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)

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!