tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post3551939050550932524..comments2024-03-19T00:30:09.503-07:00Comments on DIY & dragons: Choose Your Own Miscellany - History, Reading, MapsAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15493700749333105771noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-88545236266359645832019-12-12T23:06:40.305-08:002019-12-12T23:06:40.305-08:00This sounds like a very meta way to play the game,...This sounds like a very meta way to play the game, though, doesn't it?<br /><br />"the most famous method was sending waves of orcish mercenaries into the dungeon to trigger the traps"<br /><br />You're not the adventurer going on an adventure, you're the crew boss sending dozens of the adventurers you employ to go have the adventure on your behalf.<br /><br />That feels like ... I dunno, you're not pretending to be Mario, you're pretending to be the teenage videogamer sending Mario after Mario to die in the Mushroom Kingdom.<br /><br />Not that there's anything wrong with that degree of distancing oneself from the action of the game, but it's funny to think of it as popular. "Let me tell you about my character. My character is a guy who stays safe outside while the henchmen go into the dungeon to fight the dragon."<br /><br />Trial-by-someone-else's-error doesn't really feel like creativity or ingenuity to me though. It feels like a brute force solution, just with the NPCs playing the role of the brutes. <br /><br />It's like Zap Branigan "defeating" his enemies by using his own soldiers as cannon fodder until his enemies run out of cannonballs.<br /><br />I suppose its a question of what sort of game you want to play. I know "Tomb of Horrors" is popular, but I can't really imagine myself wanting to play it either way, either as the adventurer or as the adventurers' handler.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493700749333105771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-9890802038084220362019-12-10T11:25:58.121-08:002019-12-10T11:25:58.121-08:00Also - Tournament Module.Also - Tournament Module.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-24943244920113851822019-12-10T11:25:24.992-08:002019-12-10T11:25:24.992-08:00I don't know that this is entirely fair to Tom...I don't know that this is entirely fair to Tomb of Horrors - a lot of its bad reputation is from folks with poor childhood experiences (antagonistic GMing) and absolute incomprehension of how the puzzle aspect of classic play works (contradictory ethos of play). Very few, and perhaps none of the traps in TOH are instantly lethal to the high level characters it recommends, and certainly not to those that take a modicum of caution. The instant death trap that gets the most complaints (the green devil face) is passive, doesn't need interaction, and is easy to detect.<br /><br />Most importantly, and unlike Choose Your Own Adventures, trap dungeons like tomb encourage player creativity in a way that runs counter to a branched decision tree - the player goal in a trap dungeon is to figure out unexpected ways of defeating dangerous obstacles. In the original TOH the most famous method was sending waves of orcish mercenaries into the dungeon to trigger the traps, but most actual play's of TOH have similar work arounds (check out the current one on Henchman Abuse for example). <br /><br />I think a 5E dungeon of linear combat moments would be easier to turn into a Fighting Fantasy style choose adventure frankly.Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-2006784880969956132019-12-01T00:00:59.165-08:002019-12-01T00:00:59.165-08:00I think one of my gradeschool classmates played Fi...I think one of my gradeschool classmates played Fighting Fantasy?<br /><br />I had some official CYA books, a couple from the Interplanetary Spy series, and some random off-brands. The Interplanetary Spy ones were always my favorites.<br /><br />I think you're both right though. CYA and Hero Quest were probably my two biggest gateways. (My other two biggest gateways were probably my mom forbidding me to play D&D, and having a few friends I admired who owned the 2e rulebooks.)Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493700749333105771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-8389600598542196762019-11-30T23:21:07.303-08:002019-11-30T23:21:07.303-08:00Same here! And then we played the advanced fighti...Same here! And then we played the advanced fighting fantasy RPG game (the precursor to Troika!) and then we jumped to 2e AD&DAncalagon_TBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13602961033235852856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-9389851259567361692019-11-29T11:42:23.307-08:002019-11-29T11:42:23.307-08:00My first exposure to roleplaying was through the F...My first exposure to roleplaying was through the Fighting Fantasy choose your own adventure books - definitely a gateway drug for D&D.Bearded-Devilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16415023478845579936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-81967765986200920642019-11-28T11:51:02.138-08:002019-11-28T11:51:02.138-08:00Very cool! Thanks for the link, Shane! (Can I assu...Very cool! Thanks for the link, Shane! (Can I assume that you're not the "Cheat Your Own" author, despite the same first name?)<br /><br />These Heterogenous Tasks is a good source for interactive fiction reviews.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493700749333105771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-86806138866606661642019-11-28T10:12:48.473-08:002019-11-28T10:12:48.473-08:00If you're interested in a very simple game for...If you're interested in a very simple game for simulating these books I'd recommend https://heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/cheat-your-own-adventure/ (when I play it we hide the dice rolls so there can be a bit of suspense about success or failure)Shanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00630019675594449102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-30344407472277583392019-11-27T11:09:53.511-08:002019-11-27T11:09:53.511-08:00You know, now that you mention it, since all the t...You know, now that you mention it, since all the traps in TOH are fatal with no save, it's not like you use the dice much anyway. So it would convert pretty easily.<br /><br />I suppose the challenge would be writing prompts that aren't too obvious. Like if it comes down to something like this, then you probably always know to choose the longer option.<br /><br />A potential danger appears before you!<br />- To charge stupidly to your death, turn to page 100<br />- To take a laundry list of precautions, involving poking things with 10' poles, nailing things shut with iron spikes, and using handfuls of baking flour to create a vision-enhancing fog, turn to page 200Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15493700749333105771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018265247036237861.post-67276573357969798852019-11-27T06:54:25.442-08:002019-11-27T06:54:25.442-08:00The more I think about it, the more parallels I se...The more I think about it, the more parallels I see between those point maps and the Tomb of Horrors. Makes me think you could easily make a CYOA out of that dungeon. Martin Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16621419996680588332noreply@blogger.com