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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kenada" data-source="post: 8219163" data-attributes="member: 70468">I’m not sure realistic is the word I’d use. If I’m doing old-school dungeon design where the creatures have more hit dice the deeper you go into the dungeon, that’s not particularly realistic. However, that’s set independently of the PCs, so it feels in the spirit of the poll response for “sandbox”. That’s why I voted for “sandbox” (though I also view sandboxes as more than just how monsters are done).I try to foreshadow what is in the dungeon or provide for ways to learn about it. A key element of this style of play is that players can use their skill to make decisions about how to act in the environment. If challenges are hidden, then they have no way to do that. That’s not fun just because their characters will presumably die but also because they were denied the opportunity to actually play.Having clues about their environment and what’s there is necessary for the players to meaningfully explore it. Unless you have something that is perfectly invisible and never leaves any detritus, then they should have a way to learn and intuit that something is there and/or dangerous. The clues can be subtle, but just surprise killing them is bad (for reasons indicated above).It helps to run a system that gives the players tools for controlling engagement. I’m running OSE. Encounters start off with reaction rolls (unless prescribed otherwise in my key), so the opposition is not necessarily even hostile. Before the combat begins, the PCs have the opportunity to take other actions or even flee. If they think something is too dangerous, they should flee. The system has a procedure for that.A big assumption I’m making, and I’d say it’s the key to making this style work, is that exploration and other interactions are a big part of the experience. The game doesn’t stop just because the PCs are out of combat. That’s not to say you can’t have exploration in other styles, but I feel like exploration for its own sake is at odds with the idea of a curated, story-driven experience. That’s not what I’m trying to do.</blockquote>

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