that consists of two or more distinct Elements. Each element having one or multiple Properties" Elements: bait, trigger, threat, key, environment (space) Properties: instant, constant, timed, predictability, visibility, mobility, (in)destructible, repeatable -instant: element does one thing and then ceases to be part of the trap (not necessarily from the game) -constant: element is always part of the trap unless the element is also destructible (can be disabled/removed) -timed: element spawns into or out of the game after a certain time -predictability: degree of how the element's effect/behavior can be predicted by the player -visibility: degree of how the element can be detected/recognized (as part of a trap mechanic or at all) -mobility: degree of how the element can (be) move(d) around -(in)destructible: degree of how the element can be removed (arbitrarily or requiring key) -repeatable: singleton, n-instances or infinite I would argue that your beloved timer is a property, not a game element by itself. A timer will always belongs to an element; it doesn't do anything by itself. (so the giant key... is made of ice? yes, the giant key is made of ice). Final note is that a trap can also simply be one object that consists out of multiple trap-elements (functions). So you can argue that elements can be more accurately named as "functions" of game "objects". To expand on this idea: one object can have one or multiple functions; so you don't have to limit yourself to apply only one function to single object in the game. The bait can be a threat by itself, the threat can be a key, etc...
@StruggleBus0710 ай бұрын
This is a great way to frame out every level of design. Thank you for this.
@inspirationforge45784 жыл бұрын
"transmogifier!" awesome C&H reference! always love your analysis and ability to break things down to simple components
@xaosbob6 жыл бұрын
Cap shirt? The Touch? Are you my long-lost brother? GREAT video, man. Your theory videos are truly my favorites, and that is saying something, because all your stuff is fantastic. Watching you free-associate your traps on the board is surprisingly liberating (surprising because I did not realize I was bound up) but that's sort of what just happens when I spend time with you. My hardcover of ICRPG 2.0 just shipped yesterday, and I am PUMPED! Bless you, man, and rock your weekend!
@zabbkorn5 жыл бұрын
"oh look, a lever but you wont notice that cause no one makes perception rolls." truer words have never been spoken.
@ekuliyo6 жыл бұрын
You could use this concept for the out of dungeon parts too! Say you're in a social setting, like the King's court...the bait is convincing the king to help them. The confinement is the court, the only place they can approach the king. The "machine" is the politics and societal rules the players need to manipulate to get what they want. The trigger is asking for the favor. The harm is that the evil count who's also present reveals - surprise! - some dirt (real or not) on the players to turn the king against them. This is great, thank you.
@edwardbacchetta90926 жыл бұрын
I’ve watched this video several tim s and there’s new bits to catch each time. My favorite vid of yours to date.
@michaelstackpole20213 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the shout out to Grimtooth’s. We would have made the books more serious, but when you’re working for the troll and he wants humor, you do humor.
@Runehammer13 жыл бұрын
:D
@xslashsdas3 жыл бұрын
This guy has some very unique energy, amazing content!
@meraduddcethin28126 жыл бұрын
In addition to this being another wonderful video, I would want to poke that idea that the DM doesn't NEED to have a solution. If you have a set solution in mind, then it's a timed puzzle with penalty. If you don't have a set solution, then the players have agency and can do some whacky stuff which makes for great stories 10 years later.
@relicarcane98784 жыл бұрын
This is how I DM'd as a kid when our elder DM stopped playing. I was thrown into that position with very little knowledge or experience simply because I was the most charismatic, and the most comfortable public speaker. However, I never planned, prepared, made maps, or otherwise structured or organized my campaigns. I guess I had an innate understanding of what compels humans to move forward into an obvious threat (lure/bait), what keeps them there (confinement), and the need to figure out the dilemma (puzzle/trap). I'd then let the PC's start vamping ideas, and usually settle on the one that was the most creative as the "solution", pretending that was my master plan all along. This encompassed the entire story arch. I never really knew what I was doing. I "cheated" by basically creating simple situations that the PC's would then make very complicated, and tweak and flow with it as we went along. To this day they regale in stories of our lost hobby as children, and all my "AMAZING", "well thought out", and "mythological and archetypical" adventurous campaigns that were the best they'd ever experienced. Little did they know they were doing all the heavy lifting. I'll never tell.
