Perplexing Puzzles Preview
over 4 years ago – Wed, Oct 30, 2019 at 02:00:25 AM

Hi All,

In this update we wanted to give you a glimpse into what will be in the chapter featuring puzzles, enjoy!

Perplexing Puzzles

Puzzles are often confused with complex traps. An easy distinction is that a trap can be disarmed while a puzzle must be solved. Puzzles are often used as a filter of sorts, preventing those without the right knowledge or who are unworthy from getting access to an item or a place.

Good puzzles challenge the individuals creatures interacting with them in different ways than a trap or a monster. Puzzles can be simple or complex, they may have a single stage or multiple stages with escalating difficulty, and they may have mechanical and/or magical elements. All of these aspects depend on who made it and what the puzzle is intended to do.

1. The Necrodial

This is a round metal object the size of an amulet and is often worn as such from a metal chain. It has four small dials on the front, and the backside is smooth. The dials each have ten runes and a small handle to spin them. There is a small circle of metal raised up from the face of each dial to indicate what rune is being selected. In the very center of the amulet is a button with a symbol much like a human skull. The device is meant to contain something within it such as a key, gem, note, or other small object.

Solution. When all four dials are spun to their correct rune, the user is meant to then press down on the center button. The device will then come apart into two pieces.

Optional. Attempting to open the device with the wrong combination of runes selected could result in the user taking necrotic damage equal to half their maximum hit points.

2. Back To The End

In the middle of the chamber is a wall of force that resembles calm water on a lake. It gives off a faint reflection and can be easily passed through. On the opposite side everything appears normal.

Passing through the wall will lead a creature through passageways and chambers that are exactly like the ones they came through to get to the wall of force until they end up back at the entrance to the dungeon. This will repeat indefinitely until a create solves the puzzle.

Solution. Passing through the wall of force backwards will lead a creature to the rest of the dungeon.

3. Descension

On the floor of the chamber are four concentric circles, the largest of them being around ten feet in diameter and the smallest being around five feet in diameter. The three outermost circles each appear to be made of a single piece of metal which have been embedded into the floor. These metal rings each have twelve 2-inch-diameter holes evenly spaced around their perimeter. Each hole is marked with a unique rune.

The innermost circle is made of twelve triangular-shaped wedges. If tapped or prodded the wedges sound solid, and if stuck with a hammer they will chip but not shatter.

Solution. In order to solve this puzzle one must align the tree outer rings with one another. The runes on the rings could represent months, astrological signs, or any other variables which may be important to the story. Placing a plank of wood, spear shaft, or other such object into a hole will allow a ring to rotate with little effort.

The correct orientation of the rings is completely variable. You could even roll a d12 three times to determine the answer. When the three metal rings are aligned properly, the innermost circle of stone floor descends slowly with each wedge stopping lower than the one next to it until a ten foot deep spiral staircase has formed. This staircase could lead to a lower level, a secret chamber, or a secret passageway.

Optional. For more complexity there may be a specific object required to rotate the rings due to its unique shape and a special locking mechanism that prevents any other object from allowing a ring to rotate. To add yet another level of complexity; each ring could require a different object in order to rotate it.

We hope you can use these, or variations of them, in your games! In our next update we hope to post some pictures of the book in layout. It's really coming together!

Happy Gaming!

-Chris

So Many Delectable Secrets!
over 4 years ago – Sat, Oct 19, 2019 at 03:16:36 AM

Hello everyone! Megan here, happy to be reporting in with our aforementioned October 18th Treacherous Traps sneak peak!

While our playtests continue to go through rounds of editing and additional playtesting (a huge shout-out to all of you that used them and provided your invaluable feedback!) our writers are hard at work on  the stretch goal chapters you unlocked! Today we'll be sharing a few sneak peaks from the Subtle Secrets chapter, which is full of ideas on how to add intrigue and surprising plot twists to your campaigns.

Story Secrets

Story secrets include things having to do with your overarching story and the characters within it. The noble who gives the heroes their quest to rid the land of vampires is himself a vampire. Two party members find out that they are actually half brothers and share a psychic connection. The entire planet has a giant dragon slumbering inside of it. These are all secrets could change the player characters and how they interact with the NPCs and/or the world.

Obtaining Story Secrets. The best way to gather this sort of information is slowly in the form of clues. Each piece of the puzzle helps to form a clearer picture of the whole secret. What’s even better (and quite a bit more difficult to do) is to leave a trail of clues that cause the heroes to draw the wrong conclusion, and then when the final clue is in place the correct conclusion comes as a shock.

Here are some example story secrets to inspire you in your own storytelling:

1. The quest giver is a blood relative to the antagonist, thought they may or may not know it. The closer the relationship the more impactful the final reveal.
   
