The entirety of the adventure is a series of gotchas. It was originally designed as a response to Gygax's players boasting that they could beat any dungeon, and Gygax wanted to teach them some humility.
D&D 1E What are examples of "gotchya" encounters from Gary Gygax?
The entirety of the adventure is a series of gotchas. It was originally designed as a response to Gygax's players boasting that they could beat any dungeon, and Gygax wanted to teach them some humility.
Never really got that. Any character can be beaten by a challenge with higher numbers on it. And the DM can use any monsters, traps, deities, whatever they want. It's literally just a question of writing down a higher number than the other guy.
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lowkey13
Guest
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Todd Roybark
Hero
Or teach them to play Magic Users. It has been a very long time since I looked at the original ToH module, but I seem to recall certain challenges of this so called “Thinking man’s Dungeon”, were solvable only with magic.
The first time I played Tomb of Horrors, before the DM had finished describing the door, (indeed had only just showed us the Devil Headed door illustration), did one of my friends interrupt and exclaim:
“I stick my head through it!”
We all laughed so hard, even the player rolling up a new character.
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lowkey13
Guest
*Deleted by user*
David Howery
Hero
"Isle of the Ape" was also written as a 'teach humility to high level PCs' adventure. It didn't have quite so many 'save or die/choose correctly or die' moments as ToH though...
Gygax designed the Tomb of Horrors modules for two related purposes. First, Gygax explains, "There were several very expert players in my campaign, and this was meant as yet another challenge to their skill—and the persistence of their theretofore-invincible characters. Specifically, I had in mind foiling Rob Kuntz's PC, Robilar, and Ernie Gygax's PC, Tenser." Second, so that he was "ready for those fans [players] who boasted of having mighty PCs able to best any challenge offered by the AD&D game."
- Wikipedia, Tomb of Horrors
Those were Gygax's stated purposes. His words. If you didn't get that, you'd kind of have to take that up with him.
Sure. I understand he said the words. I just don't "get" them. The DM by definition is all-powerful. Gygax could create any dungeon on a whim. Those words are nonsensical.
"You are attacked by 42 Orcusses riding Tarrasques. What do you do?"
Doug McCrae
Legend
I think he would've regarded that as unfair (unless it's something the players can avoid like the hill giant chief's hall in G1) while the you-touch-it-you-die traps in Tomb of Horrors are perceived as giving the players a chance.
JeffB
Legend
Exactly. As Tim Kask has stated many times as well re; how they played/play- There has to be "a way out". A way to avoid or circumvent. If that means the PC's s have to bypass or ignore then that option is there. But forcing the PCs into cannot win situation is not the modus operandi of an impartial "Judge" or "Referee"
