For the love of booby traps!

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For the love of booby traps!

Postby MedicineStorm » Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:09 pm

THE CONCEPT:
There is something very alluring about traps. $2, specifically. You could almost say they are rudimentary forms of enchantments; inanimate objects arranged for the purpose of carrying out the bidding of the wizard... or rogue, as it were.

Unlike enchantments, though, traps work in the $2 world as well. Some traps even outlast the ones who created them. Archaeologists have discovered many traps that still defend some Egyptian tombs long after the dynasty that created them was forgotten. Arguably, most of those traps are so far beyond the manufacturer's warranty that they aren't really much of a threat... but they're over 3000 years old. If they stop being effective traps after only 1000 years, that's still freaking cool.

One thing I've always loved in RPGs is traps. They break the combat mold by providing another danger to be aware of. Instead of fighting a monster, you need to watch for hidden contraptions that are trying to end your life. They don't have a brain or emotions or any desires because they aren't alive, but they still want to kill you. You can't listen for footsteps or cast "detect monster" to avoid them. You can't outsmart or outmaneuver them. Seems like it would be easier to out-think something that can't think at all but- as an adventurer- I take more hits from traps than I do from monsters!

Check out some of these real-life traps that an adventurer could construct out in the wilderness with nothing but wits and a knife:
  • $2 - 3 sticks delicately arranged in the form of the number 4. A creature disturbing the bait stick protruding from the back of the "4" will release the stick holding up the deadfall, crushing the poor creature.$1
  • $2 - like the figure 4 deadfall trap, but it uses chord to create a more sensitive trigger. Instead of a massive weight to crush the vicitm, a spring-loaded stick comes whistling down to stab the victim.$1
  • Here's a $2 (keep scrolling, there's more than you think.) designed specifically to kill or maim humans. Pretty awful, really, but for the sake of this game, pretty cool! $1
  • As simple as those are, they don't even need to be that complicated to be effective. I'm not even sure a $2 could be considered a "device" or "contraption" because they are so basic. (Also known as "$2" when used by ninja or samurai)
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Re: For the love of booby traps!

Postby MedicineStorm » Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:18 pm

THE PROBLEM:
Computerized RPGs don't really go into how the trap works. The mechanism of How-could-a-couple-of-sticks-and-some-string-possibly-catch-me-by-surprise is a big part of the appeal! But nope, almost all video games that feature traps are limited to "You found a trap. Disarm? Yes? You were successful." What? HOW? What did I do to disarm it? How was it built? What would have happened if I screwed up and set it off instead?

In games like Diablo II, there isn't even a "disarm trap" ability, but there is a bit of skill in avoiding the traps. When kicking open a treasure chest in Diablo II, the lid would make the normal creaky-hinge noises, but if the chest is TRAPPED you'll also hear tell-tale clicking of gears as well. You have just a fraction of a second to GET AWAY before a cloud of noxious gas pours out or the chest bursts into flames. It's definitely fun when your reflexes get good enough to dodge that crap like a boss, but I want to know what the clicking was. What were the gears doing when I opened the chest? How did said gears light the chest on fire?

Tabletop RPGs have an advantage here since the Game Master can convey the intricacy of the trap to the players... And the players can then approach the disarming of said trap with multiple methods based on how they understand it to work. Unfortunately some of the charm is still lost in tabletop RPGs handling of traps: jam a stake into the gears to stop it from going off when we step through the door!
Ok, the GM had to describe the mechanics to the player- and the player had to understand them well enough to know what might work- but how did the character learn all this stuff about the trap? He "looked" at it as the player did a perception check with a roll of dice. Was he successful in jamming that stake in the gears? Was his hand steady enough? How was he able to access the gears without going through the door? Was he limber enough to reach into the mechanism without bumping some other critical component, setting it all off right in his face?

Dice roll + agility score says "no". No details on what exactly went wrong. No clue given about if it was an invalid solution, or if the solution was fine but the character's skill just wasn't enough. Just "no, you failed to disarm the trap".

Using character stats to determine success or failure makes sense. I'm not knocking that... But what if there was a way to blend player skill with character ability? :| A mini-game that would give the player the option of trying her hand at it when her character just isn't quite up to the task. :o Could such a mini-game also demonstrate the mechanics of the trap where failing to understand how the contraption operated spelled certain doom? :shock:
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Re: For the love of booby traps!

Postby MedicineStorm » Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:44 pm

THE PROPOSAL:
A simple trap simulator. Some graphics that show a more detailed perspective of the trap's mechanization. How will this gear move that other one? What happens if the trip wire is pulled in the opposite direction? The player character uses various trap disarming tools to explore the trap without setting it off:
  • A mirror on a stick to get a better look into the guts of the trap.$1
  • A probe to gently poke or move little contraption components around.
  • Cutters to snip the wires (not the red wire!).$1
  • Something like a dentist's hook to pull safety catches into place.$1
  • Long handled pliers to jam that stake into the gears.
You get the idea. It can start out as simple- and get as complicated- as it needs to.

