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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ourph" data-source="post: 3760303" data-attributes="member: 20239">Viewed through the lense of modern design aesthetics I can see how someone would view this stuff as "wonky", but I think you may be mistaking the absence of information for "wonkiness" in this case.  Part of the "old school" mindset (especially with Judges Guild) was that information for the sake of verisimilitude was a waste of space, because the only one who would see that information was the DM and as "the man behind the curtain" he already knows the game world is an illusion and needn't be concerned with whether something makes sense from his end, only whether it makes sense when presented to the PCs.  The only information a product really needs is that which the DM will use to present the world to the PCs in a reliable and consistent way.There could be all kinds of explanations for this.  Ghouls aren't mindless, just evil.  Maybe the orcs appease them with regular sacrifices.  The fact that an explanation isn't given doesn't mean that one doesn't (or shouldn't) exist.  It's just that the explanation isn't an integral part of actually presenting the world to the PCs (the likelihood that the PCs will notice this particular detail and demand an explanation is fairly remote) and is thus extraneous.  As with millions of other bits of information that could be included in the module, this explanation isn't high priority.  The space it would take up can be better used giving information that is more likely to be useful and if it arises that an explanation is necessary, the DM can make it up on his own (unconstrained by previous allusions to the situation  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> ).  The only reason to include it preemptively is to maintain game world verisimilitude in the eyes of the DM, again, not considered necessary for someone already operating "behind-the-scenes".Who says there is no ventilation?  I'm surprised anyone would expect to find that detailed on the map or included in the room notes.  It seems to me that "fully equipped" implies that all of the equipment in the smithy has all of the necessary parts to make it function as one would normally expect.  For example, if a forge is present then all the necessary parts to make it function properly (like a means of ventilating the smoke) are also present. I don't see why a more detailed explanation would be needed.This seems obvious.  There is a way to deactivate the trap.  A thief making a successful Remove Traps roll finds this device.  The actual device isn't detailed because the details aren't relevant to the use of the trap in actual play.  The Thief either makes his roll and deactivates the trap or fails his roll and doesn't (suffering the consequences nicely detailed in the entry).The product obviously differs from modern adventures in design goals and aesthetics, but I think that, viewed within the context of RPG culture at the time, the perceived wonkiness is more a product of it differing from your preconceived expectations rather than inadvertent or deliberate irrationality.</blockquote>

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