DEEKIN'S PIT REVISITED
Overview
In Deekin's Pit, you play a treasure hunter. To gain Experience Points, bring treasure back to camp and sacrifice it in the "Glory Box". Yes, this is a little like the 1970's version of D&D.
Your adventure begins in Deekin's Camp perched above a chasm to explore. There are many caves, but also mountain valleys, swamps, underground rivers, giants' castles, crypts, and dungeons. Different kinds of areas offer different kinds of challenges and rewards, and are inhabited by different kinds of characters.
The inhabitants of course have resources, and treasure to plunder. They can also benefit you by hiring on as henchmen, providing information, trading, and sheltering your character. To enjoy these benefits, you'll need to remain on good terms. Stealing their stuff makes them hostile. In time they often forgive theft. Murder however can permanently sour things.
So you will have to decide how to treat each group as you explore. Many begin neutral albeit rude. You don't have to remain nice and can choose to treat them like monsters, kill them, and take their stuff. You can also drink with the goblins, convince them to join your party, and go grave robbing in the crypts together.
It's up to you.
Choices
Once you get the hang of it, you'll often find yourself weighing costs against benefits, making choices like ...
Things versus Experience
Do you want to keep using that thing you found or toss it in the Glory Box for XP? Do you drink that potion to improve your chances in this fight or run away to save the XP that the potion represents? Do you buy the masterwork weapons and armor to improve your performance or invest everything in XP to level up faster?
Trade vs Conquest
The residents of Deekin's Pit are divided into many factions. Your motivations as a treasure hunter risk turning them hostile. Do you refrain from plundering an area to remain in the local's good graces? Can you steal that treasure from them without getting caught? Will you benefit more from trading with them than you would by robbing them?
Well Prepared vs Traveling Light
Treasure can be heavy. Gear can be heavy too. Traveling as light as possible enables you to haul more treasure back to camp. What gear is necessary? What can you skimp on? I recommend not skimping on torches. Each torch only lasts an hour of game time (ten minutes real time). The caves are dark.
Skills vs Violence vs Magic
At every level up, you choose between advancing either skills, combat prowess, or spell casting. This choice is less about cost versus benefit and more about what fits your style. I usually like a little bit of everything.