WorldBuilding:FAF/RPG

Bit of an unusual Fable and Folklore entry but I wanted to cover some references that RolePlaying Game enthusiasts make, especially to do with D&D.

Dealing with High Level Players
High Level Players can often pose a challenge as they just stomp whatever comes there way in a fair fight. Some people have come up with solutions to this.


 * Tomb of Horrors - probably the most famous answer, this is a dungeon which largely exists to kill high level players. There are a bunch of instant death traps, a bunch of other stuff that either takes your gear or makes your character unrecognisable, and a bunch of annoying puzzles. There are very few combat encounters, and to round it all off there is a poem that tells you how to complete it that is very obvious after you have finished the dungeon! It isn't really designed for an enjoyable playing experience, it is mainly there to deal with reckless and overconfident players, not to be a cool experience. This is basically Gygax teaching you a lesson.
 * Tucker's Kobolds - this is a demonstration of how through a combination of action economy, clever tactics, and a preprepared area one of the weakest enemies in the game can make some high level characters regret they came.
 * Nobles - one of the more out of the box solutions on the list, this is an attempt to contest the players on a ground that they don't usually have to interact with. What happens when the shop selling them magic items shuts up and the inn no longer offers lodgings? What about when they find them facing 20 guards that have come to arrest them, and when more guards come time and time again? What happens when cities bar their walls? These are the sorts of things that need to be fought with words and plans not swords.