First I want to talk about some videogames.
ADOM does this cool thing where the overworld is (mostly) set in stone, but all of the dungeon levels below are randomly generated. So you're improvising a lot in the dungeon, but you learn the layout and secrets of the world above.
Teardown does this cool thing where you need to, say, break into a safe and then get away, but you get unlimited time to wander around the map preparing your run, including breaking down walls and stuff. The timer only starts when you set off the alarm, typically by grabbing the thing you're stealing. If you manage that you can try again with secondary objectives to chase after. Missions also revisit maps, so you get to know them pretty well.
Outer Wilds does this cool thing where you're living out the same 22 minute time loop over and over, each time exploring the solar system and learning a bit more about each planet. It's a great feeling heading over to a planet after you've learned a few of its secrets to see how far you can get this time before the sun explodes.
Hitman does this cool thing where it has a comparatively small number of densely packed levels, and it's pretty easy to complete the mission (typically kill a couple of targets) but you're incentivised to replay each map over and over, killing the targets in new ways and exploring every corner of the map. Sometimes I just follow people around to see what they're doing.
Shenzhen I/O (and most other Zachtronics games) does this cool thing where completing each puzzle is usually straightforward, but then you're rated on various factors like cost, speed, space efficiency, so the real game is in going back to tackle the problem over and over, chasing the cheapest, fastest, or most efficient solution (typically not all three).
These are all tapping into that feeling of doing something you've already done before, but doing it a bit differently.
I don't often get that feeling when I run and play TTRPGs.
I tend to prepare dungeons with the assumption that the players will stumble through them once and then move on. Even with larger (dare I say mega-)dungeons I probably nudge players into new areas for each delve.
In my current Traveller campaign we've been playing for 9 months, jetting around The Beyond sector, a vast hexmap of space, and we haven't returned to a planet even once after leaving (though some of that may be down to the mess my players tend to leave behind them).
I feel like I'm missing out on the joy of doing something again, but doing it a bit differently.
I have an idea how I might explore that. Let's see how it pans out.
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Disclaimer: I'm biased because I'm currently reading the Blades in the Dark rulebook, but this could be good inspiration for a 2 (or more?) part scenario where player characters have to break into the same area (prison? fortress? gang territory?) several times, and each previous attempt is taken into account by the local faction.
ReplyDeleteYour first mission was successful because you caused a power failure? Now the guards are wearing night-vision goggles, or at least their own light source.
Did you manage to get through the main gate by hiding in a cart or goods truck? The contents are now controlled by sentries.
Have you managed to bribe or persuade mistreated underlings to go elsewhere? Their superiors take steps to prevent this, such as offering rewards for whistle-blowing, or frequent visits from supervisors to enforce “loyal” behavior.