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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CharlesRyan" data-source="post: 3798430" data-attributes="member: 5265">My Thursday night GM runs really good encounters, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about why I like them so much. I think it boils down to this:The opponents always have a plan to win.The bad guys aren't just there to provide us with an encounter; they aren't a de rigeur speedbump (easy or hard). They want something out of the encounter, and they approach it with just as much attention to how they can succeed as the PCs do.As a result, they often do things that are surprising or surprisingly smart. Our group often works up tactical plans before heading into known encounters. Because the bad guys also have plans, both sides end up having to adjust or abandon their strategies. But not in a way that makes the planning worthless; rather, in a way that keeps you on your toes and forces you to assess what's working and what isn't.Thus the encounters are a tactical challenge, but also have a dramatic ebb and flow. It's some of the best encounter GMing I've ever experienced, and I'll definitely be taking the lessons into my next campaign (which begins tomorrow night!)</blockquote>