Hussar
Legend
Thing is, turning [MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION]'s pushover encounter into a more dangerous one isn't all that difficult. All you really have to do is add a second encounter before the big guys show up. As I understand it, the PC's are in a building and the bad guys are approaching and are seen 100 feet away.
Why don't the bad guys have mooks? The bad guys send a force down first to gauge the party and then, ten minutes later, they show up. Now, the party is down a fair number of resources and the bad guys have a very good idea of what the party is capable of. And it's not like it's unrealistic. "Hey, underling, take twenty guys out and check that out" is a pretty reasonable thing for our baddies to order.
Now, my question is, is that first encounter a "trash" encounter? To me, it's not. It moves the game along, makes the game more interesting and provides an added level of challenge. Sure, the party mops the floor with the first bunch, but, so what? Better that than a rather lackluster encounter with much more dangerous foes.
Why don't the bad guys have mooks? The bad guys send a force down first to gauge the party and then, ten minutes later, they show up. Now, the party is down a fair number of resources and the bad guys have a very good idea of what the party is capable of. And it's not like it's unrealistic. "Hey, underling, take twenty guys out and check that out" is a pretty reasonable thing for our baddies to order.
Now, my question is, is that first encounter a "trash" encounter? To me, it's not. It moves the game along, makes the game more interesting and provides an added level of challenge. Sure, the party mops the floor with the first bunch, but, so what? Better that than a rather lackluster encounter with much more dangerous foes.