Do you feel cheated if an encounter isn't hard?

[random user]

I've talked to some people, and they seem to place great emphasis on balancing all encounters so that they challenge the party. Time is precious, so why waste it on an easy encounter?

But on the other hand, some people think it's unrealistic that all the encounters a party has are just barely beatable (ie properly balanced). And sometimes it's fun just to whale on monsters (though of course as with everything else moderation is key... you can't do that too often).

What are other people's thoughts on this? In your opinion, Is it ok to have some encounters where the party basically steamrolls and uses only a small amount of resources, or should all those battles be skipped and only major encounters be rolled out?

As with everything, most people's answers will probably lie upon a spectrum rather than just being at one end or the other. I'm curious where along that spectrum most people lie.

Thoughts?

 

[Pielorinho]

My goal is to have every action scene notably advance the storyline. Occasionally, this can mean minor combats--the PCs face the first small horde of giant rats that foreshadow a huge, nation-spanning plague of rats, or the PCs are jumped by a bunch of semicompetent thugs who are carrying the adventure's MacGuffin in one of their packs--but most of the time, this means the combats are reasonably tough.

I also tend to have one combat per session, more or less, which means that PCs get to rest between most of their combats, which means that they tend to blow all their magic on each combat. If the combats AREN'T several ELs above what's expected, they tend to mop the floor with the enemies.

Small combats give the PCs a chance to kick some uncomplicated booty. This is occasionally a fun way to remind them that they're now the Big Dogs on the scene (at eleventh or so level). Big combats, however, are generally better at moving the plot along.

Big combats also seem to allow for more complication: moving battlefields, multiple forms of attack from the enemy, scripted events that change the PCs' tactics (e.g., seven rounds into the combat, midnight strikes, and the warehouse plane shifts into another dimension).

So generally I prefer the big combats, but small ones are sometimes fun, too.

Daniel

 

[Rackhir]

I am disapointed if climactic battles are not difficult. They should stretch the characters to their limits.

Other than that no, I don't feel every battle has to be difficult. Like Pielorinho said. It is fun sometimes to get to completely roll over opponents just to show how bad ass your characters are.

 

[Shallown]

Depends on the purpose of the encounter. Like Pielorinho the Encounter has a purpose either to advance the story line or to present a sense of internal realism/logic. I have some encounters that are suppose to be easy but for the most part my players are use to my style of having large rough and tumble encounters. I usually don't pull the punches and gloss over any encounters that would waste time. So if my present party (15th or so level) wanted to take on some town's guardsmen I would just describe the carnage not worry about them fighting lowly warriors. Even up to a certain point I might say mark off a certain number of spells and hit points and move on. My players trsut me to be fair and also not to watse time on pointless encounters.

later

 

[MerakSpielman]

I like tough encounters. I like encounters that make me, as a player, think deeply about all the different options I have - items, possible attacks, spells, movement, with the total knowledge that a mistake could cost my character's life. The fun encounters are the ones where I'm not sure I'm going to make it out alive. The boring encounters are the ones where I'm pretty sure I'm going to get through it ok.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Eh, I don't mind encounter to encounter, it's the campaign that I care about. I like the occassional cake walk, as long as it doesn't take 4 hours. By the same token I expect to be drubbed within an inch of my characters life from time to time.

Some encounters that I think will be hard are a breeze while others my cakewalks almost kill the party.

In my game I "hand wave" a lot of minor encounters. "A very large grizzly bear/small umberhulk lurches out of the woods, pauses when it notices the ogre riding the huge dire wolf and turns around as the scent of dragon-kin reaches its nose" The party *can* pursue but often don't, besides a bit of monitoring to make sure it wasn't a scout for a larger force (which has been known to happen).

 

[Nareth]

I don't think every encounter has to be a "Tough" encounter. After all, there are hordes of lower power monsters (Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds) in the world. That said, never forget that even a kobold encounter can be difficult for high level parties. Anyone remember Tucker's Kobolds or Dragon Mountain?

 

[BSF]

It really depends on what I am trying to convey for the group. Sometimes, I like to have them duke it out to the last with the BBEG, trying to squeeze victory out. Other times, I like to hit them with wave after wave of smaller encounters to reinforce that the area is hostile and a single encounter isn't the danger, management of resources is the danger. (Or, as my players grew accustomed to hearing, "There is a reason why it is called the Impassable Forest.") Attrition is a perfectly valid meta-encounter composed of many smaller encounters. There are also times when I like to reinforce that the PC's are moving up in the world and some of the types of opponents that used to scare them are a little less intimidating anymore.

So, not all encounters need to be challenging. My players like the challenging encounters, but they also enjoy wailing on easy stuff every once in a great while.

 

[Spatula]

I like tough encounters. I like encounters that make me, as a player, think deeply about all the different options I have - items, possible attacks, spells, movement, with the total knowledge that a mistake could cost my character's life. The fun encounters are the ones where I'm not sure I'm going to make it out alive. The boring encounters are the ones where I'm pretty sure I'm going to get through it ok.

Ditto. Of course, not *every* encounter has to meet that criteria (easy encounters might be called for from time to time, depending on the story), but most should for me to fully enjoy the game.

 

[dren]

I've had players complain to me that the encounters I use are too weak. I was really surprised, but they said that they would prefer death to thinking that I was too soft on them...they are hard core. Next game, two of the players died not due to their fault but someone elses...and they told me they loved the game.