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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 4733311" data-attributes="member: 19675">Again, its the &quot;sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander&quot; situation.If the MDC PCs ignore the big MDC NPCs/targets in favor of the &quot;NPC squishies,&quot; you can be sure the MDC NPCs will either target PC squishies (resulting in their quick deaths) or join with the NPC squishies to concentrate fire on MDC PCs until all that is left is PC squishies.It isn't just about fairness, its actual RW mixed-force tactics that popped up around the end of WW1 and were in place as standard tactics for certain countries at the start of WW2.&nbsp; Armor goes after Armor, Infantry goes after Infantry (except those specialized units that are equipped to go after Armor, and vice versa).&nbsp; If Armor ignores Armor to go after Infantry, it gets blasted.&nbsp; If Infantry ignores Infantry, those specialized anti-Armor units get a free pass, AND they'll be in danger of being overwhelmed by forces they ARE equipped to fight, leading to things like cut supply lines.&nbsp;That IS a problem at the DM level, but its not unique to RIFTS- it can happen in any RPG.&nbsp; Essentially, he underestimated the power of the Party (or individuals within it) and didn't design his encounters appropriately.I nearly did the same thing in the very first combat of the last D&amp;D campaign I ran.&nbsp; The campaign was supposed to kick off with the PCs getting kidnapped by raiders from another Prime Material Plane- the other PMP was the setting for the campaign.I didn't take into account the possibility that the PCs might get a few lucky rolls, and I REALLY underestimated the tactical savvy of at least 2 of the players.&nbsp; Had that encounter not turned when the NPCs got a couple of lucky rolls themselves, I would have had to design a second kidnap scenario.And I made that mistake despite DMing since the early 1980s.Some of them did, some didn't.One who was key, though, was a guy playing a Druid.&nbsp; He happened to be a Marine in RL, and he subtly influenced the party in their tactical decisions.&nbsp; I don't know how much was on purpose and how much was unintentional, but the end result was what mattered.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 4733311, member: 19675"] Again, its the "sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander" situation. If the MDC PCs ignore the big MDC NPCs/targets in favor of the "NPC squishies," you can be sure the MDC NPCs will [I]either[/I] target PC squishies (resulting in their quick deaths) [I]or[/I] join with the NPC squishies to concentrate fire on MDC PCs until all that is left is PC squishies. It isn't just about fairness, its actual RW mixed-force tactics that popped up around the end of WW1 and were in place as standard tactics for certain countries at the start of WW2. Armor goes after Armor, Infantry goes after Infantry (except those specialized units that are equipped to go after Armor, and vice versa). If Armor ignores Armor to go after Infantry, it gets blasted. If Infantry ignores Infantry, those specialized anti-Armor units get a free pass, [I]AND[/I] they'll be in danger of being overwhelmed by forces they ARE equipped to fight, leading to things like cut supply lines. That IS a problem at the DM level, but its not unique to RIFTS- it can happen in any RPG. Essentially, he underestimated the power of the Party (or individuals within it) and didn't design his encounters appropriately. I nearly did the same thing in the [I]very first combat[/I] of the last D&D campaign I ran. The campaign was supposed to kick off with the PCs getting kidnapped by raiders from another Prime Material Plane- the other PMP was the setting for the campaign. I didn't take into account the possibility that the PCs might get a few lucky rolls, and I REALLY underestimated the tactical savvy of at least 2 of the players. Had that encounter not turned when the NPCs got a couple of lucky rolls themselves, I would have had to design a second kidnap scenario. And I made that mistake despite DMing since the early 1980s. Some of them did, some didn't. One who was key, though, was a guy playing a Druid. He happened to be a Marine in RL, and he subtly influenced the party in their tactical decisions. I don't know how much was on purpose and how much was unintentional, but the end result was what mattered. [/QUOTE]

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