2. A powerful noble is secretly a vampire, lycanthrope, or other accursed creature. They are part of a blood pact with several other humanoids with the same affliction. They desire the execution of the other members of the blood pact so that they in turn will grow stronger and eliminate the only people who know their horrible secret.
   
3. One of the party members is susceptible or immune to the main antagonists power.
   
4. The dragon who is thought to guard the treasure died a long time ago, but it's skeletal remains still lurk in its lair.
   
5. The individuals who have given the party their quest actually represent a different faction which is at cross purposes with the one they claim to represent.
   
6. The quest giver doesn’t expect the party to succeed or even survive, but instead to act as a distraction while another party accomplishes the objective.
   

Quest Secrets

Quest secrets pertain to specific tasks within a quest itself. The location of the map the heroes need to begin the next leg of their adventure. A secret password to open the chest that contains the artifact the heroes need to proceed. Knowing that touching the glowing orb on the pedestal will instantly disintegrate someone who is not the chosen one. These are all examples of quest secrets. How the heroes of your story obtain this knowledge is up to you as the storyteller, but make sure it’s done in a meaningful and challenging way.

Obtaining Quest Secrets. As with any secret the key is knowledge. Knowledge comes from other people or creatures in your world through word of mouth. It can also come from writings in books, scrolls, and runes on dungeon walls. Psychic visions, flashbacks, and other paranormal occurrences can also yield useful information.

Each of these methods requires a different approach. When dealing with people and creatures the various Wisdom- and Charisma-based skills such as Insight, Persuasion, and Intimidation are useful. When searching for written secrets, Intelligence-based skills like History and Religion may be appropriate. For paranormal occurrences, the Wisdom- and Intelligence-based skills such as Arcana, Insight, and Investigation are recommended depending on the nature of the occurrence.

Here are some example quest secrets to inspire you in your own storytelling:

1. If they want to release the captive creature from its magical bonds, the party must leave on of their members in its place.
   
2. The only key that can open the lock must be enchanted by the knock spell so that it can disable the locking mechanism and the arcane lock spell cast upon it.
   
3. The quest-related object may only be touched by a creature of a particular bloodline, a creature wearing a particular ring, or a creature in possession of a particular enchanted item.
   
4. There have been many fakes crafted over the years to look like the quest item.
   
5. An unassuming character important to the quest is secretly very powerful and not to be underestimated. This could be an ally or advisory. Either way the best reveal should be sudden and should change the perception of the party members.
   
6. The antagonist may only be defeated by a specific person, spell, element, item, etc. This could also apply to a specific location that the antagonist can be defeated such as a particular building, environment, or dimension.
   

Environmental Secrets

Environmental secrets are more inconsequential to the campaign. They can be a secret compartment in a desk, a false wall in an alchemy lab, or a hatch in the floor under the rug. Often these types of secrets can be related to a simple or complex trap. Stepping in the wrong place, opening the wrong door, and picking up an object are a few examples of how a trap might be triggered.

Obtaining Environmental Secrets. In many cases the heroes stumble upon these types of secrets on accident, but sometimes the more inquisitive party members are rewarded. Detecting a faint draft through a crack to reveal a hidden passageway. Looking up at the perfect moment to notice a lever on the ceiling. Accidentally falling down a pit trap to discover the next level of the dungeon. These are all ways of revealing this type of secret.

Here are some examples of environmental secrets to inspire you in your own storytelling:

1. The next level of the dungeon is reached by stepping through a mirror.
   
2. A secret passageway connects an early section of the dungeon with a deeper area. The hidden doors of the passageway might be opened from the deeper area only.
   
3. A chest has a secret compartment along its bottom which can be accessed from the inside by pressing on a release mechanism.
   
4. The backside of a tapestry hides the clue.
   
5. An illusion hides the door, passageway, or means to proceed.
   
6. Grooves on the floor are revealed only when light is cast upon them at a particular angle.
   

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What types of secrets excite YOU the most in your campaigns? Do any of these feel like a twist your players enjoy? Let us know what you think in the comments, or hop on over to our Discord to discuss! We'd love to hear your opinion!

Previous Playtests

Any chance you missed out on our previous Traps playtests? Don't fear! Now that our website's been fixed (after many long weekend hours of testy finagling) all previous  playtests are available for download! You can check them out here if you missed them.

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Keep your eyes peeled for our next update on Tuesday, October 29th where we'll get into some Perplexing Puzzles that you can sneak into your upcoming spooky Halloween games!

Happy Gaming,

Megan

A Late Update, But All is Well!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 13, 2019 at 01:06:19 AM

Hello everyone!

This is Megan again, Marketing Manager for Nord Games :) I hope you all have been well!

