Minion Status: Private or Public?

[AtomicPope]

Minions are the monsters that have no name, recently graduated from the academy, and wear red shirts.


Duh!

 

[AtomicPope]

I think the concept of minions is quite kewl. As a DM, it's interesting to think that I could either throw lots of lower level monsters (making players assume they're minions) or lots of actual minions. In many way's it should work the same except when a minion gets hit with an At Will power they're toast while most LL monsters should survive. Being able to switch up keeps the game from becoming a routine for DM and player alike.

 

[Graf]

The point of minions is that they're cannon fodder.
"tricking" players is very 1e tomb of horrors (you made a mistake haha! you're dead! go sit in the corner for 4 hours and watch the other people have fun)

I'm inclined to say it's dirty pool.

 

[Jack Colby]

Unless, upon reading the rulebooks, I find that there is a reason for PCs to know certain things (for example, a power or feat that only works when fighting minions) I see no reason to put info like that into player's hands. Let them guess whether the guys being ordered to attack by a tougher-looking foe could possibly be his minions.

I might do it if I run practice sessions while getting used to the game, just so we all understand what's happening rules-wise, but in normal play I don't think players need any game stats of their enemies unless keeping it from them would prevent players from using their PC's abilities effectively.

One of the best things about 4e is that players won't already be familiar with all the monsters, and can learn about them through experience as their players do. It's like playing D&D for the first time again, and I think it's great.

 

[Jack Colby]

The point of minions is that they're cannon fodder.
"tricking" players is very 1e tomb of horrors (you made a mistake haha! you're dead! go sit in the corner for 4 hours and watch the other people have fun)

I'm inclined to say it's dirty pool.

I've never encountered this "sit in the corner for 4 hours" concept in 1e. Typically players will roll up another PC (remember when that only took a few minutes?) and jump right back in as soon as possible... even in Tomb of Horrors. Is it possible you're using your own bad experiences to make it seem like this is a "truth" of earlier editions?

 

[Graf]

I was making a point about minions, that, I think was fairly clear.

Do me the favor of not dressing up my comments so you can have an excuse to start an argument about how your favorite edition is better than some other edition you don't like. Seriously, give it a rest.

Or if you can't control yourself start some other thread about it so people who don't care don't have to read about it.

 

[Mirtek]

But what if one of the clan leader's sons in a complete schmuck but got chosen to lead because of his relation? He'd be a high ranking minion! *makes a note to do that later*

I was just thinking the very same thought.

So the non-minion (or even the elite) just looks like the other minions while the leader in the expensive gear is just annother minion and only get's to lead because he's the distant cousin of the king.

Should be common with civilized encounters and less common with barbaric horde encountersl