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Message: <blockquote data-quote="paradox42" data-source="post: 4117731" data-attributes="member: 29746">I've twice run combats that could only be described as wars, involving armies with hundreds or thousands of soldiers. Obviously I used shortcut methods extensively, and used the techniques (ironically without even having read them in advance) recommended by Heroes of Battle and other similar sourcebooks about war campaigns. To wit, you focus everything on the PCs, and only talk about portions of the battle they can see and directly deal with.The first time was a battle fought in a secluded valley hidden from the outside world for centuries and ruled by a lich; the party got tribes of humanoids (including a race of mutant humans) living in the valley to band together and attack the lich and his armies, the idea being that they'd take advantage of the distraction of the battle to have half the party assault his fortress. However, the battle started about two hours earlier than they'd originally anticipated, so their day began with the party (of six PCs roughly level 15) and several native tribe groups, numbering in total roughly 400, against an assault force of undead numbering about 1000 altogether consisting mostly of skeletons & zombies, but with a few vampires, wraiths, wights, and other assorted nasties as officers and shock troops.That battle took us about one and a half six-hour sessions to resolve; the party side was victorious thanks to having several spellcasters with lots of area-effect attack spells. I basically used averages with attacks and general notions of "events" to let them know how the tribal units were doing away from the party, while they concentrated on taking out the more dangerous undead; their lucky break early on was in starting the battle near the location of the main enemy spellcaster (a vampire archmage) and finding him in the first couple of rounds. He didn't last long with the party concentrating their full might on bringing him down. After that it was mostly mop-up from their perspective, though it did take about two minutes of game time (20 rounds) to get enough of the enemy re-dead to where the party felt okay leaving for the fortress.The second occasion was rather crazier on my part, and more a case of letting the PCs show off; this was seven 21st-level PCs against an orc horde led by a 19th-level Barbarian general and several evil Cleric advisers (I based the demographics on the random town/city rules). The party of seven PCs basically waded into an army of more than 2000 orcs and wiped out all opposition; the army had nobody that could touch them after they took out the leaders (which happened within the first five rounds of the combat since every party member was capable of flight and/or teleportation). They routed the remaining enemy soldiers, saved the prisoners, and had them all resting with the party in the Outlands via Gate within an hour of the start of combat. After an eight-hour rest for the recharging of spell slots and psionic power points, they sent the prisoners back to their homes with more Gates, and then adjourned to an NPC ally's extraplanar mansion. Sure the combat wasn't a big challenge to them, but a good time was had by all, and that's ultimately what's important. It's helpful sometimes, in high-level and epic games, to remind the PCs of how far they've come from their humble beginnings.</blockquote>

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