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| Spring Traps + Lava Pits = Fried Orc (and Gnoll) |
OMD!2 was developed and published by Robot Entertainment and, as per the number, is the sequel to a fairly popular and well done OMD! that released late 2011. Enough with that, though, and on to the important bits: killing things creatively.
The main aspect of the game is laying traps to stop waves of orcs from reaching the exit. There are dozens of different traps, weapons and trinkets at your disposal and each fulfill different purposes from damaging, slowing, stopping, blocking, throwing and more. The creative element comes when you start using the different traps with each other and the environment of the levels. In the screenshot above is a very basic example of this -- I have Spring Traps placed so that they'll throw enemies that walk onto them into the level's lava pits. Simple but effective. If no lava pits were around I could opt for a wall mounted Grinder trap to launch orcs into. Messier, sure, but also very fun.
This creativity can easily be brought to the tabletop where we already have numerous forms of traps, though most are in use against the PCs and not set by them. An easy approach would be trap kits sold in town or craft-able. Just use the stats/effects of the traps like you would normally. A slightly more complex route would be adding more detail to the rooms and locations the party explores. (I tend to be in favor of more detailed settings, in general.) If in a dungeon or crypt, have a section of the wall that appears broken and crumbling -- some rope and well placed iron spikes could make for a nice trap. If in a forest, add some room for potential log traps, pit traps, snares, etc.
Some examples:
Spike Trap -- Floor mounted. Pressure triggered. Causes spring loaded iron spikes to release and impale anything standing on them. Can be poisoned.
Boulder Trap -- Ceiling mounted. Rope or Tripwire triggered. Causes small boulders to fall when the rope is pulled -- either by hand or by tripping.
Arrow Trap -- Wall or Ceiling mounted. Tripwire triggered. Causes arrows to be shot at a particular location when the tripwire is triggered. May be poisoned.
Immolation Trap -- Ceiling and Floor mounted. Tripwire or Rope triggered. Causes burning pitch to pour down over an oil drenched area. Oil drenched area may be at the bottom of a pit trap.
Woodsman Ax Trap -- Branch mounted. Tripwire or Rope triggered. Causes ax-strapped branches that were pulled back to whip around and strike anything in their path. May be poisoned.
And so on and so forth. With added detail comes a more vivid experience, more thoughtful PCs, and more potential fun. Especially with flying orcs.
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