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JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 07:24 AM
I recently wrote a post on my blog about keeping combat interesting which included a number of tips and tricks for GMs to use. I've played and run some games where suddenly combat is a chore and mixing it up or changing the object from "kill everything" can really help make the game more fun.

http://worldbuilderblog.me/2015/04/09/spice-up-your-combat/

What other tips and tricks do people have?

Karl Aegis
2015-04-09, 07:58 AM
Is "kill everything" really an objective? Normally a rout would suffice.

All of these tips are really basic. I guess some people don't know a few of these, but most of this is common sense. However, I would disagree using a siege weapon spices up combat. You change the mechanics of the game without really adding anything to compensate.

Thrawn4
2015-04-09, 08:14 AM
A good summary. Only thing that you don't mention is the use of objects (throw a barrel, pull the carpet, hide behind table).

Your font is a little too small imho.

And I think siege weapons work just fine in combat.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 08:34 AM
Is "kill everything" really an objective? Normally a rout would suffice.

All of these tips are really basic. I guess some people don't know a few of these, but most of this is common sense. However, I would disagree using a siege weapon spices up combat. You change the mechanics of the game without really adding anything to compensate.

I agree the tips are basic, but I think there's more first time GMs out there than you think and a refresher never hurts. For me there was some stuff that I think was more than that, but it's cool if you didn't think so. I'm also cool with us agreeing to disagree about siege weapons. My group has fun with them, but if yours doesn't then fine by me.

Kill everything was an intended oversimplification. Sorry I wasn't literal enough for ya.

But back to my original question... what do YOU do to spice up your own combat? If my tips are basic, I'd love to hear yours so I can get an advanced lesson. I'm not calling you out. I really want to know.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 08:36 AM
A good summary. Only thing that you don't mention is the use of objects (throw a barrel, pull the carpet, hide behind table).

Your font is a little too small imho.

And I think siege weapons work just fine in combat.

Oooo. Good point about the improvised objects. Those can be a lot of fun. I've written about them before, but in a separate post. I love when my players pick a random detail on a map and do something I never thought of with it.

NichG
2015-04-09, 09:24 AM
One thing I've been experimenting with in my recent campaign is to design combats to have a timer (which is made visible to the players) - that is, some impinging event which will make it impossible to continue the combat for either side. The idea is then, what are you having this fight to accomplish? Are you trying to prevent the enemy from taking some action, or trying to complete some action before the timer ends? Are you trying to capture an object? Are you specifically trying to assassinate a particular target?

With the timer, its not just a matter of kill the other side and then do what you want with impunity. Instead, you have to prioritize between de-fanging the opposition and actually proactively spending actions to achieve the goal of the combat.

Amphetryon
2015-04-09, 10:10 AM
"Giving players a puzzle to solve can really be frustrating for them and boring for you… but it’s fun if you add in some monsters for them to fight while solving it."

You're using a different definition of 'fun' than I'm used to. It's 'fun' to increase the disconnect between the immediacy of combat and the group of folks sitting around the game table by underscoring that the Characters are under a bunch more pressure than the Players are, and engaged in a set of activities fundamentally different than the Players? It's 'fun' to solve Mastermind-style logic problems while simultaneously swinging a sword or digging for a scroll of Transmute Rock to Mud? Really?

Many of the other tips read, from here, as a combination of 'play the monsters as having the intelligence and habitat their writeup indicates' (yes, okay) and 'arbitrarily ratchet up the encounter difficulty.' If you're doing the latter without increasing the payoff in ways besides "the combat is now spicier," my own experience is that you can expect quite a bit of push-back from the Players.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 10:31 AM
One thing I've been experimenting with in my recent campaign is to design combats to have a timer (which is made visible to the players) - that is, some impinging event which will make it impossible to continue the combat for either side. The idea is then, what are you having this fight to accomplish? Are you trying to prevent the enemy from taking some action, or trying to complete some action before the timer ends? Are you trying to capture an object? Are you specifically trying to assassinate a particular target?

