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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BSF" data-source="post: 1416652" data-attributes="member: 13098">Hey Rel!  I'm sorry to hear that you weren't happy with your DM'ing that night.  The bits and pieces of your game that I am aware of always sound pretty darn good.  So, my first piece of advice is the same as a lot of people here.  Chalk it up to an off night.  As for running battles like that in the future, I think you might have an easier time with it.  In this particular case, your PC's were trying to resuce the Orcs.  You tried to keep it all above board by rolling it all out.  That way, the PC's could save as many as possible, and any casualties were "legitimate".  In the future, you can change your DMing tactics a little because the situation will likely be different.  For huge battles, there are many ways you can run it.  I've looked at some of the mass combat rules and they are pretty good, but I soon realized that it would still be a bit too slow for the pacing I wanted to run.  So, I took the same attitude that I take when designing the huge plots of the BBEG's.  Namely, I know what the BBEG will do _if_ the PC's don't force a change of plans.  This is the BBEG's plan for world domination.  At any point, the PC's will foil the cunning plan, the BBEG will regroup and adjust, the PC's will foil the adjusted plan.  This generally repeats until you have the showdown and only one side is likely to walk away.  When armies clash, you can look at it and say to yourself "This side is going to win."  You can then plan out what will happen, if the PC's don't get involved.  This allows you to keep the focus on the PC's.  To the left and to the right, the battle is going as you envisioned it.  But, where the PC's are is that ripple that may eventually spread out and turn the tide.  Roll the dice for what is happening around the PC's.  Describe the rest of the battle around them every round or two.  If the PC's are doing well, adjust the battle to reflect that they are helping rally the troops, so to speak.  If the PC's are doing poorly, maybe people around them are losing heart.  If you are in doubt, roll a few opposed dice for the NPC's.  Just don't get bogged down in the details of each combatant.  You can narrate the pacing better, you can reflect the impact the PC's are having on the battle, and you keep the spotlight on the guys at the table.</blockquote>

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