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Message: <blockquote data-quote="KidSnide" data-source="post: 5800502" data-attributes="member: 54710">I think there are several types of exploration.  Here is my current (imperfect) taxonomy:1) Tourism-Style Exploration (or Incidental Exploration) - there is a style of game where the characters go different places and see different things, but there aren't serious decisions to be made about the exploration itself.  For example, the PCs might be following a journey-based adventure path or they could be on a timed mission (e.g. rescue the villagers before they are sacrificed).  In this case, the characters aren't necessarily trying to explore anything, but the players can still get considerable pleasure out of visiting new places and having adventures in awesome environments.  More old school players may or may not think of this as "exploration" per se, but I think it can still be an important part of the game.  In this style of game, the focus is on the "awesomeness" of the places you get to go.2) Spelunking-Style Exploration (or Dungeon Delving) - there is another style of game where the PCs are exploring dungeons or other (generally ruined) locations filled with weird magic, unknown monsters, traps and the like.  The S1-4 modules are good examples of this type of exploration.  The fun is in finding out the weird and random stuff in the unknown dungeon.  Depending on your style, this can involve careful resource management or not.  In a tactically/strategically intense game, there can be careful choices about when to continue versus when to retreat (and getting trapped where you can't retreat is a major aspect of the genre).  In other games, the PCs can pursue the whole dungeon at full strength if they are willing to take the time.  (Tomb of Horrors is probably the most classic version.)  In this type of game, the focus is on the unexpected (whether items, or traps or monsters) and the fun is figuring out what all the secrets are and what all the neat bits do.3) Invasion/Infiltration-Style Exploration - here the PCs are out to clear the dungeon from an intelligent foe that will respond to their actions.  (Against the Giants is probably the classic adventure here.)  Depending on the foe, the PCs may suffer counter-attacks or see newly vigilant guards if they retreat and return.  Stealth can often be important for parts of the scenario, as the element of surprise can be a major advantage for as long as the PCs can hold on to it.  For this type of game to be fun, the opponents need to be interactive and have reasonable responses to the PC's action.  In this type of game, the exploration is about finding your enemies tendencies and weaknesses, often in preparation for a more substantial assault.  The focus is more on the opponent and his behaviors rather than the location or secret locations (except to the extent to which they are tactically useful).This isn't a complete taxonomy, and some adventures will have multiple forms of exploration.  (D1-D2 has all three types.)-KS</blockquote>

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