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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 8955178" data-attributes="member: 2629"><p>I. Do. Not. Fudge.</p><p></p><p>I also do not insert something unplanned into a combat or otherwise twist the game on the fly to add more drama. These are crutches that give the game the exact opposite of what you intend to give it - boring flatness and a lack of variety. </p><p></p><p>If you try to make every battle an exciting climatic battle for survival - or make sure that every encounter has a shocking moment by adding a falling floor that wasn't planned, a spur of the moment switch, or something else - everything starts to feel the same. There are no highs and lows. There are no easy battles that make the PCs feel powerful. A tough battle no longer feels like a battle for survival - just a run of the mill encounter. And if you are twisting to add to challenges so that you can always be on the razer's edge, you're going to cut the PCs down eventually when they make a mistake or get a bad roll series.</p><p></p><p>I strive to put things into my setting and then let them go organically. I try to emulate a natural environment once I build them so that the creatures, environment and setting feels natural - and not contrived. This does result in the PCs encountering things that are easy for them to beat. That is cool, though, as it makes them feel strong and heroic. They also can encounter things far too difficult for them that may cut them down if they do not flee. That makes the world feel real, and they quickly learn that not every problem can be taken head on.</p><p></p><p>So how do I keep the game interesting for players is every battle is not full of surprise twists and battles that go down to the wire? I put other stakes into the design of the game so that battles have other importance over survival. The PCs may be protecting something, stopping something from escaping, trying to complete something while being attacked, trying to discover something while surviving an attack, etc.... These are not random, spur of the moment additions - they're built into the design for the setting and encounter setup. That gives them both interest and real weight, even when the PCs never fear for their lives in a battle.</p><p></p><p>Build an interesting world. Give the PCs ideas to explore. Trust that it will work out and give them a chance to be powerful figures in a world worth exploring - where it is worth exploring because the setting makes sense and feels lived in ... not contrived and repetitive.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 8955178, member: 2629"] I. Do. Not. Fudge. I also do not insert something unplanned into a combat or otherwise twist the game on the fly to add more drama. These are crutches that give the game the exact opposite of what you intend to give it - boring flatness and a lack of variety. If you try to make every battle an exciting climatic battle for survival - or make sure that every encounter has a shocking moment by adding a falling floor that wasn't planned, a spur of the moment switch, or something else - everything starts to feel the same. There are no highs and lows. There are no easy battles that make the PCs feel powerful. A tough battle no longer feels like a battle for survival - just a run of the mill encounter. And if you are twisting to add to challenges so that you can always be on the razer's edge, you're going to cut the PCs down eventually when they make a mistake or get a bad roll series. I strive to put things into my setting and then let them go organically. I try to emulate a natural environment once I build them so that the creatures, environment and setting feels natural - and not contrived. This does result in the PCs encountering things that are easy for them to beat. That is cool, though, as it makes them feel strong and heroic. They also can encounter things far too difficult for them that may cut them down if they do not flee. That makes the world feel real, and they quickly learn that not every problem can be taken head on. So how do I keep the game interesting for players is every battle is not full of surprise twists and battles that go down to the wire? I put other stakes into the design of the game so that battles have other importance over survival. The PCs may be protecting something, stopping something from escaping, trying to complete something while being attacked, trying to discover something while surviving an attack, etc.... These are not random, spur of the moment additions - they're built into the design for the setting and encounter setup. That gives them both interest and real weight, even when the PCs never fear for their lives in a battle. Build an interesting world. Give the PCs ideas to explore. Trust that it will work out and give them a chance to be powerful figures in a world worth exploring - where it is worth exploring because the setting makes sense and feels lived in ... not contrived and repetitive. [/QUOTE]
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