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<blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 8833269" data-attributes="member: 463">You certainly can run the game with intelligent enemies using CAW, and yes this will frequently result in PC death unless the players &amp; PCs are more capable than the enemies. I found I could do this ok in 1e AD&amp;D, eventually the players got so good their PCs pretty much stopped dying. 3e made first strike advantage so overwhelming that I had to pretty much give up on the level playing field approach. 4e is not designed for CAW at all, I would have the enemy set ambushes &amp; traps, but ultimately the setup was still set piece CAS. 5e as usual is sort of in a middle ground, I can have much more proactive enemies than in 3e and the game still works, but still no where near as vicious as in 1e.&nbsp; I've seen weaker 5e players (recruited randomly on Roll20) complain that their PCs can die at all, never mind be murdered in their beds.Edit: Personally I mostly run OSR stuff converted to 5e, which naturally tends more towards CAW. Even running WoTC 5e adventures, I don't find them all that different though. I was shocked how many PCs have died with me running Lost Mine of Phandelver for randomly recruited players on Roll20, how poorly they have done, and how much they complain when their PCs die. I remember I had to nerf the Redbrand Ruffian stats a lot to give the players a fighting chance. And they were still losing PCs.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="S'mon, post: 8833269, member: 463"] You certainly can run the game with intelligent enemies using CAW, and yes this will frequently result in PC death unless the players & PCs are more capable than the enemies. I found I could do this ok in 1e AD&D, eventually the players got so good their PCs pretty much stopped dying. 3e made first strike advantage so overwhelming that I had to pretty much give up on the level playing field approach. 4e is not designed for CAW at all, I would have the enemy set ambushes & traps, but ultimately the setup was still set piece CAS. 5e as usual is sort of in a middle ground, I can have much more proactive enemies than in 3e and the game still works, but still no where near as vicious as in 1e. I've seen weaker 5e players (recruited randomly on Roll20) complain that their PCs can die at all, never mind be murdered in their beds. Edit: Personally I mostly run OSR stuff converted to 5e, which naturally tends more towards CAW. Even running WoTC 5e adventures, I don't find them all that different though. I was shocked how many PCs have died with me running Lost Mine of Phandelver for randomly recruited players on Roll20, how poorly they have done, and how much they complain when their PCs die. I remember I had to nerf the Redbrand Ruffian stats a lot to give the players a fighting chance. And they were still losing PCs. [/QUOTE]

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