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View Full Version : Arc climax as squad battle: help with mechanics?



Bluepaw
2011-11-23, 12:05 AM
Alan, Ben, Jobo -- stay out please, spoilers ahead!

Anyone want to weigh in on a DM toolbox question? My PCs are building up in a few more sessions to what should be the end of one arc and the beginning of another in our campaign. Sort of a slave insurrection situation, with some twists (some PCs but not others will benefit from it, so that still needs to be hashed out between them). Right now they're split up in different parts of a labor camp but are gradually mustering support and rousing the rabble.

So then:

What I'm thinking of doing, when the dam finally bursts, is trying to have them go up against a small army sent to squash the uprising, and have each of the PCs as a commander of a squad under their control. Thematically, this will involve some division of labor similar to that of a regular individual battle in d&d 4th edition -- that is, our arcane controller is gathering other controllers; our paladin is headed for the mines where he can recruit other defenders; our monk is about to get linked into a hidden network of psionics scattered through the camp. So do you suppose I should simply operate the big battle like a small one, turn based by squad, squads moving as units into contact with others, and fighting with any powers available to those within them? How would I deal with range/areas of effect? Or is there a better way entirely to do a big battle like this? If PCs want to try to split their units and flank, or other strategy things like that, would it make sense to give them two turns at a time? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Ideally, I'd really like this to work as a battle that can be entered, strategically waged, and won or lost by my PCs and their squads -- it would be a bummer to get so bogged down that the only way to finish the session would be a "the eagles are coming!" moment...