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Learning from LFR: Encounter and Monster Examples to Steal for Your Game
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<blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 9580434" data-attributes="member: 7737"><p>Encounter 6 of CORE 1-1 is the first combat encounter. This encounter is worth unpacking in detail because it's super ambitious and impressive for one of the earliest fan-written 4e adventures.</p><p></p><p>The combat takes place as the PCs traverse a trapped corridor within the ruined location <em>en route</em> to the MacGuffin they need to acquire.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]395674[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The opposition consists of</p><p></p><p>2 clay scouts (S)</p><p>2 iron cobras (C)</p><p>2 magic crossbow turrets (T)</p><p></p><p>From the encounter writeup we learn the following:</p><p></p><p>The clay scouts and iron cobras are initially hidden or out of line-of-sight. The magic crossbow turret traps only trigger when the PCs get about two-thirds of the way down the corridor. There's a pit at the beginning of the corridor. There are some long-dead bodies visible that may offer clues to observant PCs. There's rubble that counts as difficult terrain. There are statues to hide behind for cover from ranged attacks. There may be a cloud of dust that creates the lightly obscured condition, depending upon the outcome of the immediately preceding skill challenge. </p><p></p><p>This encounter has so much going on! The plethora of details and naturalistic approach give this encounter a delightfully old-school gloss. To quote the adventure,</p><p></p><p><em>(Note that I have picked out the relevant info that was scattered various places and presented it to you in a short list.)</em></p><p></p><p>See, everything here makes sense -- this is Gygaxian naturalism done right.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are traps in the corridor to protect access to the MacGuffin (though the doors at the opposite end), but the ravages of time have caused things to break down, which is why there's so much debris (difficult terrain) here.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are statues because this was the abode of a noble family, and noble families always have statues of themselves.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There is a skeleton here because some prior thief tried and failed to navigate the corridor. Although the thief did manage to recover some glittery jewels, which is a fine lure for the current PCs.</li> </ul><p>All of that detail is extremely cool and evocative, but what we have learned since the old school days is that humans need time to process information. When you throw so many details at the players and DM all at once none of those items land effectively.</p><p></p><p>In other words, what we have here is sensory overload for both the DM and the players.</p><p></p><p>---</p><p></p><p>---</p><p></p><p>Many readers will be familiar with the seminal article <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Magical-Number-Seven-Plus-or-Minus-Two-Some-Limits-on-Our-Capacity-for-Processing-Information" target="_blank">"The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two" by George Miller (1956)</a>. </p><p></p><p>Although the number has since been partially debunked (see for example Broadbent, D.E., 1975; or <a href="http://www.lukemastin.com/humanmemory/types_short.html" target="_blank">Mastin, L, 2010</a>) -- the key finding, that entered our collective understanding, is that <strong>human working memory can only hold a small number of items at once</strong>.</p><p></p><p>The newest thinking is that <strong>the number isn't 7±2 (5 to 9), it's more like 4±1 (3 to 5)</strong>. See for example <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124079144/designing-with-the-mind-in-mind" target="_blank">Jeff Johnson's book <em>Designing with the Mind in Mind</em></a>.</p><p></p><p>I have found in my own experience, backed up by observing other DMs, that <strong>a good rule of thumb is no more than 3 types of monsters per encounter, alongside no more than 2 other things in that encounter</strong> (terrain features, and so forth). This is close to the "four, plus or minus one" recommendation given by Jeff Johnson, so at least my extremely large sample of anecdotal experience matches current-day working-memory theory!</p><p></p><p>You can adjust these numbers up or down situationally. </p><p></p><p>Simple-to-run monsters might count less towards the total. For example, a simple Skirmisher with just one ranged attack it will spam doesn't take up as much mental processing power as a complex Skirmisher that alternates between melee and ranged attacks and also has an immediate reaction. (However, even the very simple Skirmisher is still an item in the encounter, so be careful not to grossly exceed the "no more than 3 types of monsters" recommendation.)