When character open a door in a dungeon, when characters approach a monster lair in the wilderness – how stingy are you with information?
In the old days I used to test players’ adherence to smart routines. If they didn’t say their characters tried to move silently then obviously they were making a lot of noise. If they didn’t listen at the door then obviously they just barged in.
Little did I know what a fool I was. I was training my players to state the obvious, to repeat it again and again, I trained them to be paranoid, cautious, meticulous, and boring.
Remembering to do the obvious is not an interesting choice to make. These days I try to rid myself of these bad habits. I’m assuming the characters are smart and competent by default. Dice get rolled when ordinary precautions have already failed.
That’s why forgetting to listen at a door doesn’t happen, that’s why the giant footsteps on the trail leading up the mountain are not missed.
Once players have the basic info meaningful decisions can be made.
#RPG
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I absolutely agree with this. I can’t stand it when a gaming session is taken up by the rogue repeating endlessly, I try to move quietly and check the door for traps, then I listen at the door, then I try to pick the lock, then I try to open the door quietly. That’s five rolls being made that I already KNOW the rogue is going to make. That’s his JOB.
I know a lot of people hark back to those old modules where every door was trapped, and every square covered a 10’ pit. HORRIBLE PLAY! I want a story, not a quick succession of saving throws against death. I want my players to feel like they can try something new for a change, and I want to reward them for coming up with something interesting.
That’s why I tell the rogue player in my party that I will always assume he is trying to move quietly unless he tells me specifically that he is hurrying. I assume that the fighter ALWAYS has a crossbow loaded unless there is a specific reason why he might not. I assume that every mage in the entire world who has the capacity casts Mage Armor on himself the first thing in the morning.
Why weigh down your game with that tedium?
– Zandari 2010-06-20 02:25 UTC
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Agreed. I assume that the heroes are working intelligently all the time. Unless they’re doing something stupid, of course.
– greywulf 2010-06-20 03:26 UTC
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Maybe it was because we were immature teenagers when I played BECMI and 1st/2nd AD&D, but a lot of the old-school dungeon crawls seemed predicated on stating the obvious, and when you didn’t, it was “GOTCHA!”
– Adrian 2010-06-20 10:32 UTC
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Yeah, I hope it was an experience problem. When Marcel, Mircea, and I talk about the old days we often remember “you hear heavy breathing from around the corner.” The dwarf looks, gets blasted by the black dragon, and dies. Uhm... Great game!?
– Alex Schroeder 2010-06-20 10:45 UTC
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Hey, I remember that!
– Sektat 2010-06-21 11:24 UTC
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Great game, right!? :D
– Alex Schroeder 2010-06-21 13:17 UTC
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On a related note, Rusty wonders about the level of detail provided by the referee. How much is enough? How much is too much? Food for thought. Thinking About Details, Clues and Herrings.
Thinking About Details, Clues and Herrings
– Alex Schroeder 2010-06-22 12:20 UTC