Critical Role Critical Role Season 4 DM says encounters will not be balanced.

[nevin]

I find it interesting that encounters not balanced have negative elements around sudden player death but the flip side also applies and is rarely discussed.

Dull, performative combat, where a severely underpowered (but aggressive) foe is little more than a speed bump. Pointless combat that basically goes through the motions. Unless it’s part of resource depletion which will be situational.

My gaming time is short enough and combat is already long enough to wade through pointless combat.

I generally find overpowerd combat because players reached too far or DM wants to make a point are just as pointless and even more likely to that groups gaming desire permanently. Neither extreme fn, challenging or good for the game in any way.

 

[overgeeked]

West Marches exploration doesn't have balanced encounters, although a good DM will telegraph the dangers of a given region. If your level 1 PCs stumble into a charred wasteland that bears enormous claw marks and shed dragon skins and giant broken egg shells, they should probably turn around and go look for something more their speed.

Exactly. The referee isn't going to protect the PCs from the players' choices. To me, that's as it should be.

Mulligan isn't generally in the business of miserablist adventures. I think folks' concerns along those lines are probably unfounded.

Likely from people who don't have experience with this style of play.

 

[Charlaquin]

Does Brennan telegraph the danger? Does he give PCs a better chance to flee if they decide the odds are bad?

I don’t know, I haven’t watched it yet lol

 

[Charlaquin]

Sorry, but to me that's the opposite of good sandbox design.

The world exists entirely independently of the PCs. There are no such things as "level appropriate areas."

If the players pay attention, they'll be able to tell when they're in over their heads.

Letting PCs run is also a great move.

all I can say is we disagree

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don’t know, I haven’t watched it yet lol

Tell us tomorrow's lottery numbers, @Charlaquin! Stop holding out on us!

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

The referee isn't going to protect the PCs from the players' choices. To me, that's as it should be.

"I've sent boys younger than you to the gas chamber. I didn't want to do it... felt I owed it to them." - Judge Smails, Caddyshack

 

[Blue]

I find it interesting that encounters not balanced have negative elements around sudden player death but the flip side also applies and is rarely discussed.

Dull, performative combat, where a severely underpowered (but aggressive) foe is little more than a speed bump. Pointless combat that basically goes through the motions. Unless it’s part of resource depletion which will be situational.

My gaming time is short enough and combat is already long enough to wade through pointless combat.

I'm 180 degrees the other way. You need encounters like this occasionally to show off to the players how cool they have become. Since monster math increases as well, players sometimes get to play with bigger things but they have the same relative effect. Oh look, more damage... but the same percentage of their HPs.

Being able to occasionally have a curb-stomp battle makes the PCs feel like champions.

 

[Reynard]

Sorry, but to me that's the opposite of good sandbox design.

The world exists entirely independently of the PCs. There are no such things as "level appropriate areas."

If the players pay attention, they'll be able to tell when they're in over their heads.

Letting PCs run is also a great move.

They did not say "level appropriate areas." They said zones that fit into a CR range. That's good design.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I thought Enworlders would be thrilled to hear this??

 

[bedir than]

I'm 180 degrees the other way. You need encounters like this occasionally to show off to the players how cool they have become. Since monster math increases as well, players sometimes get to play with bigger things but they have the same relative effect. Oh look, more damage... but the same percentage of their HPs.

Being able to occasionally have a curb-stomp battle makes the PCs feel like champions.

Yes, this!

Encounter length needs to vary so that the players feel like their power levels have shifted. Imagine an action movie where each battle scene is 3-5 minutes every time. Balance destroys narrative.