FM Guide: building challenging encounters

[Brewmaster]

Quickie thing I'm throwing up here. I'll develop it later. Comments and wild flailings appreciated

One of the things I've been pondering since I got my grubby normal-sized hands on Kickstarter copies of the first two books is combat encounter design. I've been GMing/DMing/GDDMing for many years now, and my wheelhouse is usually with games where I can eyeball "this is a challenge rating system". TtB technically has such a system, but I think we can really make it pop, helping FMs gauge levels in a much quicker fashion. This gauge is intended for combat design and comes from my personal enjoyment of the game, so this MIGHT not be for some people. With that, let's go over a couple of questions to begin making a gauge.

1) what is a "good" encounter?

There's a few things in play here, but the basic premise is "How do I push my players just the right amount?" If you're trying to create memorable combat, the two things you'll want to know are how efficient your players are in the fight and 'does this fight matter?' Let's start with the second one.

I've never been a fan of random encounters. I get throwing in some bumper work to get that Exp up a little higher, but Frodo dying during the Orc Mobs in the first movie would have been a complete bummer of a story change. I feel that the chance of character death should hold "meaning"; players want to feel like their character that they invested energy into died for a reason beyond "1d6 Drow appeared from the trapped box". So ideally the fight (if a fight actually happens) should push Fated resources. Now let's talk about efficiency of Fated.

Page 120 of the Fatemasters Guide has an incredibly useful set of questions you can ask your player to see how combat effective they are. This list is a good starting point, but it could be tailored more to help with specific construction. An element to look at is "favored attacks".

Every player has their "cool thing". One player was drawn in to the game cause guns are cool, one likes katanas, one wants to be a magical girl samurai. How the FM sets up a session determines how things will level up (sessions with mystery and talking probably won't have combat skill level ups and sessions where you're stabbing Gremlins probably won't have social skill level ups).

Ask your players what their most likely used or "favored" attack skill is and keep up on when they choose to level it. This gives you bonus knowledge in that you can tell which players are more interested in punching stuff in the face by who chooses to level up their skills based on Pursuit over the skill choices you offered them.

Once you have an idea of what your players are capable of and how this fight "Matters", then you can take the next step.

2) What numbers should a challenging encounter use?

One of the gotchas you'll bump into in this system is the fact that action economy is a powerful force. When you have 5 Fated with 2 AP a piece, I have to come up with different plans for my 2 AP total boss who's trying to juggle all these resources coming to bear at them only. The quick answer is use a higher card value for them, but ultimately that makes it a matter of finding the lucky cards which is boring. Mobs suffer a different problem. By having a huge collection of mooks, you can get that cinematic feel of fighting the army before the boss, but ultimately the Fated will have defenses that just aren't challenged unless they flip aces.

Finding that sweet spot is a dance that takes time, a thing that this guide is trying to save. So without further ado, The Guide:

1) Enforcers to Henchman are the sweet spot for combat

You should assume that Fated will start with a 3 skill that ties to a 2 aspect. That means 11-12 rated defenses will get hit about half the time. Rather than try to figure out detailed bands, just figure the sweet spot. In a normal game where Exp is spent between non-combat and combat, you can assume they'll have their cool skill up to 4/5 and at least one aspect bump will tie to their cool skill, so that 11-12 will go to a 14-16 average. Enforcers to Henchmen keep the fight close without completely blowing it out. Want the game tougher or easier? Start at Enforcers and go from there.

2) you want piles of mooks? Think swarms.

I found an idea that I'm shamelessly stealing from somewhere else and using it here. Let's say I want a mob of Piglets. The first thing is to set their card value (let's call them Minions). Drop 1 or 2 AV from that, Then give them a larger size base and apply the following abilities: "Mob Mentalities: this model may move through and end it's turn on an opposing model", "Losing Interest: this model deals half damage when at half wounds or fewer."and "Strength in Mobs: {blahblah non stackable Incorporeal}".

This gives you a few things. First, if you're just grabbing cards or stats from the books, the creatures that are gaining the Mob abilities have already been tested meaning less work for you. Second the only big changes are the fact that the mob has better defenses, balanced out by reduced attack values and a drop in damage. Third, you still get the cinematic fight you want without having to flip 12 cards that MIGHT matter.

To be continued with a boss discussion...

[dgraz]

subscribed.

[War Disciple]

Thanks!

 

If you don't mind me tossing in a thought, I also usually like to think about "kill switches;" that is, what could end the combat before the to-the-death point is reached.  TtB is very transparent with card flips/challenge results, and even carefully thought-out encounters can go south on the Fated if they get bad flips they can't cheat.  Often, if things get really bad really fast it's hard for the Fatemaster to come up with ideas on how the players can get their characters out in once piece while right in the thick of the action.  I find that, as part of prepping for a session, making a few notes about defusing worst-case scenario outcomes can go a long way to save player characters and campaign alike.  

 

I should add that I'm not opposed to player characters dying, but I see them as stars in a TV show.  If they're going to go, it should be dramatically appropriate.  Not punked in some two-bit encounter where, when it's over, everybody (including the Fatemaster) wonders just what the heck happened.

[Brewmaster]

What's this? Someone is about to post in a few hours with real life information to back it up?

[Canaria0]

This won't work for every antagonist, but I found that giving a major end game encounter phases ended up working well where I didn't want to have things swarming the PCs for various reasons, just to add my two bits.

[Brewmaster]

AAAnd a continuation:

 

I dislike having to keep track lots of things. I've actually switched over to having a GM turn in DnD instead of having a Monster A/ Monster B turn. It streamlines combat a little, and you don't have to bump into the occasional issue of "It's the halflings turn, wait the Halfling died two activations ago." If I want to make something more developed or Boss-like, I add an effects phase.

 

When running a "Boss fight" (defined as a singular monster versus multiple players), I think the most ideal mechanics from the game to look at to adapt for use are Hazardous terrain.

 

Here's an example:

 

The players have been chasing a rogue necromancer who's been all "Look at my Zombies", and finally corner him in a graveyard. The guy is all "I'm a boss fight RAWR!", and they flip initiative. You create two sections: Effects Initiative and Necromancer Initiative. During the Effects initiative, the players flip a card, generating 50mm markers of "Ooky Evil." The markers move 4 inches during the Effects Initiative, can be dismissed with a Magic check, and players who start their turns in base contact or move through them must pass a Df12 check or suffer 1/2 Slow/ 3 Immobile.

 

By adding a check to hazardous terrain and giving it BASIC stats, you've created a simple element that changes during a fight, gives players another element to focus on, and creates alternate locations for the players AP to go, meaning your boss man doesn't have to fend off 10 AP, they have to fend off 7-4 AP. There's another element at play in the example I presented before. The fight can be altered through a skill check. If playing the miniatures game has taught me anything, it's that Marching to the center of the table and playing rock-em sock-em robots is not how you win most games. By providing an alternate objective that has effects on the fight, you make things more than just a slap-fest.

[Brewmaster]

Let's add it all together for a TL/DR:

 

Da RULZ

 

1) Does this fight matter?

Why are you having this fight? Do the numbers being used in this fight challenge your players enough without being ridiculous?

 

2) Use Enforcers/ Henchman for an equal number of enemies, use swarms for "Trash Mobs"

Back and forth fights between an equivalent number of fighters makes for a good "Normal fight".

 

3) Use "Awakened" Hazardous Terrain flavored to the boss fight you want to run.

Make the solo fight about that solo guy by having dynamic elements that just happen, giving players other options than "Punch this guy" to deal with.