With the timer, its not just a matter of kill the other side and then do what you want with impunity. Instead, you have to prioritize between de-fanging the opposition and actually proactively spending actions to achieve the goal of the combat.

Timers can be a lot of fun. I played in a 4e game where the guy would put a 1/2 hour on the clock and then all PCs and creatures started doing double damage to end the combat more quickly. Definitely put pep in everyone's step.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 10:34 AM
"Giving players a puzzle to solve can really be frustrating for them and boring for you… but it’s fun if you add in some monsters for them to fight while solving it."

You're using a different definition of 'fun' than I'm used to. It's 'fun' to increase the disconnect between the immediacy of combat and the group of folks sitting around the game table by underscoring that the Characters are under a bunch more pressure than the Players are, and engaged in a set of activities fundamentally different than the Players? It's 'fun' to solve Mastermind-style logic problems while simultaneously swinging a sword or digging for a scroll of Transmute Rock to Mud? Really?

Many of the other tips read, from here, as a combination of 'play the monsters as having the intelligence and habitat their writeup indicates' (yes, okay) and 'arbitrarily ratchet up the encounter difficulty.' If you're doing the latter without increasing the payoff in ways besides "the combat is now spicier," my own experience is that you can expect quite a bit of push-back from the Players.

I guess we do just have different interpretations. What works for my group may not work for your own. I haven't gotten push-back on any of the ideas I use.

But back to my original question, especially if you're not doing the things in the post, then what are you doing to make combat fun? I really want to know. Cool avatar!

Amphetryon
2015-04-09, 10:35 AM
Timers can be a lot of fun. I played in a 4e game where the guy would put a 1/2 hour on the clock and then all PCs and creatures started doing double damage to end the combat more quickly. Definitely put pep in everyone's step.

Did each Player only have one combat round's worth of time to decide, declare, and describe his or her actions in-Character, as well? Otherwise, the timer's not really meshing with anything in the game itself.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 10:37 AM
Did each Player only have one combat round's worth of time to decide, declare, and describe his or her actions in-Character, as well? Otherwise, the timer's not really meshing with anything in the game itself.

You're right! But it didn't matter to the group I was playing with. It was definitely a game-y technique that didn't make much sense and was over-the-top, but who cares if everyone is having fun?

Karl Aegis
2015-04-09, 12:07 PM
I must have been taking for granted how easy it was to design an encounter.

The puzzle in the encounter is figuring out the mechanics of the fight. The mechanics should be able to be figured out without having to look at a guidebook. Some examples:

There is a tyrannosaurus. There are several small holes in the ground that the dinosaur can easily step on without falling into the holes. It forgoes the option of charging you directly in favor of avoiding the holes entirely. You probably shouldn't stand near the holes, they are steam jets and will probably blast you with scalding hot air if you go near them. You can use the tyrannosaurus's reluctance against it and stay out of its immediate danger zone by skirting around the steam jets.

There is an ork big mech. It has a heavy weapon. It charges for a long time before firing and has a frontal shield that blocks attacks. Don't stand directly in the firing arc of the heavy weapon when it is about to fire. Kill the grots trying to flank you while you try to flank the big mech.

There is a tyranid hive tyrant. It has an armor plated shell with little hooks sticking out of the shell. To attack it curls up into a ball and tries to roll over you. It leaves a trench thinner than the diameter of the curled up hive tyrant behind it when it rolls. Don't shoot it with anything less than heavy weapons when it curls up. Stay out of its way while it's curled up and try to lure it perpendicular to a trench. When it tries rolling over the trench it gets launched into the air and doesn't quite stick its landing. It is left vulnerable to your arms and melee weapons for a time after it lands wrong. Try to finish it off before you get overwhelmed by reinforcements. Beware of the tyranid carnifex that you lured away before the fight. You might run out of ammunition before the carnifex actually dies.

