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<blockquote data-quote="jbear" data-source="post: 5630518" data-attributes="member: 75065"><p>I'm really trying to move away from the bubble of 'the encounter' which tends to seperate combat from the narrative flow in 4e. But this is after nearly 3 years of experience with the system. </p><p></p><p>The last few sessions have been going through am AD&D Ravenloft module that i have adapted into my campaign which saw the PCs hunting for clues throughout a house infested with devious undead. Events rolled into each other quite naturally based on PC actions. There was no specific set encounter with a calculated XP difficulty set as such tied to a delineated specific area. And I think it worked really well. There were just events that could be triggered depending on what the PCs did. </p><p></p><p>Now the PCs have reached the climax of the heroic tier (lvl 10 going on lvl 11 about to face the major villain!) and I have mapped the entire base city to scale, the second to last final battle taking place literally all over the city as they search for the whereabouts of the Big Bad Gal. The PCs are aware of numerous 'Goals' they can achieve in different areas that will move them closer to their final goal and that these achievements gain them the benefit of a short rest, as the situation makes taking a five minute breather near impossible. My idea is to have the action remain constant as opposed to breaking it down to encounter 1, 2, 3 and 4 and narrating the bits in between. Even between the battles at each major 'goal location' the action continues, as a malevelous storm that seems hell bent on electrocuting the PCs, rages above them firing its bolts at them causing buildings to collapse or catch fire. The entire city population has turned against them, crazed lynch mob swarms appearing at a constant stream lead by transposed and malevelous undead creatures following their demon mistresses bidding to destroy the PCs. Meanwhile the city is being drawn into the Shadowfell by the storm causing the city itself to come to life and turn on the PCs; the streets themselves standing and becoming dangerous golems, or burning buildings or even the city walls and terrible beast from the Shadowfell pass through and begin to hunt them, drawn by the evil artifact in their backpack, as the PCs try and near their goal. For this to happen as one continuous event i need to play with the rules a bit and set my own standards so the PCs have a chance of victory, and so the action flows as its meant to. It's a bit of an experiment, we'll see how it goes. But the great thing about 4e is the mechanics are slick and solid and they can total be tinkered with very very easily to achieve the desired effect.</p><p></p><p>But getting away from "it's your turn, now it's my turn" is near impossible. There is a slow down in the narrative, unfortunately. I imagine the action going into 'super-slow mo'; it's nearly simultaneous but a fraction of a second decides who strikes first. Combat is complex, far more so than the narrative style you describe above. It needs a clear resolution system for it to work, and that means taking turns.</p><p></p><p>But it doesn't have to take away from the cinematic nature of the game. 4e is very cinematic. I empower my players evenmore along these lines allowing them to improvise heavily with their powers, which is encouraged in the DMG.</p><p></p><p>So, my advice. Learn and master the rules. They are a solid base to stand on. Then make them your own to achieve the kind of game you enjoy playing. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. As long as you learn from them and are having fun, then you're doingit the right way!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jbear, post: 5630518, member: 75065"] I'm really trying to move away from the bubble of 'the encounter' which tends to seperate combat from the narrative flow in 4e. But this is after nearly 3 years of experience with the system. The last few sessions have been going through am AD&D Ravenloft module that i have adapted into my campaign which saw the PCs hunting for clues throughout a house infested with devious undead. Events rolled into each other quite naturally based on PC actions. There was no specific set encounter with a calculated XP difficulty set as such tied to a delineated specific area. And I think it worked really well. There were just events that could be triggered depending on what the PCs did. Now the PCs have reached the climax of the heroic tier (lvl 10 going on lvl 11 about to face the major villain!) and I have mapped the entire base city to scale, the second to last final battle taking place literally all over the city as they search for the whereabouts of the Big Bad Gal. The PCs are aware of numerous 'Goals' they can achieve in different areas that will move them closer to their final goal and that these achievements gain them the benefit of a short rest, as the situation makes taking a five minute breather near impossible. My idea is to have the action remain constant as opposed to breaking it down to encounter 1, 2, 3 and 4 and narrating the bits in between. Even between the battles at each major 'goal location' the action continues, as a malevelous storm that seems hell bent on electrocuting the PCs, rages above them firing its bolts at them causing buildings to collapse or catch fire. The entire city population has turned against them, crazed lynch mob swarms appearing at a constant stream lead by transposed and malevelous undead creatures following their demon mistresses bidding to destroy the PCs. Meanwhile the city is being drawn into the Shadowfell by the storm causing the city itself to come to life and turn on the PCs; the streets themselves standing and becoming dangerous golems, or burning buildings or even the city walls and terrible beast from the Shadowfell pass through and begin to hunt them, drawn by the evil artifact in their backpack, as the PCs try and near their goal. For this to happen as one continuous event i need to play with the rules a bit and set my own standards so the PCs have a chance of victory, and so the action flows as its meant to. It's a bit of an experiment, we'll see how it goes. But the great thing about 4e is the mechanics are slick and solid and they can total be tinkered with very very easily to achieve the desired effect. But getting away from "it's your turn, now it's my turn" is near impossible. There is a slow down in the narrative, unfortunately. I imagine the action going into 'super-slow mo'; it's nearly simultaneous but a fraction of a second decides who strikes first. Combat is complex, far more so than the narrative style you describe above. It needs a clear resolution system for it to work, and that means taking turns. But it doesn't have to take away from the cinematic nature of the game. 4e is very cinematic. I empower my players evenmore along these lines allowing them to improvise heavily with their powers, which is encouraged in the DMG. So, my advice. Learn and master the rules. They are a solid base to stand on. Then make them your own to achieve the kind of game you enjoy playing. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. As long as you learn from them and are having fun, then you're doingit the right way! [/QUOTE]
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