</p><p></p><p>Easy-to-understand non-monster things might also count less towards the total. In 4e, Difficult Terrain is an example: it's easy to understand (costs one extra square of movement) and it is typically well indicated on the map. Thus, Difficult Terrain maybe "doesn't count" as one of your 2 other things in that encounter, or counts as ½ alongside some other easy-to-understand feature.</p><p></p><p>Conversely, a big climactic encounter warrants higher complexity with a higher than usual number of items. When the DM knows it's the climactic encounter, and when that information is properly signalled to the players, we can expect everyone to sit forward in their chairs and to bring their maximum concentration -- which allows everyone to ratchet up their working memory to hold more than the usual number of items.</p><p></p><p>Climactic encounters can have more than 3 types of monsters: maybe a boss (Solo), a couple lieutenants (Elites), and two different types of normal monsters -- 4 types of monsters. Climactic encounters could also have more than 2 other things: maybe a lava flow that damages anyone who enters, <em>and</em> some crumbly pillars that can be knocked over, <em>and</em> a mystical control panel the PCs can interact with to weaken the boss monster's defenses -- 3 types of other things. Of course, you don't want to overdo it, even in a climactic set-piece encounter.</p><p></p><p>All of the above is more art than science. Much like the Pirate Code, the lessons and recommendations we develop here are not hard and fast rules -- they're guidelines.</p><p></p><p>So let's make this guideline our second lesson:</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Limit the number of items in an encounter to about 3 monster types and about 2 other things so that the DM and the players can process the information.</em></strong></p><p></p><p>---</p><p></p><p>The problem with Encounter 6 of CORE1-1 is that is has 3 monsters types <em>and also</em> at least 4 other things going on (and that's <em>after</em> I extracted the "other things" info from where it was scattered). And keep in mind this is meant to be one of, if not THE, first ever LFR adventures for a DM and players with a new game system. Particularly for the DMs, this was not easy to run. </p><p></p><p>My hat is off to whomever ran this for me at the FLGS back in 2008 (sadly, my records were not <em>that</em> detailed... yet).</p><p></p><p>---</p><p></p><p>I still haven't said a word about the monsters. Yet there is still so much to say about things other than monsters, here. More to come!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Joshua Randall, post: 9580434, member: 7737"] Encounter 6 of CORE 1-1 is the first combat encounter. This encounter is worth unpacking in detail because it's super ambitious and impressive for one of the earliest fan-written 4e adventures. The combat takes place as the PCs traverse a trapped corridor within the ruined location [I]en route[/I] to the MacGuffin they need to acquire. [ATTACH type="full" size="768x257"]395674[/ATTACH] The opposition consists of 2 clay scouts (S) 2 iron cobras (C) 2 magic crossbow turrets (T) From the encounter writeup we learn the following: The clay scouts and iron cobras are initially hidden or out of line-of-sight. The magic crossbow turret traps only trigger when the PCs get about two-thirds of the way down the corridor. There's a pit at the beginning of the corridor. There are some long-dead bodies visible that may offer clues to observant PCs. There's rubble that counts as difficult terrain. There are statues to hide behind for cover from ranged attacks. There may be a cloud of dust that creates the lightly obscured condition, depending upon the outcome of the immediately preceding skill challenge. This encounter has so much going on! The plethora of details and naturalistic approach give this encounter a delightfully old-school gloss. To quote the adventure, [I](Note that I have picked out the relevant info that was scattered various places and presented it to you in a short list.)