A Dark Eldar Incubus Honor Guard Squad is the enemy this time. They surround your kill team and try to divide your squads fire power. They automatically dodge the first attack made against them every round. While almost impossible for anything less than heavy weapons to bring them down individually, the squad will fold if you focus fire single targets at a time.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 12:24 PM
I must have been taking for granted how easy it was to design an encounter.

The puzzle in the encounter is figuring out the mechanics of the fight. The mechanics should be able to be figured out without having to look at a guidebook. Some examples:

There is a tyrannosaurus. There are several small holes in the ground that the dinosaur can easily step on without falling into the holes. It forgoes the option of charging you directly in favor of avoiding the holes entirely. You probably shouldn't stand near the holes, they are steam jets and will probably blast you with scalding hot air if you go near them. You can use the tyrannosaurus's reluctance against it and stay out of its immediate danger zone by skirting around the steam jets.

There is an ork big mech. It has a heavy weapon. It charges for a long time before firing and has a frontal shield that blocks attacks. Don't stand directly in the firing arc of the heavy weapon when it is about to fire. Kill the grots trying to flank you while you try to flank the big mech.

There is a tyranid hive tyrant. It has an armor plated shell with little hooks sticking out of the shell. To attack it curls up into a ball and tries to roll over you. It leaves a trench thinner than the diameter of the curled up hive tyrant behind it when it rolls. Don't shoot it with anything less than heavy weapons when it curls up. Stay out of its way while it's curled up and try to lure it perpendicular to a trench. When it tries rolling over the trench it gets launched into the air and doesn't quite stick its landing. It is left vulnerable to your arms and melee weapons for a time after it lands wrong. Try to finish it off before you get overwhelmed by reinforcements. Beware of the tyranid carnifex that you lured away before the fight. You might run out of ammunition before the carnifex actually dies.

A Dark Eldar Incubus Honor Guard Squad is the enemy this time. They surround your kill team and try to divide your squads fire power. They automatically dodge the first attack made against them every round. While almost impossible for anything less than heavy weapons to bring them down individually, the squad will fold if you focus fire single targets at a time.

Your opening flippancy aside, that's some solid encounter design, my friend! Thanks so much for sharing!

The idea of a puzzle within a mechanics is definitely a great one to add to the list.

NichG
2015-04-09, 12:31 PM
Timers can be a lot of fun. I played in a 4e game where the guy would put a 1/2 hour on the clock and then all PCs and creatures started doing double damage to end the combat more quickly. Definitely put pep in everyone's step.

In my case, I don't mean a literal OOC timer like that. I mean that everyone knows 'at the end of round 4, the volcano erupts and the temple you're standing in is going to get blown up' or things like that. Furthermore, I added an explicit system to explain how that timer works and to allow some character powers or types of events to modify the timer in a general fashion (for example, if you are fighting in a house and someone lights it on fire, then the timer loses a round). Its also nice because it explicitly makes escape a viable option even if you're slower than the opponent - you don't have to outrun them forever, you just have to not be grappled, unconscious, or trapped by the end of round 3.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 12:47 PM
In my case, I don't mean a literal OOC timer like that. I mean that everyone knows 'at the end of round 4, the volcano erupts and the temple you're standing in is going to get blown up' or things like that. Furthermore, I added an explicit system to explain how that timer works and to allow some character powers or types of events to modify the timer in a general fashion (for example, if you are fighting in a house and someone lights it on fire, then the timer loses a round). Its also nice because it explicitly makes escape a viable option even if you're slower than the opponent - you don't have to outrun them forever, you just have to not be grappled, unconscious, or trapped by the end of round 3.

For sure! Time factors (like a volcano exploding, trying to catch a run away airship before it leaves the dock, etc.) really put the pressure on and change the objective of the PCs.

BayardSPSR
2015-04-09, 05:22 PM
I think ways of making combat more interesting should be conceptually divided into two broad types:


Changes that make the fight more challenging.
Changes that make the fight easier.


