Philosophical Question - More slides or more layers

Say I have 50 options. Will I be happier if I put them all on one slide with 50 layers, or if I make 5 slides with 10 layers each, or 50 slides?

For example, I know that if I want to export to Word and print it, it makes very little difference, because it defaults to print layers. The only reason I can see to prefer slides in this case is that the slides would print in order, and I'm not sure what order is used to print layers.

But what happens when it gets to some of the less robust formats, like HTML5 or the iPad app?

Don't ask me what I'm trying to do; I'm not trying to do anything. I just want to know something about the underpinnings of the program. I want to know which design method is less likely to overwhelm SL and the end browsers or apps and how many is too many objects, interactions, triggers, layers, slides.

In the back of my mind is the thought that if I make a slide too complex, it may look good on my robust desktop, but overwhelm some of the more vulnerable environments. Does anybody know or have any guesses or experience?