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<blockquote data-quote="Guest 6801328" data-source="post: 6870224"><p>I like RPGs the best when physical and mental challenges are handled the exact same way: the challenge to the player lies in two things:</p><p>1) Figuring out which resources to use (including coordinating with teammates)</p><p>2) Figuring out if and how he can narrate it in a compelling and interesting way. (If the answer is no, then don't bother. In that case just do step 1 and let the next player take his turn.)</p><p></p><p>So the character ends up facing the challenges with physical and mental skills (e.g. dice) but the player has given him/her the best chance of success, both through decisions previously made and the specific action chosen.</p><p></p><p>As I've said elsewhere, I'm really not a fan of "puzzles" (traps, riddles, you name it) that are essentially unrelated to the fiction. "You see a door. On it are three knobs, each with six symbols..." Blech. Whenever that happens I feel like I've been yanked out of the game and we're just a bunch of nerds sitting around a table solving paper puzzles. May as well just have us do Sudoku.</p><p></p><p>Puzzles in the sense that you find clues that you have to interpret can be fun, but they're best when they modify the outcome rather than determine it. I.e., if you figure out the clues you will discover a weakness of the BBEG, but with luck & skill you can beat him anyway. I put those kinds of puzzles into the "figuring out which resources to use" bucket: they become inputs into your decision-making.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Guest 6801328, post: 6870224"] I like RPGs the best when physical and mental challenges are handled the exact same way: the challenge to the player lies in two things: 1) Figuring out which resources to use (including coordinating with teammates) 2) Figuring out if and how he can narrate it in a compelling and interesting way. (If the answer is no, then don't bother. In that case just do step 1 and let the next player take his turn.) So the character ends up facing the challenges with physical and mental skills (e.g. dice) but the player has given him/her the best chance of success, both through decisions previously made and the specific action chosen. As I've said elsewhere, I'm really not a fan of "puzzles" (traps, riddles, you name it) that are essentially unrelated to the fiction. "You see a door. On it are three knobs, each with six symbols..." Blech. Whenever that happens I feel like I've been yanked out of the game and we're just a bunch of nerds sitting around a table solving paper puzzles. May as well just have us do Sudoku. Puzzles in the sense that you find clues that you have to interpret can be fun, but they're best when they modify the outcome rather than determine it. I.e., if you figure out the clues you will discover a weakness of the BBEG, but with luck & skill you can beat him anyway. I put those kinds of puzzles into the "figuring out which resources to use" bucket: they become inputs into your decision-making. [/QUOTE]
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