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General Tabletop Discussion
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How do you, as a player, judge "appropriate" difficulty?
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7143344" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>'Feel' based on playing D&D since 1980. The same as if I were running. </p><p></p><p>3e introduced quantitative encounter guidelines - but, they didn't really work that well then, and they certainly don't now, even though they're a bit more exhaustive when it comes to being outnumbered. </p><p></p><p> Sorry to disappoint you, but you're not wrong. (First time I've ever had to post that around here!)</p><p></p><p>PCs vary too much in capability, monsters of the same CR in threat level, players in system mastery, and DMs in sheer wicked DM-ness (and any/all of that with situation, day length, &c), that there's not going to be a solid formula. If there /were/ (and it's not impossible, just not a design priority this time around) it'd make DMing that much easier - but that wouldn't be so Empowering, now would it?</p><p></p><p> Well, there's always the fate of those who came before. If you telegraph that a mighty wizard gathered an equally mighty adventurers and teleported to the location, never to return, and the PCs are waiting, wistfully, for the day they can cast teleport, it'd be a clue it's above their paygrade. </p><p></p><p>The other option, of course, is to sandbox around in the sense of letting players decide where they go and what they try to accomplish, but still tailor things in the moment to the results you deem appropriate. So if you figure a combat should be tough, don't just design it to be tough, tweak it to be that way in play. It's 'more work' you have to be more on-the-ball at the table, but 'less work' in that you don't have to do as much prep, or worry about what's 'appropriate,' just worry about what you want, and then make it appropriate.</p><p></p><p> Challenging but fun, and likely to result in genre-recognizable story when we're done.</p><p></p><p>Something like that.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7143344, member: 996"] 'Feel' based on playing D&D since 1980. The same as if I were running. 3e introduced quantitative encounter guidelines - but, they didn't really work that well then, and they certainly don't now, even though they're a bit more exhaustive when it comes to being outnumbered. Sorry to disappoint you, but you're not wrong. (First time I've ever had to post that around here!) PCs vary too much in capability, monsters of the same CR in threat level, players in system mastery, and DMs in sheer wicked DM-ness (and any/all of that with situation, day length, &c), that there's not going to be a solid formula. If there /were/ (and it's not impossible, just not a design priority this time around) it'd make DMing that much easier - but that wouldn't be so Empowering, now would it? Well, there's always the fate of those who came before. If you telegraph that a mighty wizard gathered an equally mighty adventurers and teleported to the location, never to return, and the PCs are waiting, wistfully, for the day they can cast teleport, it'd be a clue it's above their paygrade. The other option, of course, is to sandbox around in the sense of letting players decide where they go and what they try to accomplish, but still tailor things in the moment to the results you deem appropriate. So if you figure a combat should be tough, don't just design it to be tough, tweak it to be that way in play. It's 'more work' you have to be more on-the-ball at the table, but 'less work' in that you don't have to do as much prep, or worry about what's 'appropriate,' just worry about what you want, and then make it appropriate. Challenging but fun, and likely to result in genre-recognizable story when we're done. Something like that. [/QUOTE]
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How do you, as a player, judge "appropriate" difficulty?
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