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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Is the original Tomb of Horrors a well-designed adventure module?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mark Hope" data-source="post: 2906536" data-attributes="member: 27051"><p>As campaign styles, approaches and needs differ, I'd say that having a more specific question would be a good idea. Assumptions don't get you very far if you are interested in getting to the meat of the matter.</p><p></p><p>I voted yes, as I agree with those who said that it was well-designed for its intended purpose. For general campaign use, except as an end-game, I wouldn't recommend it.</p><p></p><p>Those general considerations aside, however, there are elements within the adventure that I think have stood the test of time and are absolutely worth emulation these days. Like paradox42 noted, I was really struck by the designer's insight into adventurer psychology and the patterns of gaming activity. That kind of insight and understanding is worth striving for.</p><p></p><p>I'm not saying that designers today need emulate the Tomb's parade of secret, false and trapped doors, mind you. Rather that designers need to take into account the attitudes of gamers and build their adventures accordingly.</p><p></p><p>A good case in point is the Eberron adventure <em>Shadows of the Last War</em>. The Rose Quarry encounter area in that makes a series of assumptions about player behaviour that cater first and foremost to the requirements of the plot, rather than to the likely responses of the players. I've read a few accounts of this encounter going pear-shaped (and played in just such a shambolic scenario myself) where the adventure derailed because the players didn't approach things in the way that the designer required. Something of Gygax' insight into likely responses would not have gone amiss here, imho.</p><p></p><p>Where the Tomb stands the test of time in addition to the above, is in its simplicity. It manages to be challenging, dangerous and rather brutal without being overly complicated. There is something rather beautiful about this from a design perspective.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mark Hope, post: 2906536, member: 27051"] As campaign styles, approaches and needs differ, I'd say that having a more specific question would be a good idea. Assumptions don't get you very far if you are interested in getting to the meat of the matter. I voted yes, as I agree with those who said that it was well-designed for its intended purpose. For general campaign use, except as an end-game, I wouldn't recommend it. Those general considerations aside, however, there are elements within the adventure that I think have stood the test of time and are absolutely worth emulation these days. Like paradox42 noted, I was really struck by the designer's insight into adventurer psychology and the patterns of gaming activity. That kind of insight and understanding is worth striving for. I'm not saying that designers today need emulate the Tomb's parade of secret, false and trapped doors, mind you. Rather that designers need to take into account the attitudes of gamers and build their adventures accordingly. A good case in point is the Eberron adventure [i]Shadows of the Last War[/i]. The Rose Quarry encounter area in that makes a series of assumptions about player behaviour that cater first and foremost to the requirements of the plot, rather than to the likely responses of the players. I've read a few accounts of this encounter going pear-shaped (and played in just such a shambolic scenario myself) where the adventure derailed because the players didn't approach things in the way that the designer required. Something of Gygax' insight into likely responses would not have gone amiss here, imho. Where the Tomb stands the test of time in addition to the above, is in its simplicity. It manages to be challenging, dangerous and rather brutal without being overly complicated. There is something rather beautiful about this from a design perspective. [/QUOTE]
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Is the original Tomb of Horrors a well-designed adventure module?
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