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Mayor of Geektown
Joined: 22 Aug 2007
Posts: 59
Location: St. Paul, MN
  
votes: 4
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 Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:30 am Post subject: Death Traps! |
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A great staple of pulp is the death trap. Indy had the rolling stone, the Shadow had to deal with a bottomless pit, and then there is always the walls closing in!
Anyone want to have a design a death trap contest? If nothing else we can all have a whole slew of traps to drop into our next HEX games.
Thoughts?
-Troy
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John Aynge
Expedition Leader - 12 months
Joined: 11 Aug 2006
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Location: Kokomo, Indiana
votes: 87
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| Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:41 am Post subject: |
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Yes, I love a good contest, and we haven't seen one lately.
Then again, I still need to hook up the winners of my last contest.
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Rbree
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| Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:46 am Post subject: |
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Bubba Ho-Tep
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Joined: 31 Aug 2006
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Location: Frankfort, Kentucky
votes: 12
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:56 am Post subject: |
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Hello?
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John Aynge
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Joined: 11 Aug 2006
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Location: Kokomo, Indiana
votes: 87
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| Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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After INDY 4's preview I got to say that WE NEED TRAPS!
I'll talk to the editor of MYTHIC ERAS and see if he'll print a page or two of the best traps that go up for this contest.
We really should make this one happen. We could have simplest trap, deadliest trap (although dead is dead so measuring that one could be hard), the craziest trap, the cheesiest trap (no actual cheese), your favorite Mathew Reilly trap, and who knows what else.
I can't wait to see what these guys and gals around here come up with!
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Nestor
Expedition Leader - 12 months
Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 2937
Location: Baltimore, MD
votes: 99
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| Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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| John Aynge wrote: | After INDY 4's preview I got to say that WE NEED TRAPS!
I'll talk to the editor of MYTHIC ERAS and see if he'll print a page or two of the best traps that go up for this contest.
We really should make this one happen. We could have simplest trap, deadliest trap (although dead is dead so measuring that one could be hard), the craziest trap, the cheesiest trap (no actual cheese), your favorite Mathew Reilly trap, and who knows what else.
I can't wait to see what these guys and gals around here come up with! |
Heck, just listing the stuff out of Seven Deadly Wonders could take up a few pages.
My only concern is making sure the traps keep the pulp feel. Otherwise it just becomes another dungeon crawl splatbook. 
Following Riley's book's and the Indy movies' feel, the trap should be cunningly devised with a riddle or message that gives the clue to its solution, but only if the delver can figure it out in time.
"Only the penitent man can pass..." 
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John Aynge
Expedition Leader - 12 months
Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3619
Location: Kokomo, Indiana
votes: 87
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| Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I wouldn't want a bunch of "I'm the GM, and I'm smarter than you, and now you're all dead...HAHAHAHA" kind of crap.
Nestor hit it on the head with this quote as far as I'm concerned. Those that don't know it get your asses to a DVD player and INDY 3! RIGHT NOW!!!
That's a great trap. It could be dealt with, the players that like a challenge could figure it out, and ROLE the dice players could rely upon a roll to figure it ou.
Good thinking Mr. Nestor!
| Nestor wrote: | | John Aynge wrote: | After INDY 4's preview I got to say that WE NEED TRAPS!
I'll talk to the editor of MYTHIC ERAS and see if he'll print a page or two of the best traps that go up for this contest.
We really should make this one happen. We could have simplest trap, deadliest trap (although dead is dead so measuring that one could be hard), the craziest trap, the cheesiest trap (no actual cheese), your favorite Mathew Reilly trap, and who knows what else.
I can't wait to see what these guys and gals around here come up with! |
Heck, just listing the stuff out of Seven Deadly Wonders could take up a few pages.
My only concern is making sure the traps keep the pulp feel. Otherwise it just becomes another dungeon crawl splatbook.
Following Riley's book's and the Indy movies' feel, the trap should be cunningly devised with a riddle or message that gives the clue to its solution, but only if the delver can figure it out in time.
"Only the penitent man can pass..." |
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Linwood
Expedition Leader - 12 months
Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Peoria, IL
votes: 34
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| Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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On the Matthew Reilly traps - I take it we're not talking about ones straight from his books, but adaptations and 'inspired by'?
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Wolverine
Expedition Leader - 24 months
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
votes: 79
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:20 am Post subject: |
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| John Aynge wrote: | | Yeah, I wouldn't want a bunch of "I'm the GM, and I'm smarter than you, and now you're all dead...HAHAHAHA" kind of crap. |
That's why you build mechanics into the design. For your rough example, and that of one like 'The Penitent Man' you could call for your players to make a relevant History/Religion/etc roll with a relatively high Diff (also with a numerical bonus from having something like the Grail Diary) in order to know how to get around the trap.
Of course, if you have a killer GM, you have a killer GM. Once TPK'd, twice shy.
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Nestor
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Location: Baltimore, MD
votes: 99
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:50 am Post subject: |
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| Linwood wrote: | | On the Matthew Reilly traps - I take it we're not talking about ones straight from his books, but adaptations and 'inspired by'? |
Well, from a potential publication standpoint, I would suppose so.
What I was referring mostly to was the strong historical background that Reilly described for the traps: who it was built by, how its builder's idiosyncrasies came through in the design, and the inevitable clues as to how to disable it.
Most important, what needs to exist is the purpose of the trap. Traps don't exist for their own sake. They are placed to protect something, or keep potential intruders from an important place.
The best trap is one in which its theme is relevant to what it protects (such as the faith-inspired traps guarding the Holy Grail in Last Crusade).
So the problem with an article on traps is that, without the McGuffiin, they kind of lose the flavor that makes them appealing as a trope.
Give me a place or thing to guard, and I'll design the traps for it.
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Linwood
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Joined: 20 Aug 2006
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Location: Peoria, IL
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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OK, that makes sense. I like it!
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John Aynge
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Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3619
Location: Kokomo, Indiana
votes: 87
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| Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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As always a grand voice of reason in that Nestor fella. I'd say that the trap has to come with some kind of story seed, plot, or background that makes it playable.
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Runeslinger
Joined: 26 Jan 2011
Posts: 62
Location: Seoul, South Korea
votes: 1
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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What befell this contest?
This contest should be an annual thing around here, I think~
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HarrierPotter
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Joined: 13 Aug 2006
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Location: Austin, TX
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 1:29 am Post subject: |
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Nothing came of it, actually, other than the traps article that ended up on Mythic Eras / Danger Magnet. Nice article though
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Runeslinger
Joined: 26 Jan 2011
Posts: 62
Location: Seoul, South Korea
votes: 1
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:05 am Post subject: |
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The article is a very useful resource and people have had almost two years to bask in its brilliance, absorb every drop of its wisdom, and design heart-pounding, pulse-racing, awe-inspiring, mind-twisting, noun-and-hyphen-produced-adjective-abusing traps fit for a glorious contest!
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