@TheDMGinfo6 жыл бұрын
The only other thing to consider is the ebb and flow of action. Characters need a respite after an ordeal to consider their options and reformulate their position. The impact of what has just occurred needs time to sink in. Basically: Trap, rest, trap, rest, trap, etc. The rest is not just literally a rest, but a moment or two to gather their wits, check what they earned from the lure, etc. Another key component is escalation. The traps get bigger and more effective with each iteration. The danger ramps up the deeper they venture. Figuratively.
@Runehammer16 жыл бұрын
Amen! I have a podcast about escalation with a similar thesis. www.patreon.com/runehammer
@TheDMGinfo6 жыл бұрын
I just made a whacky video and did it to music :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3q6o5yZgrt3hJY
@erezamir72184 жыл бұрын
Now that two years have passed, i am only beginning to grasp the scale, magnitude and timelessness of this video. This is a master class. I will be coming back to this video for I dont even know how many years to come.
@franklyanogre000006 жыл бұрын
It's just like fishing: bait, hook, reel. Good stuff. :slow clap: Bravo, man.
@gambent68536 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this! I've struggled using traps and puzzles in an effective way for some time so this is a goldmine of knowledge. Stay awesome Hank!
@gunter436 жыл бұрын
"No more puzzles" But what if I'm running a Sphinx's lair?
@Runehammer16 жыл бұрын
then it has traps! lol
@paulsusac48396 жыл бұрын
This is a great video. I've been DM'ing for 30 years, and this is one of the best summaries I've ever seen. Great job!
@Runehammer16 жыл бұрын
wow thank you sir!
@Dr0ctober6 жыл бұрын
this and your mechanics series has been the greatest influence on my DMing style. thank you, you big ol badass!
@AdventuresHobbies6 жыл бұрын
I agree with you, I make my puzzles with the clues right in front of you and they are easy. So time is not wasted but its a fun element in the game. You have to make sure your puzzle has clues that are available and not just understood buy the DM. I have hints ready that I can give out for their INT Checks.
@azmendozafamily3 жыл бұрын
So good, I had to watch it twice! Also shared it on my FB page. TOP NOTCH work, as always!
@twilightgardenspresentatio63843 жыл бұрын
My players are exhausted from all the as they see them “no-win situations” that are social traps. Same number of checks, it’s just in dialogue. It gets exciting when the whole game is traps. I gotta give them breaks by throwing clumps of unarmored grunts at them. The fights don’t need the same intensity when all I want them to feel is “a win”! Thanks for all your advice. I can turn any fight into a battle fir their lives now!
@Zathamiel5 жыл бұрын
hey hey, just watched this for the first time. Not sure if anyone said this, but another trap that takes place over days/months/years in the lotr's universe is the Pallantir's (hope I spelt that right) the crystal scrying stones and the fact that Sauron laid in wait for years to pervert any who uses them. P.S. Lovin the concept
@stevedowning38925 жыл бұрын
Great presentation dude. I'm not going to give up on puzzles just yet. Was very pleased with how one went yesterday. However, I can see how I can apply trap theory to certain plot elements that have gotten a bit slack of late. The sense of urgency isn't there. Time to 'trap' em up to get things going again
@Ctulhu9116 жыл бұрын
I start applying this in my campaing, man, you open my eyes on a lot of things! Thx a lot, it's really a juice for my brains. Hello from Russia btw.
@Runehammer16 жыл бұрын
Greetings from the great cascades!
@raviath72733 жыл бұрын
Personally, I think these are all still puzzles just with trap elements. Just because a puzzle solved incorrectly can inflict harm doesn't necessarily mean that it's (only) a trap. For example, all of these "traps" have solutions. But you don't solve a trap. You solve puzzles. You disarm traps. It's a roll of skill. Now there are examples of out thinking a trap. Like, "I put a plank over the hole of spikes and walk over." You figure out how to avoid the trap. But it was still a trap. You know?
@alottathings866 жыл бұрын
Everything in life can be explained with LoTR references and Tolkien talk! Love it!
