Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 9364939" data-attributes="member: 6877472">Smashing monsters too easily isn't always a problem of too much resources however.&nbsp; Sometimes it's the players own fault, they optimize, they use good tactics, and work together well.Not saying they shouldn't do this, I mean, it makes sense to do so, but there's a lot of factors that go into how difficult a game is.&nbsp; Often times I've struggled with powerful parties trying to find out how far I can push them without murdering them outright.My main issue really has been that it's rare that everyone in the party is equally strong- it's usually one or two players that is noticeably above the curve, and if I adjust the power level for them, the other players will suffer for it.I was just talking to a younger DM today, who is into game design, and he pointed out it's a lot like how most RPG's these days aren't really that hard, and if you optimize, you'll smash even the final boss easily. But with the bonus content or New Game + modes, the game's difficulty spikes so much that you need to cheese every advantage you can get to win, and there are people who truly enjoy this kind of play.Basically, not every player wants the same difficulty, and this is really a conversation that needs to be had before the game begins.&nbsp; If a group came to me wanting the &quot;hardcore experience&quot;, I'd have to send them elsewhere.&nbsp; Not because I couldn't do it, but because either I'd get bored of pitting the under-geared heroes against a dozen Deadly encounters, or they'd just die, and neither of these things are what I enjoy about gaming.&nbsp; Taking on a great challenge and winning is great, but too much of that and it becomes grueling.&nbsp; I've been in many games over the years where I dreaded the next encounter, because our reward for surviving the experience would be...an equally harrowing experience.Maybe this is why I've only had one session of Call of Cthulhu where I had fun, lol.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="James Gasik, post: 9364939, member: 6877472"] Smashing monsters too easily isn't always a problem of too much resources however. Sometimes it's the players own fault, they optimize, they use good tactics, and work together well. Not saying they shouldn't do this, I mean, it makes sense to do so, but there's a lot of factors that go into how difficult a game is. Often times I've struggled with powerful parties trying to find out how far I can push them without murdering them outright. My main issue really has been that it's rare that everyone in the party is equally strong- it's usually one or two players that is noticeably above the curve, and if I adjust the power level for them, the other players will suffer for it. I was just talking to a younger DM today, who is into game design, and he pointed out it's a lot like how most RPG's these days aren't really that hard, and if you optimize, you'll smash even the final boss easily. But with the bonus content or New Game + modes, the game's difficulty spikes so much that you need to cheese every advantage you can get to win, and there are people who truly enjoy this kind of play. Basically, not every player wants the same difficulty, and this is really a conversation that needs to be had before the game begins. If a group came to me wanting the "hardcore experience", I'd have to send them elsewhere. Not because I couldn't do it, but because either I'd get bored of pitting the under-geared heroes against a dozen Deadly encounters, or they'd just die, and neither of these things are what I enjoy about gaming. Taking on a great challenge and winning is great, but too much of that and it becomes grueling. I've been in many games over the years where I dreaded the next encounter, because our reward for surviving the experience would be...an equally harrowing experience. Maybe this is why I've only had one session of Call of Cthulhu where I had fun, lol. [/QUOTE]

Verification