[Coda]

Ever wondered why ancient ruins seem to be full of deathtraps and pitfalls, despite supposedly being a place where people once lived their day-to-day lives? Why would they put traps in a place they're actually using? Why would you ever put spikes on the ceiling of your throne room?

Well... What if they weren't supposed to be traps?

In this game, you describe a trap that you might find in an old-school dungeon crawl or fantasy story, something that wouldn't make sense to have in a functional building.

Then the next poster has to explain why the trap isn't actually a trap, but actually a sensible thing to have had there when the ruins were still inhabited. They then describe a new trap for the next player in line.

The main rule here is that the explanation can't be that it always was meant to be a trap. It might be malfunctioning or parts might be missing compared to its original state, and that's why it's acting like a trap now, but it had to have had some plausible purpose when it was new.

So to start it off...

Why is there a lever that drops a giant stone block on the person who pulled it?

[Den]

The lever was originally attached to a rope, and the stone block was used for grinding grain into flour. Teams of workers would raise and lower the lever and reset the stone block, so the next batch of flour could be made. Obviously, with the workers long gone, the rope either got stolen or disintigrated with time, so now it has to be triggered manually... which happens to be where the grain was originally turned to flour.

Why is there a series of stones that, when stepped on, causes poison darts to shoot out of the wall?

[Tam I am]

Because the people that lived there were plant folk. The stuff's not poison to them, it's nutrients. You're walking through their pickmeup place on the far side of their workout gym.

Why is this floor burning hot?

[SparX]

Because originally these floors were used to heat the inhabitants bodies when the winters were cold. Without anyone to keep up repairs, under pipe supports crumbled leaving vents down to an underlying pool of lava. Turns out the pipes took the lava's hot air and vented it in a radial pattern underneath the floor of the room.

Why does the path lead to a dead end that crushes you between to moving walls?

[Potironette]

Because once upon a time people conveyor-belted animals there to grind them up into deviled ham.

Why is there a pit covered in hay so that you fall once you step on it?

[Quiet Man Cometh]

Because it was an old fashioned wood press for making large sheets of pressboard. The "stop here" safety mark to not get crushed has been worn away with time.

EDIT: Ninja! (I shall keep my point about the safety marks. ;)

It's the hay pit for storage. What are you doing inside of it? Everyone knows it's the hay pit.


Why do we have stairs that turn flat and make a slide into a spike pit.

[Potironette]

Because originally, the stairs were very high-tech and sensed when a wheel-chaired person was near in order to comfortably bring them up and down the stairs. As time passed, the stairs started malfunctioning, losing its ability to correctly detect who was in a wheelchair along with its ability to change its angle. Because of the countless number of years that have gone by, many stalagmites have formed rather oddly at the base of the stairs, causing the insane amount of spikes.

Why is it that a fireball shoots through the tunnel at head height at regular intervals?

[SparX]

Its those damn lava vents again. Damn deterioration. Ruining good function natural spring waters with molten rock and air pockets.

Why does the tile click down and release poison darts?

[Quiet Man Cometh]

It's acupuncture. The people that built this ruin originally had very thick skin and needed good velocity to penetrate. Also what do you mean poison? It's a relaxant because they are hard muscled. The would get so stiff they needed to step on the pressure plate because it was otherwise hard to move.

I guess chemical compounds change over time...


Why is there an illusionary floor covering a sheer walled pit?

[Kaderin Triste]

(Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't this thread perhaps be in the games forum?)
It was actually part of a sacred right of passage and was a test of intellect.
Other cultures would later use it as a test of faith instead.

Why does tripping a lever send a boulder crashing down to roll down a tunnel?

[Quiet Man Cometh]

It's an old game of chicken, of sorts. People would test their bravery and speed by tripping the level and racing the ball to the end. Spectators would place bets. It's would be kind of like American Gladiators without the padding.

It's also a cheaper variant of "running with the bulls" when livestock were too valuable to use.

Well, I suppose this thread does merit more discussion than other games, and since Coda put it here I'm not going to complain. ;)


Now why would this statue have a sword that causes a trap door to open beneath you when you take it?

[Potironette]

Originally the trap door was meant as a cellar for when people ran out of wine. It seemed like a very luxurious idea at the time. The sign indicating the trapdoor's location faded with time.

Why does a cage fall on top of you when you open the door?

[Lee]

It was never intended to go all the way to the bottom. The ledge to stop the fall, as well as the bottom of the cage itself, has rotted away over time. It was, at the beginning, a more convenient way to store live foodstock, such as chickens. It made it easier to keep the food clean and fresh that close to the kitchen. What are you doing in the cellars, anyway?

Why is there a swarm of monsters locked inside the throne room?

[Potironette]

Those monsters were supposed to be caged up in the dungeons..but you know how materials get weaker over time. The monsters escaped dungeon-prison and made it all the way to the throne room--where they were inevitably blocked by much stronger materials because the king's safety is of utmost importance. Not that the king is there to be protected anymore.

Why are there landmines all over the grassy field?

[Coda]

Originally Posted by Kaderin Triste

(Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't this thread perhaps be in the games forum?)

Originally Posted by Quiet Man Cometh

Well, I suppose this thread does merit more discussion than other games, and since Coda put it here I'm not going to complain. ;)

Got it in one. The rules say that games where the answer is a word or list or something similarly trivial goes in Forum Games, but this one is more of an exercise in creative writing, so it works here.

They're farming robots. They were supposed to go out into the field and lay down fertilizer for the plants. Unfortunately, they've rusted out with age... and fertilizer, fuel, and iron oxide make a very volatile combination.

Why is the bridge over this chasm just an illusion?

[Potironette]

The builders could see the difference between illusion and reality and used illusion to come up with building plans. They're somewhere else now but their plans remained.

Why does an anvil fly to your head when you step out the room?