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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mearls" data-source="post: 2617967" data-attributes="member: 697">You know, I think you're right. Reading through the module, I was very excited to run something like it. I found the broad brush strokes compelling and interesting, but I think you might be right - the module as is can turn into a slog.When I ran RttToEE, I was disappointed that my players never tried diplomacy or stealth. I hoped/expected that they'd work to turn the temples against each other, or pose as minions of the Elder Elemental Eye, and so on, but they never did. Reading your comment, it strikes me that the adventure I read, and the one the players saw, were two different things. The players never really figured out that the temple was divided. They weren't aware of the possibilities.I'm building a dungeon for my campaign, and I was thinking of this the other night. I was inspired by Castle Maure (mainly in terms of coming up with weird/interesting definitions for each level, like "The Divine Oubliette" or "The Infernal Triskelion", just random mash ups of words to inspire me and give each area a theme) and it hit me that I needed to communicate that info to the players in a really clear manner to get them to buy into it.I think I'm going to create a number of immortal elemental creatures, caretakers who worked within the dungeon when it was a dwarven fortress, and use them to help guide play. So, when the PCs first enter the dungeon, there's a caretaker near the entrance who can tell them that the duergar in the first level are prospectors that the PCs can bargain with, or that the wizard on level 3 is always looking to hire adventurers for expeditions to level 8, or that the goblins in level 2 are divided into two warring factions, and so on.The idea is to give direct sign posts as to what's ahead, give the players time to think about their options, and set up non-combat encounters.RPG theorists have come up with the concept of a social contract. The social contract is a combination of implicit and explicit rules/guidelines that help dictate our actions. The design idea behind it is that it's better to be upfront about expectations, rather than let them come up in play.There's a basic definition here:<a href="http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Social_Contract" target="_blank">http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Social_Contract</a>For example, let's say you want to run a political game in Waterdeep. If you don't tell the players that you're game is based on roleplay and intrigue, it isn't their fault if they show up with low-Charisma barbarians and monks for the game. It's better to openly hash out expectations before play begins, so the players can create characters that are fun for the game and the DM can get a sense of what the players enjoy doing.</blockquote>

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