These should include changes with the intention of changing difficulty, as well as changes with a secondary effect that happens to change difficulty.

For example, as an alternative to giving the players a specific objective they have to accomplish, give one to their enemies. Maybe the band of orcs is returning home after a raid, and really just wants to get away with the loot, allowing the PCs a chance to split them up and take them down piecemeal while they're tired and hungry. Maybe the PCs are being pursued, and turn to fight off their pursuers at a chokepoint where they can ambush them (obviously, some of these rely on player initiative).

Nice band, by the way.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-09, 08:00 PM
I think ways of making combat more interesting should be conceptually divided into two broad types:


Changes that make the fight more challenging.
Changes that make the fight easier.


These should include changes with the intention of changing difficulty, as well as changes with a secondary effect that happens to change difficulty.

For example, as an alternative to giving the players a specific objective they have to accomplish, give one to their enemies. Maybe the band of orcs is returning home after a raid, and really just wants to get away with the loot, allowing the PCs a chance to split them up and take them down piecemeal while they're tired and hungry. Maybe the PCs are being pursued, and turn to fight off their pursuers at a chokepoint where they can ambush them (obviously, some of these rely on player initiative).

Nice band, by the way.

That's a good way to think of it. I do like encounters where the enemies have an objective, especially when the PCs maybe don't know the whole story. It can make combat a great time.

BayardSPSR
2015-04-10, 02:46 PM
That's a good way to think of it. I do like encounters where the enemies have an objective, especially when the PCs maybe don't know the whole story. It can make combat a great time.

Great example from OOTS: siege of Azure City. The "PCs" have a major advantage due to their defensive position, their enemies have an objective, and everyone gets a fascinating fight.

LadyFoxfire
2015-04-10, 05:47 PM
Adding environmental hazards, like a cliff or lava pools, can add some interesting tactical options to a fight, especially in 4th Ed where every other ability has push/pull/slide effects.

Regarding siege weapons, I've used cannons or ballistae in many situations, especially in ship vs sea monster type fights.

Jay R
2015-04-10, 05:51 PM
Include a local lord or princess or politician in the party that their job is to protect. Combat is very different if somebody else's life is more important than your own.

Maglubiyet
2015-04-10, 05:58 PM
Fireworks under the game table during a firefight or magic battle.*

* You may want to check into liability issues first. Someone is certain to have a heart attack or break a leg and will spoil all the fun. Make sure their character dies first.

Yora
2015-04-11, 03:52 AM
Adding environmental hazards, like a cliff or lava pools, can add some interesting tactical options to a fight, especially in 4th Ed where every other ability has push/pull/slide effects.

Here is a few hours of wonderful reading on the subject: [1] (http://theangrygm.com/four-things-youve-never-heard-of-that-make-encounters-not-suck/), [2] (http://theangrygm.com/how-to-build-awesome-encounters/), [3] (http://theangrygm.com/three-shocking-things-you-wont-believe-about-dd-combat/), [4] (http://theangrygm.com/the-angry-guide-to-akicking-combats-part-1-picking-your-enemies/), [5] (http://theangrygm.com/the-angry-guide-to-kicka-combats-part-2-battlefields-and-battlefeels/), [6] (http://theangrygm.com/the-angry-guide-to-kickass-combats-part-3-lets-make-some-fing-fights-already/).

oball
2015-04-11, 05:13 AM
Absolutely nothing to do with combat mechanics, but when I ran a 4e game for my D&D novice housemates, I used M&Ms to represent minions, and whoever killed the minion got to eat the candy. Really motivated them!

LadyFoxfire
2015-04-11, 09:17 AM
Fireworks under the game table during a firefight or magic battle.*

* You may want to check into liability issues first. Someone is certain to have a heart attack or break a leg and will spoil all the fun. Make sure their character dies first.