@ryangoulding46516 жыл бұрын
Love this channel man . After getting back into this after 20 freakin years
@seanrea5506 жыл бұрын
I would add a couple things. One allow the players to be the ones to set the traps from time to time. The other is with timings i would add minutes. Once the trigger is activated it takes a little time to fully activate, yhis would be like the barrel in moria awakening the balrog. The fellowship noticed the initial result of alerting the orks but not the greater threat.
@epicdungeontiles6 жыл бұрын
So enjoyable to sit and watch, I watched the whole thing and no way would I of thought it was 35 minutes long!
@yazzperiano32573 жыл бұрын
this is the best instructional for rpg tabletop i have ever seen.. and i saw it when it was first released!
@pterozackdyl Жыл бұрын
I'm going to need to watch this one a few times. Awesome approach and ideas!
@magnusmillerwilson3 жыл бұрын
I just got here, and it’s TRON playing D&D. Awesome.
@signalrk6 жыл бұрын
Heck right! Been waiting for this for at least a year!!! I'm holding out for a Runehammer trap book someday. Thanks Hankerin'!
@damionsailors31483 жыл бұрын
Doing a mandated re-watch here at the end of 2020...dude, you are too effing funny, and brilliant, great stuff "B"!
@joebaker16 жыл бұрын
Great advice and a good way to think about traps/encounters. I think that the reflection on your glasses was confusing the camera.
@bonbondurjdr65534 жыл бұрын
Mm, I just understood something that I had difficulty getting: the bigger the region is, the more range the threat must have so that even if the players leave the containment, the threat can catch up to them~ Nice!
@RussNo16 жыл бұрын
Some of my favorite traps humiliate instead of injure. Puzzles are necessary to remind the players they need to slow down and think instead of run through triggering every trap.
@Souppous6 жыл бұрын
I love putting time constraints one semi simple puzzles, also I would also consider the Doors to be both a puzzle and a trap
@calebsmith21316 жыл бұрын
When i do traps, i am all about goonies style. Deadly and intense. They bring out the best in players. I always put a time delay, usaly a sand timer before the trap kills player. The delay is where the players have a chance to get out of it.
@Pookey8026 жыл бұрын
Glad to see you putting out more D&D videos again.
@daniellugo64615 жыл бұрын
Your channel is amazing. I bought ICRPG out of sheer love for your KZbin. I hope my players would be interested in playing a session or two of Warp Shell!
@prodyakaid98284 жыл бұрын
I was looking for ‘trap theory’ as in the music.....
@vonries4 жыл бұрын
I think it was your second example, the "trap" with the monster that can't take damage, but can kill you, has the crystal(s)[I think the one with 2 crystals also falls into this category.], and the lightning machine. Both that and as I mentioned the two crystal "trap" are really puzzles. Simply because you don't just pull a leave to start the lightning, stop the crushing walls e.t.c. After finally finding the apparatus to fix the problem, you then need to figure out that those crystals sticking up out of the ground (on the mini that represents it) are in reality lose crystals that not only can be moved, but must be placed in a specific place [or adding the power created by putting both sets of crystals together in the other example]. You the player need to figure that out not your character. I think most players knowing they can move the crystals, are going to figure they are treasure to be tossed into a bag of holding to be split up between the party members once your done playing.
@andrewwillismusic6 жыл бұрын
I actually do a lot of what was covered, but never really looked at it as a formula. really interesting video. I may have to consider this when it comes to npc dialogue and ulterior motives as Im pretty sure the formula would still apply.
@__shifty6 жыл бұрын
how about instead of having the pc's solve the riddle. make their characters roll for it. and a successful roll will give them a clue that their character was able to figure out with their roll.... that way you're not outright giving the answer away, perhaps you have 2 or 3 clues lined up for successful rolls. or even 2 or 3 BAD clues for BAD rolls :D
@trikepilot1013 жыл бұрын
That is how I run puzzles. Works great. Give it a try.
@joshsmithartist6 жыл бұрын
Love it! Pray, why is this not a "key mechanics" video?
@devileanblack6 жыл бұрын
Dude you are awesome and you deserve more credit. Your informations are crutial for the fun. Definitely opened my mind.
