Path: ...!fu-berlin.de!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Justisaur Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action Subject: Re: What difficultly level do you play one? Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2024 06:24:11 -0700 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 70 Message-ID: References: <8ca3ajlotpges6liiqhihpo3b3rbjgnf7p@4ax.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:24:12 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="54f25b87366eeb401e700abada90b0ce"; logging-data="2411137"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/RDK250S+6Qn1+G4NJ0fUTdtVUOC901Vo=" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:0x1x4kHBmGPNK//L0RKXbcFQJ4s= In-Reply-To: <8ca3ajlotpges6liiqhihpo3b3rbjgnf7p@4ax.com> Content-Language: en-US Bytes: 4272 On 7/24/2024 6:35 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote: > On Wed, 24 Jul 2024 08:30:25 -0700, Justisaur > wrote: > > >> >> Or you just look up the maps on the internet for those games. > > Not much of an option back in the early 80s. Even BBS wouldn't be much > help. Not that it wasn't possible, but the image files would probably > be too much to download for all but the most dedicated on a 2400baud > modem. > >> Yes I mapped out by hand PoR, Bard's Tale etc. but I can't be assed to >> do that ever again. Tedious. > > It was an assumed part of the game, as much as keeping track of > hitpoints and knowing the damage value of your long-sword. It was just > an accepted part of the genre, as much as the idea the arcade > mentality that would try to kill you right from the start rather than > help you progress to the end. Fortunately, both ideas eventually were > tempered by the desire to create games that were FUN rather than > mean-spirited grind. > >> I can't say anyone ever maps playing D&D anymore either, for quite a >> long time. I did have one very confusing module I ran where the players >> did finally bother to do it in 3.5, but it was still tedious and they >> didn't like it, and neither really did I. > > I've almost never had players create their own maps as we played. As > you suggested, it does happen on occassion --usually when sticking the > players in a labyrinthine dungeon-- but mostly they don't bother. > > But I think that's more because > a) I tend to provide them with a visual representation using > an erasable hex-mat and dry-wipe markers, providing an > overview of their immediate area, and > b) I tend not to rely on large, labyrinthine dungeons. Most > of my dungeons tend to be fairly small (at least compared > to traditional D&D dungeons), with maybe only a dozen > rooms and connecting corridors. They're usually fairly > logically laid out (since they're almost always places > that creatures use -or used- to live and work) so it > is fairly easy for the players to imagine the entirity > of the place in their heads. > I do find I far prefer smaller adventures these days. The '5 room dungeons' work but feel a bit on the exceedingly small size. I also usually used a rather large battle-mat. Online with mapping it's a lot easier as they can see everywhere they explored (though making maps and using them for battle in online play is far more pre-work) and just go back to where they want by moving their figures. I've also found a lot of people are familiar with the 'keep right' dungeon method and that works in most (not all) modules. I've even just used graph paper instead of a battle mat with letters to represent the characters and monsters like 'rogue' which works surprisingly well when space isn't available for the mat. -- -Justisaur ø-ø (\_/)\ `-'\ `--.___, ¶¬'\( ,_.-' \\ ^'