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<blockquote data-quote="overgeeked" data-source="post: 9335295" data-attributes="member: 86653">A second bite at the apple…I think the Indiana Jones franchise handles traps perfectly. Watch the opening scene of Raiders and the grail scene from Last Crusade. In both you have traps that are obviously present, we know they’re there because of the corpses, and yet the mere fact that the characters are aware of the danger is not enough to make those traps safe or easily circumvented. In Raiders, the first already sprung trap a signal that danger’s ahead and for Indy to be on guard. But he still has to overcome the rest of the traps somehow. He only knows the traps exist and has no clues to how they work or how to overcome them. In Last Crusade, the Nazis forcing endless streams of “disposable” henchmen to their deaths is a signal of just how dangerous these traps are. Indy has the diary with the clues, but it’s still up to him to figure out how to survive. Again, cross the “room” safely and get “the idol.” Movie magic and scripted entertainment, obviously. But it’s interesting that they’re both confined narrative spaces where the only obstacles ahead are the traps and there’s a clear goal at the end. In 4E terms, these are skill challenges to cross the room safely and get the MacGuffin. If you want traps as a gamey challenge or spectacle, try doing them like this. If you want traps as a deadly deterrent, try doing them as full-on old-school fantasy Vietnam.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="overgeeked, post: 9335295, member: 86653"] A second bite at the apple… I think the Indiana Jones franchise handles traps perfectly. Watch the opening scene of [I]Raiders[/I] and the grail scene from [I]Last Crusade[/I]. In both you have traps that are obviously present, we know they’re there because of the corpses, and yet the mere fact that the characters are aware of the danger is not enough to make those traps safe or easily circumvented. In [I]Raiders[/I], the first already sprung trap a signal that danger’s ahead and for Indy to be on guard. But he still has to overcome the rest of the traps somehow. He only knows the traps exist and has no clues to how they work or how to overcome them. In [I]Last Crusade[/I], the Nazis forcing endless streams of “disposable” henchmen to their deaths is a signal of just how dangerous these traps are. Indy has the diary with the clues, but it’s still up to him to figure out how to survive. Again, cross the “room” safely and get “the idol.” Movie magic and scripted entertainment, obviously. But it’s interesting that they’re both confined narrative spaces where the only obstacles ahead are the traps and there’s a clear goal at the end. In 4E terms, these are skill challenges to cross the room safely and get the MacGuffin. If you want traps as a gamey challenge or spectacle, try doing them like this. If you want traps as a deadly deterrent, try doing them as full-on old-school fantasy Vietnam. [/QUOTE]

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