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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gargoyle273" data-source="post: 239102" data-attributes="member: 5568">Wow, there are some really good replies to this topic.Here's some of my tips for you:Step 1: BALANCE YOUR COMBATS.If your PCs are too big for their britches, its time to even up the playing field. You cant just take away their immunities, cool items, or god like abilities without a good reason so let them keep them. You want the game to be fun for them too, and since they are power gamers, that means they want more power.So you need to work a bit harder to give them balanced challanges. If the whole party is waltzing through your pre-made games with artifacts on their bodies (because you accidently gave them out in a previous game) then they are going to be a bit cooler than a regular character. So give them an ECL. If your 8th level party can take down a CR 11 monster without breaking a sweat, then treat them as 11th level characters for purposes of experience, and encounters. Now you can balance your modules by upping your monsters with the standard advancement rules. If the party turns out to be all +3 or +4 Effective Character level, then all your monsters get +4 hit dice, BAB, maybe a monster feat or whatever. It should be a start, but be careful that the weaker guy in the group doesnt get penalized too far.Step 2: CREATE A VILLIANThe first step to making your party role play is to do so your self. Even in a module, you can make a single guy in charge of it all who hates the PCs, knows everything about them, and is trying to kill them. Set up one or two combats that are really easy, and have him scry the whole time (your mage should be too busy to care). now when that sorcerer tries to cast his 7th Maximized fire ball for the day, your villian is expecing it and has started summoning creatures with Fire Immunities. A villian gives you an in game reason to have all your monsters ready for even the coolest character in your group. Remember, its your world, not theirs. Step 3 DONT TAKE GOODIES FROM THE PARTY ARBITRARILYAll gamers hate this, especially power gamers. If you say "your strength of 32 is too high so Im making you drop it to 20" they will get pissed off and quit. Find an in game reason to take out some of the rediculous things. Several people have mentioned curses, but evil artifacts, or cursed magic items are great for this. Dont forget about intelligent weapons too. A power gamer with a +5 vorpal sword of dancing is going to have to role play a bit more if he has to convince his intelligent sword that killing these people is a good thing. Step 4 TEACH YOUR GAMERS HOW TO ROLE PLAYAgain, its your game. Players who just want to kill will do so if you send them against unintelligent monsters who just want to kill them. (ie: standard module) if you want them to interact with people, make it so they have to, and then make your NPCs dynamic.Conclusion:Kill off those NPCs. Im serious, do it.  If you only have 3 players, then think about how much they will hate your Villian if he kills their hirelings. Then make it hard to get a new hireling, or have them hire an evil NPC with an amulet of undetectable alignment or some such thing.  This will give them an IN GAME-ROLE PLAYING reason of why not to hire another NPC, which takes away from the focus of their character and makes your job harder.Good luck.</blockquote>

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