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Message: <blockquote data-quote="bloodtide" data-source="post: 8929275" data-attributes="member: 6684958">D&D, by the vague rules really does not scale up the setting by the numbers, but it does sort of suggest it.  Though the rules really only do it for monsters: at level one you fight goblins and at level 12 you fight fiends.   And you get a hint or two about dangerous terrain and traps, and then the rules just drop off.  And D&D, even more so the "core" of D&D has always been like that.  Not that D&D really describes any basic setting either, you are just left on your own to do the "kinda like Earth long ago".  Of course this is already a problem as most gamers don't really know much about Earth That Was in the Past.  And maybe worse, many only know history from TV shows and movies, so they think a typical castle is a square made of plywood painted gray like stone with a door, for example.  Lots of castles have lots of mundane tricks, raps and desgine features to slow down, block and even kill attackers.  Like a castle gatehouse:<a href="https://www.exploring-castles.com/castle_designs/gatehouse/" target="_blank"> The gatehouse was filled with obstacles</a> – multiple metal portcullis gateways; arrow-slits to fire at intruders; many different gates, doors and drawbridges; and <a href="https://www.exploring-castles.com/castle_designs/machicolations/" target="_blank">even the infamous ‘murder holes’</a>.  So at low levels places have normal doors, and at medium level they have arcane locked doors.....but after that: no more ideas.  The 15th level demon lord still just has a arcane locked door....that the lower level wizard can crack.  The next step beyond historical stuff is to use your imagination, but D&D really drops the ball here.  Core D&D has never bothered much with world building rules that scale up, except traps and monsters.  There are a couple of bits here and there, but little in the core rules.  This leaves a lot of DMs lost: They don't know what to do.  Even if they have a vague idea from their imagination, they are not sure how to do the crunch side.  You do see  this sort of thing in the rare high level adventure, but again not in the core rules.  Though having the DM create things has the problem where the DM feels like they can't say "no" to the players magic.  Even using some of the things in the rules that do effect magic, like blocking teleportation, the DM will refuse to use as the magic using players would get sad.The way to do it, is to have a great imagination, and not all for all the roadblocks like Putting Magic on a Pedestal.  And drop the ideas that you "can't" do the power creep and "can't" nerf things.  Just last weekend, one of my 12th ish level groups encountered a tunnel full of ectoplasim.  No spell or magic any of the spellcasters had was of any help, so they were in the same boat as the mundanes in the group.  So, now they are stuck, trying to figure out a way past this with no magic easy button.  Though I get a bit lost in all the "other" game discussions as all I see is the Easy GM: The players CO-GM so the GM has to do less work is what I see.  And that does sound great for a more casual GM.</blockquote>

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