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<blockquote data-quote="Steampunkette" data-source="post: 9314160" data-attributes="member: 6796468">Honestly... it depends on the BBEG!But the description didn't include any dungeon enemies or minions in the fight. JUST the BBEG and the PCs.And when I run that kind of encounter it's going to be, like, Strahd attacking a group of 2nd level PCs who need to be reminded of who is the real Master of Barovia. Just roflstomping a group of babies to make sure they hate him even harder when he escapes and they have to chase after him.And also: It's THE BIG BAD EVIL GUY. Sometimes you need the fight where the underleveled characters get their butts kicked but survive and manage to get off a few shots before the enemy inevitably retreats.That's not &quot;Pulling Punches&quot;. That's building a story. If your enemies all, invariably, use the most perfect tactics to dismantle your party in every fight then the game is going to be a buzzkill for your character driven players.I've played in a D&amp;D game where a band of goblins fought with 0 fear of death and 100% tactical acumen. And after the session made it clear that was the DM's playstyle I thanked him for his time and withdrew from the game because that's not fun to me. That's not a story to me.That's just Hackmaster with Death Saves.And it's not even like I hate Hackmaster or whatever. Just a measure of expectations. I was sold on Roleplay and given cookie cutter &quot;Geek the Mage&quot; combat. Gimme the story, I neeeeeed it!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Steampunkette, post: 9314160, member: 6796468"] Honestly... it depends on the BBEG! But the description didn't include any dungeon enemies or minions in the fight. JUST the BBEG and the PCs. And when I run that kind of encounter it's going to be, like, Strahd attacking a group of 2nd level PCs who need to be reminded of who is the real Master of Barovia. Just roflstomping a group of babies to make sure they hate him even harder when he escapes and they have to chase after him. And also: It's THE BIG BAD EVIL GUY. Sometimes you need the fight where the underleveled characters get their butts kicked but survive and manage to get off a few shots before the enemy inevitably retreats. That's not "Pulling Punches". That's building a story. If your enemies all, invariably, use the most perfect tactics to dismantle your party in every fight then the game is going to be a buzzkill for your character driven players. I've played in a D&D game where a band of goblins fought with 0 fear of death and 100% tactical acumen. And after the session made it clear that was the DM's playstyle I thanked him for his time and withdrew from the game because that's not fun to me. That's not a story to me. That's just Hackmaster with Death Saves. And it's not even like I hate Hackmaster or whatever. Just a measure of expectations. I was sold on Roleplay and given cookie cutter "Geek the Mage" combat. Gimme the story, I neeeeeed it! [/QUOTE]

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