this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

My players like to save their worst rolls for perception checks to find secret doors. Even when they specifically know there's a secret door and just need to work out how to open it, out comes a parade of 1s and 2s.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

So they means they still find it but it takes ages and a monster sneaks up on them in the meantime, right?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Mostly it's just meant that it takes ages - usually time is a big enough price that no other punishment is needed. Their recent actions generated a group of ghosts though, so ghosts wandering through the room while they're searching is now a thing.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Or my experience with D&D...

Encounter giant pit monster

Everyone argues for 20 mins about how everyone else should use their turn

Repeat until monster is dealt with

Run out of time of the the evening, so go home

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Chess clock / egg timer. If they don't decide fast enough then no action for them! You don't even need to actually do this (it would be a bit extreme in most situations), but the threat that it might happen should give them the necessary kick. Too much time deliberating? This monster just remembered it can take a legendary action on your turn!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

I know right‽

I mean, “alter” won't get flagged by spellcheck, it is a word, it's just completely the wrong word!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Goblin Slayer style dungeoning.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Recycle your unvisited rooms for next dungeons. I know it's cheap, but hey you're the only one who would know.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 4 months ago (5 children)

I've got an NPC who has been in the last six towns because nobody ever wants to talk to them

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

I would like to know more about this NPC that nobody wants to speak to.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago

Sounds like the perfect villain that's been following them the whole time.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago

That guy sounds like an arch nemesis in the making to me.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago

I hope you make him remember and grow his resentment for your players until he snaps.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 months ago

lol Poor guy

[–] [email protected] 31 points 4 months ago (3 children)

If you're making your dungeons from scratch, try taking some design cues from a Zelda game. (Excluding the NES ones) In those games every room has an essential function necessary for progression, so none of your hard work will go unappreciated.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Want to reduce the rushing and door kicking? Take your design cues from AD&D modules S1 and S6. Aka the Tomb of Horrors and the Labyrinth of Madness. Especially the Labyrinth of Madness.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Wouldn't your players then know the layout of all your dungeons if they find out?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

They said "design cues", not "designs". Research, don't plagiarise.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Actually, a good number of dungeons have a room or two you can completely skip. These usually hold bonus loot, like rupees or pieces of heart.

Heck, that shrine in BotW with the ball maze apparatus. Most people just flip it over and skip the maze. Some even just bomb jump over the gate and skip the apparatus.

Instead, I recommend you just accept that you might work on something the players won't see. Save that stuff for later.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Most people just flip it over and skip the maze.

I really appreciated that they let you do that. "So what if I just, like, flip it over?..."

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

I recently played A Link to the Past for the first time, and several dungeons have rooms (and even big treasure chests) that are not necessary for completion. Still did it, though.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 months ago (1 children)

What about Timmy is being altered?

[–] [email protected] 37 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 months ago

Don't worry, he's just bleeding internally. That's where the blood is supposed to be.

[–] [email protected] 73 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Hey, that looks like a successful session to me! They saw and interacted with most of what was prepared and there were even a few RP-driven decisions

[–] [email protected] 40 points 4 months ago

Yeah. Not everything has to be a movie. If you want the little dudes to do exactly what you had laid out for them, get some action figures man. If you want your players to play on the playground just give them some toys, a rough objective, and let 'em run around.

If you want your players to interact with something, make it either related to something they already care about and actively want to achieve, or else thrust them into the middle of it without any choice about it. If instead of that you turn them loose in the dungeon and they just run around having fun killing monsters and having hijinx then there is nothing in the world wrong with that and it is the expected result

[–] [email protected] 18 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Then Timmy fucking died

Maybe too reddit-ish?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

He died? But I didn't even see his shoes come off!

Reddit-ish enough?

[–] [email protected] 46 points 4 months ago

My players and party members would NEVER forget a door! Not even if the place was falling down around their heads!