@kevinm34286 жыл бұрын
This might be your best video yet!
@ddesouz66 жыл бұрын
This is what I'm talking about. I love your mechanics
@amdnable6 жыл бұрын
Wow, you put a lot of efforts in this video and it shows!
@honorisntheheart60066 жыл бұрын
Great stuff! Id love some more ROOM DESIGN stuff, its my favorite and so creative and informative :)
@noffpoppin3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for another great video! Somebody get this man an ale! Seriously, he's been Hankerin for what, five years now?
@tmoore226 жыл бұрын
There's a convention in Reno, NV in June that would like to see you there selling signed copies of the ICRPG . . . just saying.
@Runehammer16 жыл бұрын
Ty Moore lets make it happen!
@tmoore226 жыл бұрын
I'll get some info together and email the details soon.
@dkbibi6 жыл бұрын
Was a long time since an awesome moving picture thing!
@devinpreston55634 жыл бұрын
Cool vid! Very excited to give this a spin
@jesternario6 жыл бұрын
my favorite trap I've ever created is what I call "the gnasher." It is a section of dungeon with a spiked floor and ceiling. Simple enough, but the mechanism for the spikes was accidentally overclocked so that getting hit by any of the floor spikes has a chance of lifting the player off of the floor, which removes the weight off of the floor, resetting the trap, which in turn causes the spikes to quickly retract, making the victim hit the floor again, triggering the trap all over again. I know, it's evil.
@Corvus-fw2hr6 жыл бұрын
Solid as always. The theory is great! My big thing is that a trap needs to make sense to exist. Why did the builder make it? How did they get around it? Gonzo traps are fun, but I feel like they would only be in a dungeon where a villain was just trying to be a "douche", to quote Churchill. That would be very funhouse style, trying to test adventures.
@Jhakaro6 жыл бұрын
Yeah unless it's a place that is uninhabited except by weird monsters and creatures and is never meant to be entered and is protecting something, traps everywhere doesn't make sense. Like an Orc's Lair having traps doesn't really make sense because otherwise the Orcs would be stumbling on their own traps half the time, no matter how many times you told people "Don't walk on that" etc. They'll have defenses set up to protect a lair like palisades, wooden pikes sticking up out of the ground and so on but nothing that just activates and can seriously harm and kill you by walking into the wrong place. Always hard to justify using traps in that sense.
@evilstratton2 жыл бұрын
I dig your style, Broham. Semper fidelis
@Voduchyld6 жыл бұрын
Truly inspiring. Keep 'em comin'!
@JLittleBass10 ай бұрын
Also, thank you for making me realize that Ikea is a megadungeon.
@cdgonepotatoes42196 жыл бұрын
"Trap Theory!" a magazine direct competitor to "Traps Illustrated"
@Ctulhu9116 жыл бұрын
Have onyone read the book *Hamlet hitpoints* by Robin D. Laws? HANK you have to tried it out. This book is about drama component's inside the tabletop RPG stories
@victorortega3866 жыл бұрын
excellent concepts my dude. gives me a lot to think about
@HerewardtheWake236 жыл бұрын
Brilliant video, I learn something with every video you make
@tomdayley76706 жыл бұрын
Yo, Hankerin you should really head over to Web DM and try to do some kind of combined show with those two badasses! It'd only be good for you and the community if you could get that arranged! Thanks for the awesome video BTW!
@StarshipsSteel6 жыл бұрын
I've made the comment about PC Int vs Character Int when it comes to solving puzzles.
@Hazz3r955 жыл бұрын
Next episode: Writing out everything in your game in the form of "if: then" statements.
@richgravy41716 жыл бұрын
Sweet vid Hank, many thanks
@tarikshort94736 жыл бұрын
I really enjoy your videos. I used to play DnD with my brother, because it was the only thing we could really bond over. He was a weird guy. He killed himself a few months back, and watching your videos brings back some good memories. Thank you.
@Runehammer16 жыл бұрын
Sorry to hear that my man. Chin up, ever forward
@tarikshort94736 жыл бұрын
Runehammer always! Thanks for the content.
