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My Lovely Horse posted:"the noble pastime of D&D is one where each group makes their own story" I type while every single D&D group plays Curse of Strahd Yea, for many groups the shared experience of modules is a highlight. The article is way off on that.
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May 3, 2024 16:33
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hyphz posted:Yea, for many groups the shared experience of modules is a highlight. The article is way off on that. "Remember when we all got sucked into the Sphere of Annihilation in the Tomb of Horrors?" "And we killed Andy so he could never DM anything again and hid his mangled corpse in the bayou?" "Good times, man. Good times."
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May 3, 2024 16:38
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look man everyone knows what they're getting into when they enter the tomb of horror
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May 3, 2024 16:40
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Yea, and everyone can read Tomb of Horrors stories online. That’s the point. I mean, they made Tomb of Horrors bumper stickers FFS. If it was just something a random GM made up it would have no mystique and that GM would just be an rear end. hyphz fucked around with this message at 16:45 on May 3, 2024 |
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May 3, 2024 16:42
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My favorite thing about Tomb of Horror was that it was created in 1976 shortly after DnD started. Like that was Gygax response to his players
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May 3, 2024 16:46
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The original version was a response to players bragging they could easily beat convention scenarios. It even had a false ending so that groups could figure they’d won, leave the table, and be marked as having failed. But all the modern versions, including the “classic style” prints, are toned down.
hyphz fucked around with this message at 16:59 on May 3, 2024 |
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May 3, 2024 16:56
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Hollismason posted:My favorite thing about Tomb of Horror was that it was created in 1976 shortly after DnD started. Like that was Gygax response to his players I remember as a young callow D&D-crazed youth, in the early 1980s, before it reached cult status, my friend (whose older brothers all played D&D and it had trickled down) put me through the Tomb of Horrors. The thing I remember most was there was a room with seven stone knobs on the wall. I said, "I'm going to try twisting them, pulling them, turning them, whatever." "But what do you do, to which ones, in what order?" To my 11 year old mind I already knew this module was total bullshit. White Plume Mountain (S2) was positioned between ToH (S1) and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (S3). What a reverse poo poo sandwich. (Of course, I'm probably misremembering White Plume Mountain and it probably sucked, but the artifact weapons seemed cool.) Edit: Best thing about Tomb of Horrors and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks were the graphic modules you were supposed to fold over and show the players so they could get a look at what they were facing; most of the are was by Erol Otis, IIRC, whose style was awesome. Admiralty Flag fucked around with this message at 17:01 on May 3, 2024 |
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May 3, 2024 16:59
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wasn't tomb of horrors meant for convention play? like you wouldn't sit and do the whole thing you'd rock up, die, and then go and get a corn dog or something?
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May 3, 2024 17:02
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the modern tome of horrors is friggin disneyland....i remember the naddpod crew did like a 12 hour livestream of playing and then didn't even lose a pc. soft
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May 3, 2024 17:04
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Farg posted:the modern tome of horrors is friggin disneyland....i remember the naddpod crew did like a 12 hour livestream of playing and then didn't even lose a pc. soft
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May 3, 2024 17:04
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mellonbread posted:Nobody died in Gygax's original run. The game was rigged from the start. I've heard that the main trick to it is whenever you're presented with an apparent choice between two options, both lead to death. You have to look for a third option.
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May 3, 2024 17:11
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From what I understand it was basically hirelings and prodding every single surface with a 10-foot pole. Classic D&D was often "do not engage with the mechanics if possible", but this goes that extra step beyond into "Whatever game it seems like the DM wants to play, reject it."
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May 3, 2024 17:39
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I realize its not the standard way people *actually* play D&D and its like, but Tomb of Horrors style "GM vs the Party" just feels like such a miserable way to play. I'm sure some people enjoy the challenge of trying to outsmart eachother though. I, however, just wanna hang with friends and collectively tell a cool story.
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May 3, 2024 17:43
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1970s DnD assumed that when you went to go to a dungeon you had dozens of hirelings and other people that would die before you. It was just a different game.
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May 3, 2024 17:50
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I'm not against Killer DM style per se, if that's what everyone wants. But I've never played with a Killer DM who wasn't also just a miserable little would-be bully. Oh cool, another pit trap and another monster who looks like the girl who won't go out with you.
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May 3, 2024 17:52
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Galaga Galaxian posted:I realize its not the standard way people *actually* play D&D and its like, but Tomb of Horrors style "GM vs the Party" just feels like such a miserable way to play. I'm sure some people enjoy the challenge of trying to outsmart eachother though. I, however, just wanna hang with friends and collectively tell a cool story. Tomb of Horrors isn't actually supposed to be GM vs. party. Module designer vs. party, maybe.
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May 3, 2024 17:53
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I'd always heard that ToH was custom-designed by Gygax to challenge (i.e., screw over) his veteran playgroup, and that the playgroup actually got through the module without too much difficulty because they very familiar with Gygax's quirks and habit, and were mentally prepared for all the tricks and traps and misdirections. Which is all well and good and probably a lot of fun for all involved, but to then publish that for groups to use outside of that very specific context...yikes.
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May 3, 2024 17:57
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I appreciate the Tomb of Horrors, not so much as an actual fun thing to do, but as a piece of lore from the earlier days of the hobby, that there were these primordial demigod heroes who could not only clear it, but clear it so effortlessly it was actually a little boring. It's like how you look at the Strait of Gibraltar and hear stories about how Hercules pushes those fuckers into place by hand.
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May 3, 2024 18:02
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gonna say thats never been the way ive pictured people playing old d&d modules
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May 3, 2024 18:04
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Farg posted:gonna say thats never been the way ive pictured people playing old d&d modules you could use more whimsy and delight in your life idk what to tell you
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May 3, 2024 18:05
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NO joie de vivre!!!
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May 3, 2024 18:07
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i have more whimsy in my goddamn pinky toe then you can even fathom. you better watch out unless you want to see my don my jesters cap and cast a silly spell that turns you into an Example
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May 3, 2024 18:11
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As I understood it the standard when ToH was not to use a 10 foot pole but to march a bunch of Animate Dead zombies in front of the party. And whimsy in an RPG? There might the odd game that mentions it on the player side but nobody plays those. Everything must be on your character sheet at the correct level.
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May 3, 2024 18:46
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Asterite34 posted:I appreciate the Tomb of Horrors, not so much as an actual fun thing to do, but as a piece of lore from the earlier days of the hobby, that there were these primordial demigod heroes who could not only clear it, but clear it so effortlessly it was actually a little boring. It's like how you look at the Strait of Gibraltar and hear stories about how Hercules pushes those fuckers into place by hand. In college I had the reprinted one from Return to the Tomb, which was literally just the original mod, and I started a tradition of running the mod as a pick-up game at the end of each quarter to let people blow off stress from finals. Allegedly, the tradition still continues, at least as of the last time I talked to the club's advisor.
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May 3, 2024 20:45
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