DMG & MM: Players Stay Out?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

To each his own, of course. I just happen to think that those surprise moments are entertaining.

I think they are, too.

But then, I think it's up to each player wether he likes to be surprised or prefers a firm graps of the game. I guess eventually, you will always come to a point where you have the firm grasp, you know the monsters, and the next campaign, you will no longer be surprised by Goblins and Bugbear special attacks. But since you're hopefully not playing the same character as the last time, you might have or want to use new tactics to deal with the enemies abilities, and that's probably what can make the situation itself interesting again.

I guess one of the many hard parts of designing a game is to keep in mind that "sense of wonder" is replaced with "mastery of the game" over time, and you have to build a system that can leverage both aspects. And one hard part of DMing might be to, once "mastery of the game" is achieved, to still get back a sense of wonder for the players due to the story or setting. (But playing with and DMing for players that have probably a decade more experience in RPGs then me, I think that's becoming harder and harder - if not impossible)

 

[Hussar]

You were never taken aback by a cool monster power/ability that you hadn't seen before? Never impressed by the way a specific trap worked?

I certainly hope all your games have been full of regular plot twists, unexpected developments and drama if those are the only elements that make you go "wow".

I was wowed in the Shackled City AP by the "Shaker" trap in Life's a Bazaar. The pic was cool.

Then again, that had ZERO to do with core and was entirely created for that specific adventure.

Sorry, but knowing that I need a magic weapon to kill a golem is not going to make me go all gooshy with sense of wonder. Something as simplistic as a creature's special ability isn't going to register much and never did. Not compared to the memories of battling fiendish Wyverns in a lake of lava or any of a host of other events in the games I've played.

Sorry, I've never been wow'ed by core. It's never done it. I've been wowed by the spinning corridor in the Lost City. I've been wowed by the immense battle in the Fane. I've been astonished by a frikkin blue dragon in the Moathouse.

But then again, I've never seen anyone ask for diagrams of traps either.

 

[Reynard]

Sorry, I've never been wow'ed by core. It's never done it. I've been wowed by the spinning corridor in the Lost City. I've been wowed by the immense battle in the Fane. I've been astonished by a frikkin blue dragon in the Moathouse.

Like I said, whatever floats your boat. Personally, having a Pit Fiend throw exploding devils at me in play would have ranked up there on the "Wow" scale.

But then again, I've never seen anyone ask for diagrams of traps either.

My condolences on your loss.