@discounthero99723 жыл бұрын
Virtual On hoodie! That's awesome!
@sergeantchannelclicker80606 жыл бұрын
well done, great ideas. you painted your Anduril red, looks cool.
@manlypedro756 жыл бұрын
love your work, mate! keep it up
@francescospuntarelli73696 жыл бұрын
The expansion to Heroquest in which they give you the boulder trap.... You became a crossclass between Conan the Barbarian and Indiana Jones.... whuao!!!!
@resilientfarmsanddesignstu1702 Жыл бұрын
I like your trap theory concepts, especially the temporal ones, although I would include the spatial dimension and make that spacetime rather than just time. I would also include delay as an element of traps. Here are some other useful concepts. I call this a "chain of harm" analysis. For harm to occur, there must be a phenomena capable of producing harm to the PCs, the PCs must be exposed to that phenomena, the PCs must be vulnerable to that exposure and that vulnerability must result in significantly harmful consequences that may be (depending upon the severity of the trap), beyond the PCs capacity to handle them. To prevent harm, the PCs must break the chain of harm, ideally as early in the process as possible. This way of thinking allows for numerous potential check points where actions can be taken by the NPCs to create harm and actions by the PCs to prevent harm. Harm occurs to a specific target or target group or to the life-support system component of that target. Harm can be in the form of a hazard or a threat. A hazard is different than a threat in that a threat possesses agency and can therefore reason. Tornados are hazards. Snarling wolves are threats. 😊
@resilientfarmsanddesignstu1702 Жыл бұрын
So then in my trap scenarios, rather than the NPC's passively setting a trap and the PCs encountering it, both the PCs and the NPCs are struggling to control the chain of harm to create more harm or to prevent that harm. This chain of harm analysis also applies to combat and social, cultural and political conflicts as well. It is a very useful conceptual way of thinking.
@JustinTiell6 ай бұрын
"It's an implication of danger."
@whatcookgoodlook6 жыл бұрын
My favorite lumpy head posts another video!
@dreddbolt6 жыл бұрын
Got here from DM's Craft DM Scotty. Subbed and rang the bell. :)
@Heath866 жыл бұрын
I consider a puzzle anytime players need to solve a situation whether it is opening a locked door or how to deal with a room filled enemies (to sneak past, kill, or whatever). Tabletop RPGs need puzzles in my view of them. I don't mean to open the vault you play dance dance revolution with the tiles.
@TheDMGinfo6 жыл бұрын
Heath Falkenrath you are describing organic puzzles and mechanical puzzles. Organic is there is a locked door, how do you open it (character skill). Mechanical puzzles, 3x+2=5y (player skill)
@noxure6 жыл бұрын
Tabletop RPG's can benefit from puzzles, but not when they become a roadblock. On the first session as a DM in my new group I though to throw in an "easy" puzzle in the first session at the end of the dungeon that served as opener to the actual campaign. The intention was to have players wind down from learning the combat mechanics and working together to solve it would break the ice and while make them learn something about the campaign setting/feel. We were all new to D&D. The puzzle was as follows: there's a statue of a wizard in the middle of the room reading from a grimoire in one hand while the other hand is pointing to a wall behind him. A part of wall where he points to looks more pristine than the rest and there's a metal ball sticking out with some faintly glowing runes around it; the rest is covered with moss (as is the whole dungeon). One of the characters immediately passed an arcana check (she rolled 20-something) and immediately learned that the metal orb is a magic mechanism that is only triggered by channeling the right spell on it. Upon further inspection and removing some moss they also discovered a riddle in common engraved on the wall (don't remember exactly, but the answer was "friendship"). At this point I was thinking that I gave it away too easily; but for some reason they couldn't find the answer (even though they got close) and decided to take turns to try every spell they had since they're all just level 1 so they didn't know many spells anyway. So in the end they managed to open the secret door leading to the exit by pure chance. In I think the puzzle did serve its purpose because everyone laughed when they realized how lame the solution was, but I still consider it a mistake on my part by making it mandatory; even when it was stupidly easy (and designing the puzzle by meta-gaming my knowledge of their characters may not have been the best idea as well).