TTRPGs are narrative games. If you can't visualize how a trap or hazard works using in-world concepts and convey that to the person who'll be running the game, you need to use one you can do so with. Traps that have no way to work (or means of disarming) in-world are lazy design.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) January 5, 2019
Oof Chris this is a juicy opinion 🙂 Do you have an example of a good/bad trap just to clarify what you mean? Any trap that doesn't describe how it works and how it can be disarmed or circumvented in more than game-mechanical terms fits the bill as "bad" because it leaves the GM to fill in those details, which can be very difficult either during prep or at the table.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) January 6, 2019
I read Grimtooth’s traps last year — filled with diagrams and diabolical traps, but it’s too detailed for me. It actually stresses me out! I lean towards vaguer threats as a player/DM because there’s a big gap between what I know about disarming traps and what a character knows. I'm talking design, not play. I think it's okay to play as mechanical as you like. Design doesn't need to be super detailed, but it does need to give enough to narrate on. Frex, you rewire the keycard reader or shim (or remove) the pressure plate. Little details.
— Chris S. Sims (@ChrisSSims) January 6, 2019