Hello, everyone! As the days cool and we coast into a nice relaxing Thanksgiving week, it seems like a good time to discuss...stabbing adventurers in the eyeballs. Because that's what Thanksgiving is all about, at least when it comes to Grimtooth. So here is designer Marzio Muscedere with a few thoughts on his work statting up Grimtooth's Old-School Traps...
Grimtooth, We Salute You!
by Marzio Muscedere
Ahh, the good ol’ trap. A tried-and-true staple of all fantasy RPGs that brings a smile to every gamemaster’s face, and the eventual roar of shock and surprise from the players at the table once sprung.
Nothing warms the cold, black heart of any good judge more than a perfectly laid trap. And why shouldn’t it? When used properly, a well thought out trap can be just as engaging as any NPC interaction or combat situation. Smart trap designs allow players to come up with different ways to approach and handle each trap encounter, resulting in some wildly ingenious solutions, or if things go wrong, some extremely hellacious outcomes.
But not all traps are created equal my friends, let me tell you. Having worked on over 50 traps for this project, I can definitely say that Grimtooth is one dastardly and nefarious genius. Within Grimtooth’s Old School Traps one can find all manner of traps that range from simple devices to complex mechanical marvels. There are traps that range in deadliness, from those that serve to wound nothing but a character’s pride, all the way to those that deliver instant and excruciating death. There are traps for different locations, be it room traps, door traps and even trapped items, giving the judge flexibility and options when outfitting their deadly dungeon designs. But what I love most about Grimtooth’s traps is that many of them have more than a single effect, resulting in a chain reaction of nasty things that can happen to the PCs depending upon their very own actions and reactions. This can include anything from additional traps being sprung based upon the PCs location, to traps being planted on their person that are triggered at a later time, to the releasing of a kraken…yes, I said it, a KRAKEN!
Yet, despite the myriad versions of traps provided, what they all have in common, aside from being memorable, is that they serve to challenge both the players and their characters alike. Each trap within Grimtooth’s was written to allow for different methods of detection and deactivation that are sure to keep intrepid gamers thinking and on their toes.
So, what are some of my favorite traps? I personally enjoy traps that the PCs can’t help but spring upon themselves. To quote the indelible Gary Gygax - "The worthy GM never purposely kills players' PCs, he presents opportunities for the rash and unthinking players to do that all on their own." And that is what good traps do; they lure the PCs by preying upon their greed, curiosity, or stubbornness. Case in point, the simple but effective Eye-Catching Trap, whereby overly curious PCs find out the hard way that it is not polite to stare, especially when wickedly barbed spikes drive into their eyes tearing their eyeballs straight out of their sockets as they pull away. Clever, effective, and absolutely brutal - and for that Grimtooth, we salute you!
