After Action Report 04

So we just had our 4th campaign session.

Because I don't really know where the PCs will head each game, I basically just keep a loose idea of location-triggered encounters and time-triggered encounters.

This session, the PCs ended up walking to an area where I knew there was a fight the day before (in game time). Following the tracks they found from there, they were led to a goblinoid encampment. As said in the intro to this report, I didn't have the details prepared, other than knowing some basics (it was to be full of goblinoids, several lower level ones running around outside, and some tough ones inside guarding something who would not leave their post).

One of the hobgoblins I picked to put inside was so very tough, it could stun!

Stun is a very nasty condition and very out of line with the basic concepts of 4e.

I really wasn't expecting that condition to be imposed, but I just rolled it with. The hobgoblin also had a nasty ability to impose a -2 to all defenses on a target until the end of the encounter (no chance to save ends!). It became a tense combat but over all - there was actual fear on the face of the some of the players, and, considering the hobgoblins effects were all supposed to be fear based, it went well.

I hope stun does not show up often. At least in planned encounters that condition will be used sparingly, if at all - in general I don't like it when players sit around doing nothing, it's even worse when they have to sit around doing nothing and it's there turn.