A-mazing(ly bad pun)
Hello Hangries... let's get to it.
Mazes and Puzzles
Sometimes we need to break up the monotony of killing monsters, and that's when a good puzzle or maze ought to make an appearance. Role-playing is one way to change up the pace, but let's be honest: that puts a lot of pressure on the GM! Puzzles and mazes are more of a soft-combat style experience. Player decisions are paramount, and the GM can catch their breath.
Some key things to remember when dropping in a puzzle:
- Balance: Mazes and puzzles should not overshadow the main gameplay but instead, provide an immersive backdrop. Ensure these elements are balanced in frequency and intensity to maintain player focus on the main objective. The exception is if your players are looking explicitly (or you have pitched) a puzzle/maze heavy setting. An escape the room style adventure, or a murder mystery can be a great role-playing experience if you and your players are tired of combat scenarios.
- Strategic Placement: Position mazes and puzzles in areas where they can add value to the game's narrative or provide visual interest. This could be at the start of a new level, after a heavy interaction with an antagonist, or even as the level's environment.
- Player Agency: If possible, allow players to influence these puzzles in ways that bring their personalities into conflict through the puzzle with the antagonist. A maze that your barbarian player smashes should elicit a different response from the evil-genius than the wizard that stood quietly and calculated the solution on an abacus.
- Helping teamwork: This could be through simple choices like "help now" or "help later" opportunities for every kind of dynamic in your player group. Is there a cleric who might solve a maze through recognizing divine symbols, or a druid whose knowledge of woodland creatures helps avoid the trap? This can increase player engagement and add another layer of depth to the game.
Anyone for a drop-in maze?
As promised, the Hangry Dwarf has been hammering away at things to share with you. Below is our first offer: a little maze that may a-maze (get it!? GET IT!?) your players. Maybe print this out and lay it out on the table (or upload to a VTT) with some post-its or 'fog' to hide everything but the first room (bottom left corner), and then let them figure their way through it. Solution is below.
Solution: Each room includes a mosaic in the center (which shows the location of the room in the maze itself!), and symbols before each door. The meaning of the symbols are:
Any attempt to move through an unsafe passage will teleport the adventurer back to the first (lower-left) room. Spice this up with your own twists. When they go through a safe passage does a bell ring? When they go through an unsafe passage and get magically zapped back to the first room, do they take damage? Does a ghostly warrior appear? Is there a bright light and the sound of a scream? Let us know what you did to fit this into your adventure.
Coming Soon...
It won't be long before our next Kickstarter hits the inter-web. A sneak peak:
Palace intrigue, haunting mystery, and... musical mechanics!? Yes, this one has it all, including a mass combat mechanic (who doesn't want their team to go up against 20+ enemies, or for PC/NPC interaction to shape the larger battle!) and a music feature that will make the karaoke fan in you sing. (Literally.)
This should drop in late July, so stay tuned.
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