tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post1745404541326044764..comments2024-03-26T15:35:56.004-04:00Comments on Delta's D&D Hotspot: Subterrane Surveys: Little Brown BooksDeltahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-86938570765729991272020-01-16T12:52:56.438-05:002020-01-16T12:52:56.438-05:00That's great, hope your game does well! It'...That's great, hope your game does well! It's true that the "action economy" is incredibly important. My EHD numbers are a harmonic mean over various levels/numbers of fighters in combat, but admittedly specific cases can be more or less dangerous. Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-52450845303121866522020-01-16T02:10:08.589-05:002020-01-16T02:10:08.589-05:00I'm about to start a game with one player, and...I'm about to start a game with one player, and I've mulled over this question for awhile now. Your post helped me sharpen my thoughts on how I'll handle monster numbers. Thanks! <br /><br />I find that whatever version of D&D I run, number of actions per side is often a decisive factor. Jim Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10552212636518210292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-77813566644061039202020-01-07T22:47:24.957-05:002020-01-07T22:47:24.957-05:00That's not bad, and I think it's in that s...That's not bad, and I think it's in that same 1-2 PC zone that's recently gotten me to adjust in one-off-game situations. (Or esp. for first-time players.)Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-60622603683748941772020-01-07T22:42:08.796-05:002020-01-07T22:42:08.796-05:00If it's 1 or 2 PCs, I adjust down for that, be...If it's 1 or 2 PCs, I adjust down for that, because my approaches to those types of games tends to weigh more heavily on narrative, exploration, and social/political challenges and obstacles. Combat is still in there, especially if the player opts for a violent approach to a situation, but I err on the side of going easier because I can usually count on dice randomness and player inefficiencies (whether from RP reasons or genuine mistakes) to add more danger.<br /><br />If it's 3 or more PCs, I tend to populate monsters based on what makes sense in the world and let it ride. If there's too much for the PCs to fight directly, it's up to them to find alternatives or decide to 3-R (retreat, reinforce, return) it .Ash Adlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09930777908505063233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-6237416086975084672020-01-07T13:01:37.374-05:002020-01-07T13:01:37.374-05:00That's pretty similar to what I do.That's pretty similar to what I do. Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-42687205337814837022020-01-07T13:00:28.797-05:002020-01-07T13:00:28.797-05:00And you too! :-)And you too! :-)Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-69993732280741359422020-01-07T08:58:34.438-05:002020-01-07T08:58:34.438-05:00And Happy New Year!And Happy New Year!Michael S/Chgowizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052820400496340137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-22324860967267570522020-01-07T08:58:23.164-05:002020-01-07T08:58:23.164-05:00For convention games - I run as-is, in order to pr...For convention games - I run as-is, in order to provide an experience as the module outlines. Most of my RPG games end up being that 4 to 8 spot, so I don't find it to be a problem. I also run my own stuff, I'm not a module player, so YMMV.<br /><br />For campaign games, I tend to "tune" the initial layout, but as players whittle away or employ tactics to make the odds in their favor, I let the results stand. If they've done damage, and there are no reinforcements, then the remaining monsters will be diminished and the players rewarded! I do not adjust for # of players present, I'll convert to "waves" to make it a fun game.Michael S/Chgowizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052820400496340137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-51736290475567367832020-01-06T20:10:46.183-05:002020-01-06T20:10:46.183-05:00Nope. Never (that I can recall).Nope. Never (that I can recall).JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-32058708480423698982020-01-06T11:47:09.821-05:002020-01-06T11:47:09.821-05:00I will often adjust on the fly for the given sessi...I will often adjust on the fly for the given session.<br />These days my games skew to a more open table, we play regularly, but it is a toss up on who can make it for a given session.<br />Adjusting on the fly aligns with my approach that if a player can not make it and the character has no reasonable excuse to not be there, they become and off screen extra (and would likewise fight offscreen "extras" orcs)<br />Now, they decide to go into the lair of 20 trolls, then got to deal with 20 trolls...<br />It goes back to my idea of not punching the players because I made a bad determination (or the CR was way off).<br />Baquieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08357103428591599364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-4974335566974437742020-01-06T11:11:49.984-05:002020-01-06T11:11:49.984-05:00Massage encounter numbers on the fly? Generally no...Massage encounter numbers on the fly? Generally not.<br /><br />But I will make blanket rules ahead of time and stick to them, e.g. "any outdoor encounters in the immediate town/dungeon area are minimal in number, and nothing over four-plus hit dice," or something like that.John Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06522143715905888511noreply@blogger.com