How Often do your Players Backtrack?

[Hussar]

Something I've seen talked about a number of times on the board is about how players will backtrack over the same ground. In the example that spawned this thought in my head, the players come across some statue in somewhere, don't really do much with it, but, several sessions later, they remember that statue and go back to it.

Does anyone actually do this? I have to admit, I'm drawing a blank on players ever doing this. Even when I've run mega-dungeons, they don't do this. They go through a particular dungeon, clear it out to the point where they are satisfied, and then move on.

I can't really recall players ever backtracking very much. Maybe going back to talk to an ally or an NPC, but, even then, not very much.

Do your players come back to previously explored areas frequently?

 

[jonesy]

Not really. Not unless there was something plot crucial that was missed. Or if there's a dead end and you really have to. Or if the way through seems too dangerous and you're looking for a safer route.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I think that you will find that the answer depends very much on the structure of the game. I mean this both in terms of the ruleset used and the GM's style.

In terms of ruleset, backtracking tends to be most interesting when a range of encounters can be interesting/challenging over a wide range of playtime. I.e., if characters develop along a steep power curve, earlier areas will hold less appeal, unless they are structured so that it is clear that the PCs cannot successfully explore an area at the power level they now possess.

By the GM style, I mean that backtracking is far more likely to occur using a milieu that supports and encourages doing so. The following help:

(1) Clear indication that areas beyond those immediately explored exist.

(2) Conflicting interests, so that exploration of one area may be halted to pursue other goals.

(3) Pervasive world details, so that the area left behind, and villians left undefeated, continue to exist within the campaign milieu. Moreover, the PCs are reminded of these locations/individuals whenever it is relevant.

(4) Intentional backtracking gimmicks. A good example of this is in one of the Pathfinder series, where a dungeon first discovered in the first module is expanded upon and returned to in a later adventure.

It should be obvious that a GM can also prevent backtracking by eliminating any mention of previous areas, not rewarding any backtracking that might occur, and maintaining current threats to such a level that backtracking is simply suicidal.


RC

 

[jonesy]

(1) Clear indication that areas beyond those immediately explored exist.

(2) Conflicting interests, so that exploration of one area may be halted to pursue other goals.

(3) Pervasive world details, so that the area left behind, and villians left undefeated, continue to exist within the campaign milieu. Moreover, the PCs are reminded of these locations/individuals whenever it is relevant.

(4) Intentional backtracking gimmicks. A good example of this is in one of the Pathfinder series, where a dungeon first discovered in the first module is expanded upon and returned to in a later adventure.

Huh. I wouldn't have classified any of those as backtracking. They're all essentially new ground.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Huh. I wouldn't have classified any of those as backtracking. They're all essentially new ground.

They require backtracking, presumably, to get to that new ground.

Example: In one campaign, I introduced a cave system that led to a spider cult's lair. The PCs first entered to free the captives, but then noted that there were many other potential ways to go. In order to explore those ways, though, they had to go through the same entry caverns.

Along the way to that cave system, they encountered a semi-ruined tower where ogres were lairing. They later decided to go back, refurbish the tower, and claim it for their own.

Also along the way to that cave system, they met a disguised hag. They later went back and defeated the hag. In fact, that was part of their goal to take possession of, and refurbish, the tower.

Since I believe that the OP is based off of my discussion with Pemerton about the relevance of a statue in another thread, I am going to claim that what constitutes backtracking to me (usually, backtracking over old ground as a means of moving forward to new ground) is at least tangentially relevant.

Indeed, if all of my examples fail to constitute backtracking, it rather begs the question of what backtracking is.

I mean, does

In the example that spawned this thought in my head, the players come across some statue in somewhere, don't really do much with it, but, several sessions later, they remember that statue and go back to it.​

constitute backtracking to you, or is it new ground?


RC

 

[Krensky]

My players almost never backtrack the way Hussar seems to be using it. They cover a lot of the same ground pretty regularly, but that has to do with going back to their home base more then actual backtracking.

In my game, I think it has more to do with the fact that my 'dungeons' (really more site based adventures then the classic dungeon) are, for lack of a better term, sensible and realistic. That's not intended as a criticism of the classic underground trap laden maze, but i can't think of another way to describe it.

An tomb of an ancient king is a tomb, not a maze filled with weird traps. A ruined castle is just that. A mine may have dead ends and such, but it's still a mine, which means there's a map somewhere. Most of the architectural features encouraging or requiring backtracking simply don't exist because the moment I tried to include them my players would exclaim: "Who builds like this?" and look pointedly at me. I might get away with: "An insane wizard" once, but by an large my players have very little acceptance of it.

 

[Umbran]

They require backtracking, presumably, to get to that new ground.

Example: In one campaign, I introduced a cave system that led to a spider cult's lair. The PCs first entered to free the captives, but then noted that there were many other potential ways to go. In order to explore those ways, though, they had to go through the same entry caverns.

But they aren't really re-examining the same entry caverns, right? They're just passing through? That's in contrast to the statue-room, where they are going back to a thing they've already seen to re-examine or re-engage with what they'd found there previously.

Set aside the definition of "backtrack", and rephrase the question as, "How often do your players go back to things they've seen to re-engage with them?"

For my players, it usually only happens when they come to some specific thought that it might be relevant. They don't go back to look things over again, "just because they might have missed something".

 

[Crothian]

Backtrack not much, but they do go around in circles like they are lost.

 

[Nagol]

My playgroups do it reasonably frequently.

In my current campaign, the players found and cleared a dwarven monastery around 4th level.

There was an abandoned residential section with a lot of locked doors and they moved on to the next town vowing to return with a lock specialist, but got distracted.

Around 7th level they returned to the monastery on a whim and discovered a ghost and a magical gate in the section they had previously explored. The gate connected to a “lost” dwarven city at the edge of the Underdark and the group arranged for friendly forces to take over the monastery.
They’ve returned to the portal several times trying to explore the dwarven city with limited success.

Now at 14th level, the monastery has been fought over a few times by different interested groups. It now houses the followers of one of the PCs and is being converted back into a functional dwarven settlement. The portal itself has been destroyed so access is through teleportation magic or a week’s walk in dwarven tunnels.

There are other examples for the same campaign -- several attempts to penetrate a dense jungle only to retreat wait a level and try again (started at 4th, last attempt was at 10th)

 

[weem]

My player's do not backtrack unless circumstances force them to.

With that said, my campaigns seem to feature players on the run (chasing or fleeing) so there's not a lot of time spent in one place long enough to revisit something they have already seen (for the most part).