My DM sometimes likes to use those little popper fireworks (you know, the kind you throw on the ground and they make a popping noise? Those things.) as special effects to simulate magic missiles or lightning bolts. He also used to use flash paper for fireballs, but then he set a diorama on fire and stopped doing that.

JamesIntrocaso
2015-04-11, 09:51 AM
These are all really awesome ideas. The M&Ms is awesome. Fireworks are a different kind of motivator I suppose. Terrain is all important, especially in 4e! Good threads there. And the protect mission is a good one, especially if the person you're protecting is a pain in the rear!

Grod_The_Giant
2015-04-12, 08:34 AM
Might not work in every game/group (especially rules-heavy/rules-lawyer ones), but I like throwing in environmental damage and knockback. Druid casts flame strike inside? Blow a hole through the ceiling and/or the floor! Cast lightning bolt in a ship? Watch it smash through the hull and start water rushing in. Giant kicks you? Have fun bouncing off the far wall! It makes things a lot more cinematic when there's a bit more consequence to your actions.

Seerow
2015-04-12, 08:43 AM
Might not work in every game/group (especially rules-heavy/rules-lawyer ones), but I like throwing in environmental damage and knockback. Druid casts flame strike inside? Blow a hole through the ceiling and/or the floor! Cast lightning bolt in a ship? Watch it smash through the hull and start water rushing in. Giant kicks you? Have fun bouncing off the far wall! It makes things a lot more cinematic when there's a bit more consequence to your actions.

On a similar note, I like doing things like missed attacks causing damage to a nearby structure or object, or dungeoncrashers causing damage to the object they bullrush their opponent into in addition to the opponent. In the first case it's not usually enough damage to be worth tracking, but if you have a guy swinging around an adamantine two-hander power attacking for full you occasionally see walls or pillars get knocked down by accident. Or if PCs are next to a bunch of wooden crates or other similarly flimsy structures they can break those even without high damage per attack. I do avoid making them destroy anything important that they would care about though (no accidentally destroying loot, clues, or other such things just because I consider that a crappy move when all you're trying to do is make things seem more cinematic). In the latter case, if you have a character trying to bullrush an enemy into the same wall long enough they will sometimes push them through the wall, which is a pretty awesome visual.

VoxRationis
2015-04-12, 09:39 PM
On a similar note, I like doing things like missed attacks causing damage to a nearby structure or object, or dungeoncrashers causing damage to the object they bullrush their opponent into in addition to the opponent. In the first case it's not usually enough damage to be worth tracking, but if you have a guy swinging around an adamantine two-hander power attacking for full you occasionally see walls or pillars get knocked down by accident. Or if PCs are next to a bunch of wooden crates or other similarly flimsy structures they can break those even without high damage per attack. I do avoid making them destroy anything important that they would care about though (no accidentally destroying loot, clues, or other such things just because I consider that a crappy move when all you're trying to do is make things seem more cinematic). In the latter case, if you have a character trying to bullrush an enemy into the same wall long enough they will sometimes push them through the wall, which is a pretty awesome visual.

"Hey, guys, this crate didn't break like the others when you slammed the orc chieftain into it!"
"Must be important, then!"
"My money's on treasure." :smallsmile:

Seerow
2015-04-12, 10:59 PM
"Hey, guys, this crate didn't break like the others when you slammed the orc chieftain into it!"
"Must be important, then!"
"My money's on treasure." :smallsmile:

lol sort of. But not quite so blatant. Usually more like they hit a different square instead. Or instead of hitting that desk sitting against the wall (where various odds and ends that are likely to be investigated are located) their attack hits the wall behind it. Or they break the crate open, and the contents spill out but are mostly undamaged and can be rummaged through later. That sort of thing.