[/I] See, everything here makes sense -- this is Gygaxian naturalism done right. [LIST] [*]There are traps in the corridor to protect access to the MacGuffin (though the doors at the opposite end), but the ravages of time have caused things to break down, which is why there's so much debris (difficult terrain) here. [*]There are statues because this was the abode of a noble family, and noble families always have statues of themselves. [*]There is a skeleton here because some prior thief tried and failed to navigate the corridor. Although the thief did manage to recover some glittery jewels, which is a fine lure for the current PCs. [/LIST] All of that detail is extremely cool and evocative, but what we have learned since the old school days is that humans need time to process information. When you throw so many details at the players and DM all at once none of those items land effectively. In other words, what we have here is sensory overload for both the DM and the players. --- --- Many readers will be familiar with the seminal article [URL='https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Magical-Number-Seven-Plus-or-Minus-Two-Some-Limits-on-Our-Capacity-for-Processing-Information']"The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two" by George Miller (1956)[/URL]. Although the number has since been partially debunked (see for example Broadbent, D.E., 1975; or [URL='http://www.lukemastin.com/humanmemory/types_short.html']Mastin, L, 2010[/URL]) -- the key finding, that entered our collective understanding, is that [B]human working memory can only hold a small number of items at once[/B]. The newest thinking is that [B]the number isn't 7±2 (5 to 9), it's more like 4±1 (3 to 5)[/B]. See for example [URL='https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124079144/designing-with-the-mind-in-mind']Jeff Johnson's book [I]Designing with the Mind in Mind[/I][/URL]. I have found in my own experience, backed up by observing other DMs, that [B]a good rule of thumb is no more than 3 types of monsters per encounter, alongside no more than 2 other things in that encounter[/B] (terrain features, and so forth). This is close to the "four, plus or minus one" recommendation given by Jeff Johnson, so at least my extremely large sample of anecdotal experience matches current-day working-memory theory! You can adjust these numbers up or down situationally. Simple-to-run monsters might count less towards the total. For example, a simple Skirmisher with just one ranged attack it will spam doesn't take up as much mental processing power as a complex Skirmisher that alternates between melee and ranged attacks and also has an immediate reaction. (However, even the very simple Skirmisher is still an item in the encounter, so be careful not to grossly exceed the "no more than 3 types of monsters" recommendation.) Easy-to-understand non-monster things might also count less towards the total. In 4e, Difficult Terrain is an example: it's easy to understand (costs one extra square of movement) and it is typically well indicated on the map. Thus, Difficult Terrain maybe "doesn't count" as one of your 2 other things in that encounter, or counts as ½ alongside some other easy-to-understand feature. Conversely, a big climactic encounter warrants higher complexity with a higher than usual number of items. When the DM knows it's the climactic encounter, and when that information is properly signalled to the players, we can expect everyone to sit forward in their chairs and to bring their maximum concentration -- which allows everyone to ratchet up their working memory to hold more than the usual number of items. Climactic encounters can have more than 3 types of monsters: maybe a boss (Solo), a couple lieutenants (Elites), and two different types of normal monsters -- 4 types of monsters. Climactic encounters could also have more than 2 other things: maybe a lava flow that damages anyone who enters, [I]and[/I] some crumbly pillars that can be knocked over, [I]and[/I] a mystical control panel the PCs can interact with to weaken the boss monster's defenses -- 3 types of other things. Of course, you don't want to overdo it, even in a climactic set-piece encounter. All of the above is more art than science. Much like the Pirate Code, the lessons and recommendations we develop here are not hard and fast rules -- they're guidelines. So let's make this guideline our second lesson: [B][I]Limit the number of items in an encounter to about 3 monster types and about 2 other things so that the DM and the players can process the information.[/I][/B] --- The problem with Encounter 6 of CORE1-1 is that is has 3 monsters types [I]and also[/I] at least 4 other things going on (and that's [I]after[/I] I extracted the "other things" info from where it was scattered). And keep in mind this is meant to be one of, if not THE, first ever LFR adventures for a DM and players with a new game system. Particularly for the DMs, this was not easy to run. My hat is off to whomever ran this for me at the FLGS back in 2008 (sadly, my records were not [I]that[/I] detailed... yet). --- I still haven't said a word about the monsters. Yet there is still so much to say about things other than monsters, here. More to come! [/QUOTE]
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