Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="azmodean" data-source="post: 2261250" data-attributes="member: 26590">You are my hero!&nbsp; This is how I will be running mass combat from now on.&nbsp; Here's my point of view:&nbsp; Initially I wanted a mass combat system that modelled the entire battlefield, with abstraction appropriate to the size of battle.&nbsp; Then I ran into a little snag:&nbsp; The players aren't interested in a war simulation.&nbsp; So now I have to figure out how to present things from the party point of view.Goals:Have fun!Use DnD combat as resolutionhave the party influence the outcome of the overal combat&nbsp; give the party feedback on what they are doing during the combat on both a large and small scale.What this concept does is allow the party to participate in a combat in a meaningfull way.&nbsp; If they valiantly take the hill and give the foot troops time to set up, you can narrate the effects of their efforts by describing the now entrenched friendly foot troops holding firm against their enemies.&nbsp; On the other hand, if they are forced to retreat (or don't get something done in time) then you get to describe how their allies get pushed back or overrun by their enemies.Another thing this allows is it allows the group to leverage their greatest assets, communication and mobility.&nbsp; If you have a party wade into the infantry and kill everyone that comes within reach, sure they'll kill a lot of enemies, but that's something that a large group of infantry could have accomplished as well.&nbsp; This idea of taking control points plays to their true ability, which is bringing force to bear in a very focused way.I also see similarities to the Warhammer 40K RTS Dawn of War, which is reinforcement based instead of attrition based; as well as Suikoden III, where it represented the entire conflict as a set of battles on the party level, with strategic goals set at the beginning of the conflict.&nbsp; I think the attrition-based bodel of Battlefield is the best match for DnD however.I also like the idea of random encounters on the battlefield.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="azmodean, post: 2261250, member: 26590"] You are my hero! This is how I will be running mass combat from now on. Here's my point of view: Initially I wanted a mass combat system that modelled the entire battlefield, with abstraction appropriate to the size of battle. Then I ran into a little snag: The players aren't interested in a war simulation. So now I have to figure out how to present things from the party point of view. Goals: Have fun! Use DnD combat as resolution have the party influence the outcome of the overal combat give the party feedback on what they are doing during the combat on both a large and small scale. What this concept does is allow the party to participate in a combat in a meaningfull way. If they valiantly take the hill and give the foot troops time to set up, you can narrate the effects of their efforts by describing the now entrenched friendly foot troops holding firm against their enemies. On the other hand, if they are forced to retreat (or don't get something done in time) then you get to describe how their allies get pushed back or overrun by their enemies. Another thing this allows is it allows the group to leverage their greatest assets, communication and mobility. If you have a party wade into the infantry and kill everyone that comes within reach, sure they'll kill a lot of enemies, but that's something that a large group of infantry could have accomplished as well. This idea of taking control points plays to their true ability, which is bringing force to bear in a very focused way. I also see similarities to the Warhammer 40K RTS Dawn of War, which is reinforcement based instead of attrition based; as well as Suikoden III, where it represented the entire conflict as a set of battles on the party level, with strategic goals set at the beginning of the conflict. I think the attrition-based bodel of Battlefield is the best match for DnD however. I also like the idea of random encounters on the battlefield. [/QUOTE]

Verification