DigoDragon
2015-04-13, 08:07 AM
In a modern game, our GM had us fight a gang within an arts-n-crafts store. We all got to be real creative with the stuff in there; glitter, picture frames, baskets, foam balls, spray glue, etc. Fights with lots of usable environments can be a lot of fun.

erikun
2015-04-13, 02:40 PM
Some things that I have found useful when running a game:

Tactics - Give groups of enemies different methods of attacking or approaching a group. One encounter might have archers in the back firing arrows, while the next might have enemies charging in the first round. It helps to break up the monotony. Plus, it allows the players to take actions which can really influence the swing of combat. If the party wizard drops a Fireball on the archers in the back, it can seriously influence the way the fight plays out. Feel free to allow the players to "ruin" encounters this way, especially considering there will likely be another one around the next corner.

I had one situation where the party was fighting some merfolk and their pet sharks which would frenzy whenever someone started bleeding. Player solution? Kill and slice up one of the merfolk, and shove the body off into the corner. Then drop a fireball onto the sharks when they all gathered over there.

Terrain - Somewhat related to tactics, but make the rooms something more interesting than just flat open spaces. Have balconies for enemies to jump off of. Put trees and desks and bathtubs in the room (probably not all in the same room, though). Give areas that both the enemy and the party can use to their advantage.

NPC Reactions - Give the enemy some motivation beyond just "attack party until dead". Wounded enemies may retreat, or may sound the alarm and call out for help. Some may just simply flee. Enemies, or even just the noise from combat, may attract other NPC groups; and those new groups may not be friendly to the original group. bad leaders may leave when combat isn't turning out their way, leaving the grunt troops to slow down the party. Sometimes, I've had stuff run away from the party only to run into something much nastier, both alerting the party to the bigger thread and keeping the bigger threat occupied for a round or two.

Give NPCs some meaningful reaction to events. To use the archer example from above, several archers in leafy cover that are suddenly swallowed up by a Fireball are probably not going to calmly continue to snipe the party. They are probably going to be concerned about their cover and camouflage suddenly catching fire.

Timed Events - Something mentioned in the article, but rarely pitting PCs against a situation that requires something done in a number of rounds or other time-sensitive situation. These aren't something that I use frequently, but the occasional change can be nice. Something like a door closing or a wizard chanting for a ritual gives the players some urgency to the situation. In most cases, I would make it something that the players can do if they can break away from the fight for a bit. Stopping the wizard, ruining the ritual, or holding the door open for the party would extend the time they have available, although by leaving the party member vulnerable in doing so.

DigoDragon
2015-04-13, 03:10 PM
Tactics - Give groups of enemies different methods of attacking or approaching a group.

I once had a group of players chewed up by a pack of wolves half their level. The party was averaging level 7 and they were doing pretty well getting through a forested area. So when I had a pack of wolves attack them, they didn't think much of it. They spread out and went to go 1-on-1 with the wolves.

The wolves pulled a tactic they did not expect! As a pack, one wolf (alpha) attacked a PC while the wolves adjacent to the alpha all used the 'aid another' action. The alpha now had a bonus to hit so large that they were regularly grabbing PCs and getting free trip attacks left and right. two-thirds the party found themselves on the floor and when they tried getting up they found themselves at the business end of half a dozen Attacks of Opportunity.

The party managed to win the fight (scaring off the pack after wounding several of them), but they had a legitimate fear of wolves after that. Future encounters meant sticking together and constantly moving to keep from getting surrounded. They admitted the challenge in tactics was interesting and fun. :smallbiggrin:

erikun
2015-04-13, 03:20 PM
The party managed to win the fight (scaring off the pack after wounding several of them), but they had a legitimate fear of wolves after that. Future encounters meant sticking together and constantly moving to keep from getting surrounded. They admitted the challenge in tactics was interesting and fun. :smallbiggrin:
Ironically, one of my early DM experiences was almost the opposite: throwing 60 kobolds at a level 3 party. They mowed through the kobolds well enough (although were quite hurt afterwards) and stopped looking at those ¼CR creatures as walking XP bags.

