If it's 100% vanilla, that's fine, but that's not what I'm asking. Naturally, I recommend going that way for a first run.

I've been playing modded solo permadeath lately. My last and furthest run ended in the mountains to some wolves, hadn't killed Bonemass yet, did have upgraded iron, but this idiot didn't have a big enough turnip stock yet and was carrying forest food into the mountains. Die and learn. I do mod some things to make it go faster, otherwise the repetition would really get to me, but nothing that pertains to combat. I've been finding my own balance of what is fun and what isn't. Since I'm getting to the point where getting to the mountains seems possible I may modify my rules to allow me one death per unique boss killed, since the mountains has a lot of new stuff I haven't seen before that I want to try.

So my rules for this run are semi-permadeath, earning one revive per boss (killing the same one more than once doesn't count.) New character and new world. I do allow metal through portals and raised the drop rate of rng ores a little bit. It still takes effort but it's not as mind-numbing. Auto smelter and kilns are an awesome luxury. (Those surtling hearts I rescued from the crypts are grateful and work for me now! Bwahahaha!) And I do look at the map once I have scouted the Elder's location in person. (I don't find wandering around lost for many real life hours to be fun.) So, yes the game is sped up some, but it should be since I find myself back at square one repeatedly.

What are your self-imposed rules to liven up replays? And don't tell me I'm not having fun, because I am.