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<blockquote data-quote="Philotomy Jurament" data-source="post: 4701100" data-attributes="member: 20854">This hits the nail on the head; the system influences the adventure design and the game play.&nbsp; That's not to say that such influence can't be overcome, but many times it's an influence that is not even perceived or recognized.Another example: the role of wandering monsters in the traditional approach is that of a dangerous drain on PC resources that offers no real reward.&nbsp; You don't get much XP from killing monsters in the old systems, and wandering monsters have little or no treasure (i.e. the &quot;story reward&quot; in the old school game where &quot;fortune and glory&quot; is the goal).&nbsp; Thus, they're something to be actively avoided, and encourage efficient use of time, staying on track, et cetera.&nbsp; It also encourages avoiding such encounters, where possible.&nbsp; However, later editions use a different XP scheme for monsters, and this alters the reward/benefit from fighting wandering monsters.&nbsp; They can even become a reward in and of themselves -- something to be sought out, rather than avoided.&nbsp; That's not necessarily bad, but it's not the traditional old-school approach.Another often overlooked example, not as rooted in system: the use of empty space in the dungeon.&nbsp; The original guidelines suggest that only 1/3 of the encounter areas (e.g. rooms) hold a monster.&nbsp; There's a lot of &quot;empty space&quot; in an old school dungeon.&nbsp; That empty space serves multiple purposes.&nbsp; It acts as a buffer between areas.&nbsp; It encourages big dungeons, which encourages lots of choices for the players (i.e. multiple paths through the complex).&nbsp; It offers a level of uncertainty to the players, and they have to balance their desire to thoroughly search everything and everywhere with the danger of wandering monsters.&nbsp; That means that they may miss stuff, but that's a hallmark of old school play to.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.philotomy.com/#dungeon" target="_blank">The big, campaign dungeon</a> is a place that PCs return to again and again; it's not merely a lair (even a big one).&nbsp; It offers opportunities for repeat play and meaningful exploration and discovery.&nbsp; The empty space also gives PCs the opportunity for meaningful evasion and pursuit.&nbsp; There's actually some room to run, and multiple paths to throw off pursuit.&nbsp; Spells like hold portal start getting used.&nbsp; Food and treasure getting dropped to delay or stop pursuit becomes a good tactic.&nbsp; Et cetera.The distribution of monsters and treasures in the dungeon is another area where I'm concerned that dungeon-a-day may not offer what I'm looking for.&nbsp; We'll see.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Philotomy Jurament, post: 4701100, member: 20854"] This hits the nail on the head; the system influences the adventure design and the game play. That's not to say that such influence can't be overcome, but many times it's an influence that is not even perceived or recognized. Another example: the role of wandering monsters in the traditional approach is that of a dangerous drain on PC resources that offers no real reward. You don't get much XP from killing monsters in the old systems, and wandering monsters have little or no treasure (i.e. the "story reward" in the old school game where "fortune and glory" is the goal). Thus, they're something to be actively avoided, and encourage efficient use of time, staying on track, et cetera. It also encourages avoiding such encounters, where possible. However, later editions use a different XP scheme for monsters, and this alters the reward/benefit from fighting wandering monsters. They can even become a reward in and of themselves -- something to be sought out, rather than avoided. That's not necessarily bad, but it's not the traditional old-school approach. Another often overlooked example, not as rooted in system: the use of empty space in the dungeon. The original guidelines suggest that only 1/3 of the encounter areas (e.g. rooms) hold a monster. There's a lot of "empty space" in an old school dungeon. That empty space serves multiple purposes. It acts as a buffer between areas. It encourages big dungeons, which encourages lots of choices for the players (i.e. multiple paths through the complex). It offers a level of uncertainty to the players, and they have to balance their desire to thoroughly search everything and everywhere with the danger of wandering monsters. That means that they may miss stuff, but that's a hallmark of old school play to. [url=http://www.philotomy.com/#dungeon]The big, campaign dungeon[/url] is a place that PCs return to again and again; it's not merely a lair (even a big one). It offers opportunities for repeat play and meaningful exploration and discovery. The empty space also gives PCs the opportunity for meaningful evasion and pursuit. There's actually some room to run, and multiple paths to throw off pursuit. Spells like hold portal start getting used. Food and treasure getting dropped to delay or stop pursuit becomes a good tactic. Et cetera. The distribution of monsters and treasures in the dungeon is another area where I'm concerned that dungeon-a-day may not offer what I'm looking for. We'll see. [/QUOTE]

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