Encounter Mix in your Campaign

[Gomez]

I am going to be starting a new Campaign in the near future and I wanted to know from other GM's what is the mixture of encounters in your game? What I mean by mixture is the ratio of enounter types such as roleplaying encounters, combat encouters, traps, puzzles, challenging combats in which the players win by the skin of there teeth, cake walk combats so the players can flex there muscle, etc. Or do you even keep an eye out on what the mixture of encounters are.

Do you tailor encounters to bring out the strengths and/or weaknesses of certain player characters?

 

[Crothian]

I tailor a lot of things. THe ratio of role playing to combat is actually up to the PCs. Most encounters can go either way, so it depends on how the PCs approach it.

 

[Gomez]

So you work out a set of possible encounters that the PC's are most likely to run into and then run the one(s) that the players actions bring them to.

 

[Crothian]

Basically. THe world is filled with potential encounters depending on where they go and what they do. I build the world and they move around in as they please. They can follow plots I have laid out or ones they have created.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I use the "world full of potential encounters" theory as well.

However within the available smorgasbord of encounters, I generally have few traps or puzzles. Few traps, IMO, can survive the test of time without maintenance so they aren't common. Puzzles are basically a code with a hint so "What's black and white and red all over?" is no different from "What's the password and would you like a hint?" My BBEGs aren't so cute.

Combat encounters that you can talk your way out of and role-playing encounters you can fight your way out of are the majority.