Unraveling the mysteries of the universe too hard?

[Agback]

The first thing I'd try would be to press the first lever once, the second twice, the third three times, the fourth four times and the fifth five times.

Regards,

Agback

 

[AuraSeer]

If you did this in my game, you wouldn't get experience for the puzzle.

Why not? The door and puzzle are just a challenge in the party's way. When you overcome a challenge, you get XP. It shouldn't matter how you did it.

Forcing the party to overcome a challenge "the right way" is just another kind of railroading-- removing the PCs' freedom of choice. When you do that, you're not running a game, you're just writing a story and making the players sit through it.

 

[Breakstone]

I don't force them to solve the puzzle through thinking, I just reward them for it.

The game is about having fun, and, to tell you the truth, if the players simply blasted their way through each puzzle I spent time on, it wouldn't be fun for me.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I don't force them to solve the puzzle through thinking, I just reward them for it.

The game is about having fun, and, to tell you the truth, if the players simply blasted their way through each puzzle I spent time on, it wouldn't be fun for me.

I didn't say that I'd be annoyed at having to solve the puzzle - I'd merely be annoyed that the GM was stopping me from avoiding it by mere fiat.

ie - if the complex that the puzzle was in was structurally unsound, then like as not it would prevent me from using most of the suggestions I gave. That's fine. If the group then went on to some other creative solution (while still not solving the puzzle), then that's great. As a DM, it will surprise me (and to me being surprised during a game I'm running or playing = enjoyment).

However, if it's patently obvious that the GM is just saying "no, that won't work" to every solution EXCEPT solving the puzzle, as opposed to having well-thought out counters that our characters will recognise, that will just annoy me.

Also bear in mind that even if you don't adjust XP for defeating the trap in an unexpected way, there IS a bonus in solving the riddle - the encounter is defeated without expending resources.

 

[Breakstone]

Very good points, Saeviomagy. I like the idea of having other factors keep the characters from simply busting through traps, such as the structurally unsound complex.

And while I never tell the players that they can simply "not do that," (unless, y'know, it has to do with throwing dice at the DM or using the pizza money to pay for illegal substances) I do have the problem of railroading them a bit into solving these puzzles the "classic way."

 

[hong]

The game is about having fun, and, to tell you the truth, if the players simply blasted their way through each puzzle I spent time on, it wouldn't be fun for me.

The correct solution, therefore, is not to waste your time creating puzzles that the players will blast through, thus averting the whole problem in the first place.

 

[Nifft]

When you overcome a challenge, you get XP. It shouldn't matter how you did it.

I agree with this. IMC, I don't often bother making a "right way" through my puzzles -- I just throw an obstruction at the PCs and let them deal with it however they choose.

-- Nifft

 

[Syunsuke]

Put another layer of trap.
If PCs blast the door, the trap right after the door is trigered and PCs may be get damaged.
If PCs solve the puzzle, that trap is also disabled.
Give them XPs anyway.