"Kick Down the Door" Poll for DM's

[Theo R Cwithin]

I've statted up a band of npcs who can become mercenary hitmen as needed. Actually they are also literally a band, so they can play related rolls as well: musical mindcontrol of a populace, demonic summoning (intentional or accidental), simple entertainment, allies, underworld contacts, foes. It all works.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I run M&M, and random villain attacks are very in-genre (and easy to improvise).

 

[Nifft]

The degree to which the PCs are specifically targeted is in direct proportion to how well known they are as movers & shakers.

If the world trembles beneath their mighty feet, they are 100% going to have people after their heads.

In most of my games, the PCs are NOT the movers & shakers, so they are not specifically targeted.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Crothian]

If is apprpriate the story and what the PCs have done yes, but there are times the PCs don't have enimies.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Never - if it is not planned it is not happening but then having a group after the players all the time is a planned event. A deranged halfling bomber, is a known and planned encounter until he is caught...five years of gaming and he is still out there, two targets left.

 

[TerraDave]

Sometimes, sure.

But it's always for a specific reason - something lead to the forming of said group - orders were issued by someone, or said group was wronged themselves by the PC's in some way etc.

Also, yes, this.

 

[Umbran]

DM's, do you have a group prepped up and ready to "kick down the door" at any time?

No, not at any time. Only at appropriate times. Generally speaking, the party can expect to be as safe as anyone else in the same location.

Sometimes, the PCs make enemies, or walk into areas that are infested by nasties, or something, such that their being attacked makes some sense. I take it by your OP, that these aren't what you are talking about.

 

[Odhanan]

DM's, do you have a group prepped up and ready to "kick down the door" at any time?

If you don't need to prep, but are ready to have something attack your PC's at any moment, that's good enough.

Note that I mean a group outside of regularly plotted and planned encounters. For example, in an Eberron campaign the DM might always have some evil Emerald Claw villains statted up and ready to bust in on the characters when the session is lagging or needs a little sudden excitement.

Since I'm running OD&D right now, and that it's pretty much a matter of determining whether there's a wandering monster that meets up with the PCs or kicks down the door if/when they are staying put in some place for too long, and since my current campaign is more akin to a sandbox game play than "plotted" encounters, I'll vote "yes".

 

[Jack7]

Yes. As a DM I use roaming groups (Goth Raiders, for example), territorial groups (local bands or warbands, petty warlords), criminal groups (such as the Khomainahas, or other smugglers, gangs, organized criminals, pirates, etc), invaders (Huns, Vikings, Persians, Bulgarians), mercenary groups (bands of let's say Vikings or Rus in pay of the Empire), competing groups (such as the Hoshi), secret or occultic groups (such as the Heires or Glyphers), and groups of Nemeses (such as the Consociatio).

Now as to whether the party actually encounters these groups, that depends heavily on where they are operating, how the opposition is operating, and what the general conditions may be at the moment.

(Such as, "is the party in a good place to be ambushed by brigands," "are the Goths currently raiding," "are the Huns on the warpath," "has the party accidentally stumbled upon the hideout of a group of smugglers," or "has the Consociatio accidentally discovered the party while the party is unprepared?")

To me the world, and the setting we use is a very dangerous place.
It always remains an open question as to whether the party will by fate or fortune happen upon a potentially dangerous enemy. But an adventuring world is usually a very dangerous place by very nature, and the odds of encounters with potentially lethal enemies is always a strong possibility.

In my opinion the party should always be prepared to be attacked or ambushed, the DM should always be ready with a suitable and prepared enemy, and the players should always be prepared to ambush their many enemies and opposition, should the opportunity present itself, or the conditions make such an encounter necessary at the moment.

To me if you're not ready for the dangers of an adventuring and dangerous lifestyle (which in game terms means you could be attacked, or should be ready to attack at any given moment) then chances are you should be probably be in another line of work, or you should expect to have a foreshortened lifespan.

Preparation for danger is always preferable to being endangered by lack of preparation.

I think surprise attacks and ambushes teach an individual that the very best lesson regarding real danger is to assume you're never really out of it.

 

[Jhaelen]

I always have a bunch of extra encounters prepared for this kind of thing. As a rule of thumb, I prepare about twice as many encounters as I think I'm going to need. In the end I typically use about half of the extra encounters. The rest is being filed away for future use, resulting in a growing base of ready and half-ready encounters (i.e. those that require level adjustments).