It is up to the player to learn how the trap works so they can decide what is the best way to disarm it. Watch out, though! Don't let that mouse pointer shake too much or those pliers your character is holding might bump the trigger device! Make sure you twist that little mirror all the way around or you might miss that little gear down low that will blow it up in your face if you push that big gear too far!

Here is a little example that shows just how simple- yet effective- a trap could be for the player to disarm (or construct!):
chest_anim1.gif
If your browser doesn't animate gifs, this won't make much sense.
chest_anim1.gif (128.83 KiB) Viewed 17912 times
$1
  • A solid wooden treasure chest (viewed from the side end). Oh, boy! What loot lies in wait?!$1
  • Typically a player would be able to see only portions of the inside of the chest. Only what is visible after lifting the lid a bit and inserting the mirror-on-a-stick tool. However, we'll look at everything to see how it all works.$1
  • The purpose of booby traps is to protect something valuable... Wouldn't be much point in having a trapped chest full of nothing. A trap isn't complete without bait, right?$1
  • This trap consists of but a few simple components. All of which any adventurer-with-dark-tendencies might find lying around their pack. First component is a potion bottle. Could be poison, could be acid, could be monster pheromones.$1
  • The potion bottle is turned up-side-down so the contents will be dumped onto the treasure.$1
  • The bottle is fastened to the inside of the chest's lid with a length of scrap-metal (perhaps the haft of an unwanted mace?) nailed to the wooden lid. A stick and some chord would work as well.$1
  • A U-shaped nail is pounded into the inside front of the chest's base. These U-nails are easy for an adventurer to fashion out of regular nails or metal spikes and come in quite handy for making all sorts of traps.$1
  • A length of string, wire, twine, or chord is attached to the U-nail at one end, and is tied around the potion bottle's cork at the other end.$1
  • Now to put this trap into action...$1
  • A hapless adventurer comes along and opens the lid of the chest.$1
  • The more the lid is opened, the tighter the chord gets.$1
  • At this point, the adventurer has barely enough room to peer inside and poke around, yet the lid is not open enough to risk setting off the trap.$1
  • Opening the chest more gives a better view and more room to maneuver the player's tools, but it's a risk since the slightest bump could trigger the trap.$1
  • *POP!* The chord was pulled too tight and yanked out the bottle's cork.$1
  • The poison starts leaking out of the bottle as the cork starts to fall.$1
  • Oh, no! If that poison gets on the treasure, it'll be a pain to grab all that loot... literally.$1
  • Then again, if it's acid it probably won't kill you, but that treasure is being damaged and eaten away the longer you wait for the corrosive liquids to dissipate!$1
  • The liquid is really gushing out. It doesn't matter how fast you are at opening the lid, that treasure is going to get covered in something unpleasant.$1
  • What if it's monster pheromones? Touching the treasure means monsters will be smelling you out and tracking you down from the deepest reaches of the dungeon. I'm betting they'll be none too pleased when they find out you aren't what their olfactory glands were promising... or- worse!- maybe they will be happy to see you. $1
  • At this point the lid is barely open half way. Not even far enough for a hapless adventurer to really get a good look at what's inside. Yet it's already far too late; the unwanted trap-sauce is marinating all that precious swag.
  • $1
    Such a simple trap can be given a multitude of effects just by switching one component. The potion could even be some hallucinogenic agent or a sleeping elixir. Not exactly lethal by themselves, but definitely a problem if you were looking for something in this chest to help you escape the enemies chasing you.

    As for disarming this particular trap, there are probably multiple ways, but here's how I would do it: Open the lid just enough to get my tools in there and have a look around. Then I'd stick the cutters in there and cut the chord. Assuming I didn't bump the lid in the process, I should be able to open the chest all the way without the cork getting pulled out of the bottle.

    Of course, as soon as players get accustomed to this trap, trap-makers can start making more complex traps that look very similar. Perhaps redesigned so that if the chord breaks from opening the lid (the chord could be frayed so it would break easily) it releases a weight that pulls the cork out instead. Any player that is familiar with the common design above might hastily cut the chord in an attempt to disarm it. Cutting the chord would, in fact, set it off since the weight would be released that pulls the cork.

    I'll put up some more detailed and varied animations to give an idea of some of the things we can do. In the meantime, please reply with ideas of your own! :D
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    Re: For the love of booby traps!

    Postby Zanahade » Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:17 am

    I love this whole line of thought. Playing Minecraft, I was excited when they introduced "temples" with booby traps... except now I know exactly what to expect and it is not much of a threat now. This would allow for MUCH more interesting and challenging scenarios. Well done sir!
    Peace, Love, and Free Software.

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