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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6865245" data-attributes="member: 42582">I'm very familiar with the Gygax quotes.He advocates avoiding random determination of content introduction where that would be bad for the game, and gives two examples (DMG pp 9, 110): (i) where players are playing well, be cautious in having them so beset by wandering monsters that they can't make progress towards their planned goal; (ii) where you have designed an interesting bit of the dungeon that is behind a secret door, don't make access to that area utterly dependent on a random check.He also canvasses substituting a result less than death for death in circumstances where a player has played well and has had his/her PC reduced to zero hp by an unlucky roll (p 110); though this result should still be a "reasonably severe penalty that still takes into account what the monster has done."He never discusses, let alone endorses, "an extra unplanned encounter here or there, or doubling a monsters HP mid fight to keep it interesting or occasionally fudging rolls for or against the players". And that would be completely at odds with the "skilled play" that he advocates: the whole point of Gygaxian skilled play is to avoid wandering monsters (via speed, silence, etc) and to seek out the planned target (monster and/or treasure) and successfully recover the loot at minimum risk and cost. (See the discussion of this in his PHB pp 107, 109). If the GM introduces unplanned encounters other than via the wandering monster mechanics; or doubles a monster's hit points mid-fight; or fudges rolls; then how are the players expected to reap the benefits of their skill? That would entirely defeat the purpose.</blockquote>

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