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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 4641860" data-attributes="member: 467">Not so much a direct confrotation of opposing sides -- like an arena combat -- but rather a fairly typical D&D dungeon crawl, but one in which the DM, instead of helping to move the story along and facilitate the plaers' fun, goes for a no apologies style of adjudicating results and running enemies. For the most part, DM advice (not just in 4E, but across editions) suggests that the DM shouldn't try and kill the PCs at every turn.  it's good advice, especially where the lion's share of the power is with the DM. At the same time, though, competitive play* can be fun (as evidenced by a million and a half board and card games). But competition requires a more even playing field, and what I am suggesting is that 4E, being designed with "the maths" in mind, has the potential to put the DM and the players on much mor eeven footing.  This opens up the opportunity of a more adversarial relationship between DM and players, without resulting in the DM always winning.Of course, encounter design and level appropriate elements would have to hew very close to the design guidelines. Numbers would have to be open to the players, at least insofar as them being confident that the traps, monsters and hazards are all level appropriate, and therefore having at least a general idea of DCs and the like. The dungeon or adventure structure would have to allow for the suggested number of short and extended rests, and treasure would have to be distributed as is intended.  But within these constraints, the DM would be free to choose challenges and tactics that are decidedly not PC friendly.I think it would be fun, as I said, for an occassional game.*There's a name for think kind of play, but I don't recall it at the moment and that game design book is not within reach at the moment.</blockquote>

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