Why I hate puzzles

[Pyrex]

One "puzzle" we had to solve in a game I played in was crossing a large tiled room.

Effectively, the room was a game of "minesweeper", stepping on a "mine" caused something like (Level/2)d6 of damage. We *could* have chosen to cross the room without "solving" it, but it would have cost us a significant portion of our healing spells.

Those are the puzzles I like to see in a game:
a) Solvable by the players if they wish to take the time to do so
and
b) Absolutely skippable if they don't.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

I personally dislike puzzles of these types because they both rely on the ability of the players, not the characters, to solve the challenge.

I have the opposite opinion on this kind of thing; I like challenges that require player resourcefulness and cleverness, in addition to challenges that are directed at the numbers on the character sheet.

As others have said, though, I generally avoid having a player-oriented puzzle or challenge as a "must-solve" waypoint in the adventure (actually, if that's the case, I'd suspect the adventure was too linear to begin with). I tend to use them as gateways to cool sub-levels in a dungeon, and that kind of thing.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I used puzzles in a one shot adventure which involved visiting an item creating psion. The puzzles provided one way to overcome challenges which could also be physically overcome. The reason they existed was that the psion was sick of constant petitions for help from people who couldn't afford to pay him. So he set up challenges that ensured that people who got to him without an appointment were powerful enough to do some "errands" for him in trade, but included the puzzles because if some plucky "mundane" was determined enough and bright enough to make it through all of them, why not give the scamp a chance?

Another puzzle I've considered using was inspired by Stargate SG1, and essentially functions as a password for an in group. If you are breaking into a lost temple of a demonic mindflayer cult, I'm perfectly fine with a puzzle that is a simple numerical progression - in base 8 with a clue written in Abyssal indicating to a scholar of that particular cult that the end result needs to be doubled. Of course as a password lock, there are other ways around it, but they are riskier and more resource intensive than having folks with the needed language and knowledge skills. But it's purpose is to be trivial to the people the builder wanted to let in and challenging to those he wanted to keep out.

 

[LostSoul]

I would:

Allow players who get the puzzle to solve it, no roll needed.

If the players can't solve it, then they have to roll. Only one roll! Getting past the puzzle isn't the issue; if they need to get past it, they'll get past it. How much it will cost is what's at stake.

Moria door:
Gandalf: I can't figure out this riddle. I'm just going to roll.
Gandalf rolls.
Gandalf: Crap, failed.

DM: Okay, you sit around and take forever, until finally you get the answer. The door opens, but just as you are entering, something stirs in the lake...

edit: Just realized, that makes the riddle a trap.

 

[XCorvis]

I would:

Allow players who get the puzzle to solve it, no roll needed.

If the players can't solve it, then they have to roll. Only one roll! Getting past the puzzle isn't the issue; if they need to get past it, they'll get past it. How much it will cost is what's at stake.

Moria door:
Gandalf: I can't figure out this riddle. I'm just going to roll.
Gandalf rolls.
Gandalf: Crap, failed.

DM: Okay, you sit around and take forever, until finally you get the answer. The door opens, but just as you are entering, something stirs in the lake...

edit: Just realized, that makes the riddle a trap.

Trap shmap, that's a good idea. It rewards player intelligence, rewards character ability, and allows a way around in case everyone gets stuck. That particular choice of puzzle is also world-appropriate. That's another issue with puzzles that I didn't see come up in this thread. A lot of puzzles are just stupid. Why would the evil wizard put a puzzle trap at the entrance to his lair? If it's a puzzle, it's got clues, and if the person who is supposed to solve it can solve it, anyone (potentially) can. Puzzle traps are hard to find an appropriate place to use.

 

[kinem]

I personally dislike puzzles of these types because they both rely on the ability of the players, not the characters, to solve the challenge.

The players, not the characters, are the ones playing the game. Therefore ALL challenges must be challenges for the players, not the characters. The characters' abilities are a mere tool for the players to use to meet these challenges.

Likewise, the rewards are for the players (fun and satisfaction). A game in which a PC does nothing but gain great in-character wealth by just succeeding on a few skill checks with no risk to himself would make the PC very happy IC, but the player would be bored and sad.

So, I'm of the old school view that puzzles, social interactions, and searching should be based more on player ability than character ability, just like combat tactics. PCs shouldn't roll intelligence checks to decide whether to attempt a grapple or just swing a sword.

That said, puzzles should make sense in-game - which pretty much rules out any use of them as 'guards' to an old crypt or the like - no NPC would be stupid enough to create such a thing. And obviously, there should be a variety of ways to overcome any given obstacle. If some old adventurer wrote the location of a secret door in code, it should still be possible to find that door the normal way by searching, by magic, etc.

One thing to avoid at all costs is language puzzles. Languages in D&D are NOT English, they do not have the same number of letters in the alphabet, and they do NOT have the same homonyms or rhymes as English. They are completely alien languages, so a puzzle must not rely on any special features of English or other Earthly languages.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Why would the evil wizard put a puzzle trap at the entrance to his lair?

To weed out the riff-raff, of course. Insane arch-magi only want quality victims coming into their death-trap labyrinths.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

One thing to avoid at all costs is language puzzles. Languages in D&D are NOT English, they do not have the same number of letters in the alphabet, and they do NOT have the same homonyms or rhymes as English. They are completely alien languages, so a puzzle must not rely on any special features of English or other Earthly languages.

I disagree. Language puzzles are appropriate to give to people who actually speak the language. People who use a spell to translate don't "get" the rhymes or puns, and have to do it the hard way.

 

[Dross]

Another thing to consider is how specific the answer needs to be to olve the puzzle.

You can potentially allow any answer to be correct. If a player comes up with something out of right field, but still fits all the clues you could allow that to be the answer. Game continues, player/s feels good about solving the puzzle.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

I did the head banging against a brick wall for over an hour because of a choke point puzzle once. Never again! If it ever comes up again I'll just do what we finally ended up doing: saying "Scew this!" and walking away. Let the GM figure out what to do from there. (We were a pretty sharp bunch, had all the clues, and should have figured it out in 10 minutes, tops. But we just couldn't quite get it. Since we were all friends the GM ended up just telling us what the solutions was. Much head slapping ensued, then we proceeded with the adventure.)