Vulnerability

When people talk about old school D&D being hack n' slash I'm guessing that person hasn't played a retroclone. When I played 1e, 2e and 4e yep we hacked the monsters and took what they had. That's why the monsters were there. With Swords & Wizardry however, my sessions have been more about the characters getting hacked n' slashed.

If what is grating to people about H n' S play is the attitude-- savage, imperialistic, kill things to solve problems-- this hasn't existed much in my sessions. My players' attitude is more generally one of trepidation, of, "God I hope we find enough treasure to at least pay for these torches."

I like the idea of them treating the mystic underworld as a place they are a visitor in, not a master. The system does a lot of that with limited hit points and limited damage capability. But I like to try to push players to feel vulnerable. Here's a brainstorm of some situations that might make players feel out of control, uncertain, and at risk:

• Water slowly deepening-- once chin-deep I would start to wonder if we should head back
• Something moving around in that water
• Or the water beginning to move, faster and faster
• Not water, but mud or muck that must be waded through-- getting thicker
• Trapdoors, cupboards, or curtains that open face-high or above the head.
• Uncertain footing: walking on rotten boards or broken glass, ramps that look slick
  
• Unsafe terrain: "That ceiling looks really cracked," "This hall could hide archers all along here"
• Low ceilings that make them crawl
• Small holes to be investigated-- hand-sized-- in walls, on altars
• Ledges half-a foot length wide
• Steam or fine webs obscuring vision.
• Suspicious, sharp protrusions covering sections of walls.
• Skeletons, suits of armor, statues, or strawmen-- anything human-shaped propped against walls and they expect them to attack at any moment
• Similar doors/corridors so they have a feeling they may be lost
  

Basically any time the players say "Oh, great," sarcastically, or hesitate before deciding between two equally unattractive routes I feel like I'm doing my job.

Anything you'd add to the list?