Not something I would do again, of course, but it made a nice break as a single "random" encounter.

mephnick
2015-04-13, 03:29 PM
Here is a few hours of wonderful reading on the subject: [1] (http://theangrygm.com/four-things-youve-never-heard-of-that-make-encounters-not-suck/), [2] (http://theangrygm.com/how-to-build-awesome-encounters/), [3] (http://theangrygm.com/three-shocking-things-you-wont-believe-about-dd-combat/), [4] (http://theangrygm.com/the-angry-guide-to-akicking-combats-part-1-picking-your-enemies/), [5] (http://theangrygm.com/the-angry-guide-to-kicka-combats-part-2-battlefields-and-battlefeels/), [6] (http://theangrygm.com/the-angry-guide-to-kickass-combats-part-3-lets-make-some-fing-fights-already/).

The idea of posing a dramatic question and deciding when it's been resolved seems so obvious, but I've played (and ran in the past) quite a few encounters that I realized had no purpose or depth once I read the article.

Grod_The_Giant
2015-04-14, 05:16 PM
In the first case it's not usually enough damage to be worth tracking
Hee hee... most of the games I've run lately have been Mutants and Masterminds. When you miss with a laser blast more powerful than a tank cannon, there will be destruction. (There will probably be destruction when you hit, too. Buildings don't tend to fare too well when superpeople go at it)

Seerow
2015-04-14, 05:34 PM
Hee hee... most of the games I've run lately have been Mutants and Masterminds. When you miss with a laser blast more powerful than a tank cannon, there will be destruction. (There will probably be destruction when you hit, too. Buildings don't tend to fare too well when superpeople go at it)

Hah, I'm sure. I was thinking more in context of D&D where most characters who aren't using a two hander just aren't doing much damage against an object like a wall, since most forms of TWFing bonus damage won't apply when you hit a wall.

Cybren
2015-04-17, 02:33 PM
The best way to spice up combat is to have less of it

Sacrieur
2015-04-17, 02:36 PM
Two words: Moral dilemma.

LudicSavant
2015-04-18, 04:11 AM
Dramatic questions, not just foes to be killed. Set pieces, not rooms. Action and roleplaying dilemmas simultaneously.

It's not a dungeon full of monsters. It's a dungeon covered in tiny golems that act rather like the scarabs from The Mummy which only part to make way for the native drow priestess, who won't go with you willingly. Meanwhile, it's filled with puzzles that seem to require the party to split up or monsters that try to knock your party around with Awesome Blows. Oh, and there's an enemy army surrounding the dungeon outside, only kept at bay by the scarabs. How do you escape?

Or maybe you're not just on a boat that gets attacked by pirates. You are on a ship with a captain you don't trust, who you suspect has his own agenda, and you are attacked in the midst of a summoned swarm by sahuagin breaking through the hull with teams searching the ship for... something and others going for the helm, where the captain prevents the ship from running aground on the treacherous reefs of Shargon's Teeth. Enemies pop through the walls and pull players out into the ocean, the deck rocks, and the players are simultaneously interrogating and defending the captain so that they can intercept whatever the Sahuagin are looking for... and stay afloat.

Or maybe you're not just fighting a bunch of intelligent lightning apes. You're being stalked by them through the jungles of Xen'drik a la Congo, with them always hanging around out of sight, then they drag people away whenever the party lets their guard down... all while they're trying to deal with other obstacles in the jungle and outrace the other party that's trying to reach the lost ruins with the Macguffin in it.

Maybe you're not sure who your enemies and allies are. Maybe you're trying to resolve a social dispute even as three different factions are fighting each other, and you want to stay alive and stop them from killing each other. Maybe there's an encounter where the enemy isn't trying to defeat you, but are just scouts seeking to report your presence back to their superiors who you can't hope to defeat directly. The list goes on.

Heck, I did all of those in just one adventure session.

The point is that the way to keep it fresh is to try new situations, strategies, and scenarios, rather than just new monsters.