Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Jhamin" data-source="post: 1107016" data-attributes="member: 1023">My campaign is my best attempt at creating a world that exists beyond the characters actions.&nbsp; This means that there are heroes other than them out there clearing dungeons, and there are litches and warlords other than the ones they fight.&nbsp; There are orc tribes not worth bothering with and Orc Champions far beyond the party's ability to deal with.&nbsp; My players have expressed the opinion that knowing they aren't the only ones who do this stuff actually motivates them to outshine the other NPC parties they have run into.I have lots of things in my world that are too nasty for the characters to fight.&nbsp; Lots.&nbsp; There are also zillions of things in the world the party could wipe out with one hand tied behind their backs.I just make sure when planning a game that I dont force an encounter the party can't win.&nbsp; If they hear about a massive dragon in the mountains and insist on finding it, they will die.&nbsp; If they decide to kick in the door of the ancient necropolis, feared by sane men far and wide, they will die.On the other hand, when a band of 15 orcs led by a 3rd level warrior starts making trouble, they know they have more than enough Mojo to just slap him down and scare away the ones they don't have to kill.If they decide they need to head off a column of undead that left the necropolis before they get to a populated area, then that encounter is conveniently close to the appropriate challange rating.As the party's average level increases, their role in the game setting expands.&nbsp; They know this.&nbsp; They can go after the Necropolis or Dragon in a few levels.&nbsp; IMHO It makes them appreciate their increasing power more when formerly impossible foes are finally defeated.&nbsp; A constant stream of CR appropriate bad guys would get really old, really quick.&nbsp; It also IMHO makes the game world feel alot less &quot;alive&quot; and alot more like a Squaresoft effort.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jhamin, post: 1107016, member: 1023"] My campaign is my best attempt at creating a world that exists beyond the characters actions. This means that there are heroes other than them out there clearing dungeons, and there are litches and warlords other than the ones they fight. There are orc tribes not worth bothering with and Orc Champions far beyond the party's ability to deal with. My players have expressed the opinion that knowing they aren't the only ones who do this stuff actually motivates them to outshine the other NPC parties they have run into. I have lots of things in my world that are too nasty for the characters to fight. Lots. There are also zillions of things in the world the party could wipe out with one hand tied behind their backs. I just make sure when planning a game that I dont force an encounter the party can't win. If they hear about a massive dragon in the mountains and insist on finding it, they will die. If they decide to kick in the door of the ancient necropolis, feared by sane men far and wide, they will die. On the other hand, when a band of 15 orcs led by a 3rd level warrior starts making trouble, they know they have more than enough Mojo to just slap him down and scare away the ones they don't have to kill. If they decide they need to head off a column of undead that left the necropolis before they get to a populated area, then that encounter is conveniently close to the appropriate challange rating. As the party's average level increases, their role in the game setting expands. They know this. They can go after the Necropolis or Dragon in a few levels. IMHO It makes them appreciate their increasing power more when formerly impossible foes are finally defeated. A constant stream of CR appropriate bad guys would get really old, really quick. It also IMHO makes the game world feel alot less "alive" and alot more like a Squaresoft effort. [/QUOTE]

Verification