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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FoolishFrost" data-source="post: 4949643" data-attributes="member: 24319">All right, if you have Dungeon Mastered a DD4 game, then you know what an encounter is.  It's a scene that describes an area and its features.  They tend to be static scenes that only change under defined conditions, and act as the basis for the a dungeon delve area.A typical Encounter has has monsters and/or traps that inhabit the area, covers one or more rooms that make up a tactical board, and often also has special terrain, objects, and rules for a single fight.  For an example Encounter, look at page 212 of the DD4 Dungeon Master's Guide.  It offers the layout of a typical encounter, as do several of the pages after it.Encounters work well for dungeons (and castles, and sewers, and bandit outposts, and just about anywhere with segmented encounter regions), but they don't adapt to the players actions very much.  You can make them adapt, and add changing situations to an encounter based on the players actions, but it's all still an Encounter based on a geographical region.On the other hand, an Event is based on something happening regardless of the location.  For example:  You have a role pay encounter where the characters question a local merchant about a string of unexplained murders.  Depending on how that encounter goes, it could trigger an Event.  The event is that in 1d4 hours, an assassin begins following the characters, and waits for the best time to try and kill at least one of the party. The above Event might happen while the characters are shopping, sleeping in an inn, or splitting up to attack some kobolds.  It does not have a preset tactile map, since it's impossible to tell where the attack will happen.  Finally, it might make another encounter harder if they do not deal with her before moving on with the adventure.Events make an adventure more dynamic, and sometimes more dangerous.  Used carefully, though, and they are nearly always fun.Original article at <a href="http://www.foolsplayground.com/" target="_blank">Foolish Frost's Playground</a></blockquote>

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