First of all, I would like to apologize for the lateness of this update. Over the last month, I've personally had a small surgery and been relatively sick , and am now dealing with power troubles and the stresses of a fire very close to me and my partner here in southern California. We at Nord are also dealing with some unexpected complications with another Kickstarter, Objects of Intrigue: after discovering that our printing company didn't communicate or notice an ink issue that discolored half of all printed decks, we have been working very hard to invest in reprints and get things sorted, which has caused more delays.

In spite of all of these things taking up mental space, I should have been much more diligent and mindful of our scheduled updates here, and at least gotten someone to write one in my stead. I see some backers have been worried about this update because of our delays on this Kickstarter as well, which is a valid concern -- I am especially sorry to those who felt extra worried because of this.

However, I assure you the delay does not equal bad news in regards to this Kickstarter!

The Current Status of Treacherous Traps

In much better news, Treacherous Traps is chugging quickly along. Our Lead Writer, Game Designer, Project Manager, and team of writers meet daily to work on new traps and adjust current ones to new agreed-upon specs after lots of great feedback from the playtest. Art commissions and layout are still underway, and playtesting is happening continually in-office so we can be sure things are balanced as we go along. 

Our next update on Friday, October 18th will show you some of the Subtle Secrets and more that have been our recent focus :)

Thank you as always for your patience and understanding, and please look forward to our update next week for some more Traps content to experiment with at your game table!

Happy Gaming,

Megan

Level 17-20 Traps Playtest is Here!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Sep 17, 2019 at 11:10:55 PM

Howdy, Traps Backers!

The most treacherous traps of them all are finally here! Our Level 17-20 Traps are delectable in their devious dubiousness. Loads of new trap types are available for the testing, and we can't wait to hear what you think!

Also, as a quick side-note: thank you for your understanding as we worked to fix our website for the last level 13-16 playtest! Thankfully things are now in order once more, so you can download this week's playtest on the website as per usual :)

If you missed out on the Level 13-16 playtest two weeks ago, you can now also download that playtest on our website.

To Download the Level 17-20 Playtest:

Go to this link, add the document to your cart, and checkout.

Upon completion of your order (it will be $0.00), you will see a big blue button that you can click to download the document.

You can also find the download link in your email receipt, which you can use to redownload the playtest at any time.

Providing Playtest Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback for this or any previous playtests, leave a comment below and we’ll be sure to take a look at it!

If you’re able, we also strongly recommend joining our Discord server. Not only do our staff and community members hang out regularly in the Nord Lounge, but we’ve set up a channel specifically for Treacherous Traps backers!

Join us in the Traps Discord channel to give us any feedback throughout playtesting, or to just hang out! We’d love to chat with you and introduce you to the rest of our community.

Feedback/Questions from Playtest Levels 1-20

Over the last few weeks, we've gotten some amazing feedback from you playtesters on things to improve! We've been taking a hard look at how we craft DCs, diversify the discovery and disarming of traps, and generally structure different forms of traps in the book. We've been putting our heads together and doing lots of editing to ensure that the traps you see in the book are the very best they can be, and a large part of that is thanks to you all for your help during this exciting process! We are forever in your treacherously trappy debt~

Future Playtesting

Since this is the final round of leveled playtesting for now, we will spend the next few weeks after this round of updates continuing to edit, work on art commissions, and continue laying out the book with what we have. Our next biweekly update on Monday, September 30th will feature updates on how this process is going, sneak peaks into the design process, and any additional info on potential future playtesting material :)

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Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you all in two weeks for the next Traps update!

Happy Gaming,

Megan

The Level 13-16 Playtest is Here!
over 4 years ago – Sat, Sep 07, 2019 at 01:24:28 AM

Hello everyone!

Megan here, happy to report that the Level 13-16 Traps Playtest is here! 

Unfortunately, we are still running into a strange little bug with our website's checkout system. It throws an error when trying to checkout with a free product. To make sure everyone gets their playtests in the most timely manner, we will instead be uploading the file on Nord's Discord channel for people to download.

You can find the link to that playtest upload here under the Treacherous Traps book channel: https://discordapp.com/invite/wZvgUUD

We thought through a lot of different options for this playtest distribution. One of the main issues we considered with this release is that some of you who enjoy playtesting the Traps content do not use Discord. We apologize for the inconvenience to those of you that don't use Discord, and would be happy to instead email the playtest PDF to you if you message me (Megan) at [email protected]. I'll be responding to those who need the playtest throughout the weekend to make sure you get it soon! However, we highly recommend checking out our Discord if you haven't already, if it's an option for you!

Thanks so much for your patience, everyone, and we look forward to having the website in tip-top shape as soon as possible!

Happy Gaming,

Megan