Tomb Of Horrors Was Built On Old-School D&D Sensibilities When viewed in the context of old-school Dungeons & Dragons, a different species of RPG from modern D&D, Tomb of Horrors makes a lot more sense. Related: How A Tabletop RPG Game Master Can Avoid Railroading Their PlayersĪt first glance, Tomb of Horrors seems to go against every principle of RPG storytelling seen in Dungeon Master guidebooks and livestreamed game sessions - work together with players to tell a story, make challenges designed to be overcome, etc. Indeed, by current standards, a D&D module that instantly murders players who make a single mistake (with the Dungeon Master deciding what counts as a mistake or not) comes across as unfair and difficult for the sake of being difficult. In fact, many players who brave this module get their characters killed just searching for the tomb's entrance. Even high-level D&D player characters will die instantly if they take a single wrong step in this tomb. The original D&D Tomb of Horrors was first unveiled by Gygax at the Origins gaming convention in 1975, and it has retained its same deadly premise in subsequent editions of Dungeons & Dragons: an ancient, evil demi-lich named Acererak seeks to protect his tomb (and the treasures within) from meddling adventurers, electing to do so not with monsters but with a cruel array of traps and magical curses designed to exploit the greed and paranoia of seasoned dungeon delvers.

Of all the dungeon-diving scenarios published for D&D over the years, none is more infamous than Tomb of Horrors, an adventure module written by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. RPG gamers who haven't played Tomb of Horrors firsthand may wonder: Why is the module so lethal to even the most powerful adventurers? And how exactly are players supposed to survive this deathtrap-filled labyrinth? True to its title, Dungeons & Dragons, the world's first roleplaying game, is strongly focused around the idea of exploring dark and dangerous places - caverns, castles, and desolate tombs filled with monsters, traps, and treasures.

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