Gaming Wisdom

[Rincewind]

Thought you'd like this, from episode 390 of Darths and Droids.

Game maps and the terrain they represent can be gorgeous works of art. In more ways than one. Besides being physically impressive or beautifully illustrated in exquisite detail, they can embody cleverness of design that it takes time and understanding to really appreciate.

A dungeon full of monsters and traps can present such an intricate and meticulously crafted puzzle that it forces the act of negotiating it successfully to be a heroic endeavour, for any lesser attempt would be doomed to failure. By forcing the players to surpass and overcome their own limitations simply in order to survive, you generate the stuff of legend.

This explains the eternal appeal of such a horrific deathtrap as the Tomb of Horrors, which we have mentioned before. It's not merely a place where PCs go to die - it's a masterpiece of the dungeon designer's art, a magnum opus of carefully crafted detail, a timeless classic that embodies the essence of what it means to create a challenging and, yes, ultimately, rewarding adventuring experience.

At least from the point of view of those GMs who run it. When you're looking at such a thing from the player's side, it simply sucks.

[Rincewind]

And this one from a later comic of their. DMM really knows his stuff.

Firing into melee with a missile weapon. Has there ever been a situation guaranteed to provide more amusement than that?

We mean melee involving at least one friendly character, of course. Firing into a melee made entirely of enemies is no fun at all. (It's much more amusing to blast the lot with an area effect weapon or a fireball, for example.)

Because everybody just knows that you're going to hit your comrade. It always happens. And yet people try it anyway. Because it's so much fun. If you hit the enemy, that's fine, you score a hit and do damage, and possibly go on to win the encounter. But if you hit your friend, that's hilarious. It's the ultimate win-win situation!