tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post7769157905498262381..comments2024-03-28T21:46:15.727+08:00Comments on Monsters and Manuals: What Winston Churchill would have said to Gary GygaxUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-42584188436192945492012-06-20T16:03:07.270+08:002012-06-20T16:03:07.270+08:00what seperates a really good player from the rest ...what seperates a really good player from the rest is a permissive dm. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-62141585316483477172012-06-19T21:07:34.781+08:002012-06-19T21:07:34.781+08:00Oh certainly, even just having XP given out ad hoc...Oh certainly, even just having XP given out ad hoc (i.e. gain a level every two sessions) tones down the greed that drives a lot of Combat as War. A lot of it comes in from either attrition (lots of little fights are annoying, let's find a way to skip them to get the gold) or overwhelming critters (we can't be that in a fair fight, so let's cheat).<br /><br />Me = guy who wrote the Combat as War Post. I love the Churchill quote, fits perfectly...Boshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06908715118408289864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-41008701317070469112012-06-19T17:51:59.195+08:002012-06-19T17:51:59.195+08:00Of course, but that's what separates the reall...Of course, but that's what separates the really good player from the rest: coming up with ways to succeed <i>despite</i> the advantages the monsters have.noismshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933436762608669966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-53571710833153265002012-06-19T17:50:46.717+08:002012-06-19T17:50:46.717+08:00I think it is the shift from XP for monster kills ...I think it is the shift from XP for monster kills away from treasure. That encourages slaughter more than anything else.noismshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933436762608669966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-45693934724342349912012-06-19T16:46:05.899+08:002012-06-19T16:46:05.899+08:00Avoiding combat where possible, and, when necessar...<i>Avoiding combat where possible, and, when necessary, using resources and the environment to bring maximum force to bear where the enemy is weak. Using the dungeon and wilderness to your advantage,</i><br /><br />while i obviously agree that avoiding combat is smart, i have a problem with "using the dungeon to your advantage".<br />sure, players do that.<br /><br />so do the monsters.<br /><br />problem is, they live there. THEY have the advantage. everything the players can do, the monsters can do too. unless the dm doesn't play the monsters at 100% they should win more often than not. (unless they were too weak to be a challenge in the first place)<br /><br />there's nothing easier than killing the group as a gm.<br /><br />try the following experiment:<br />take 2 groups of players. make 1 group play normally, while the other plays the monsters. the monster group gets all the info they could possible have about their own dungeon and can use their own resources as they see fit.<br /><br />respect to any pc group who manages to overcome this. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-27744881668200277172012-06-19T14:55:25.195+08:002012-06-19T14:55:25.195+08:00Nice. The players in my most recent session embod...Nice. The players in my most recent session embodied this ideal, only getting into one combat. (Though admittedly they did a lot more slaughtering than they needed to. Good loot though.)<br /><br />http://billygoes.blogspot.co.il/2012/06/polish-resistance-session-6.htmlBillyhttp://billygoes.blogspot.co.il/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-31040296730172848732012-06-19T09:20:50.141+08:002012-06-19T09:20:50.141+08:00The combat vs. sport thing is very very simple, ju...The combat vs. sport thing is very very simple, just like Churchill is saying it's just strategy vs. tactics dressed up in language that gets an idea that's been kicked around for years across in an easy to swallow way.<br /><br />What I've started to think is one thing that really promoted Combat as Sport in recent editions is that demanding a lot of slaughter has stopped being a bad thing. What's really important to promote a strategic focus is to have Pyrrhic victories be really painful so that winning by slaughter is a bad idea even if you win, which forces people to focus more on maneuver.Boshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06908715118408289864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-3418965937957072162012-06-19T05:16:36.285+08:002012-06-19T05:16:36.285+08:00Where do I +1 this...Where do I +1 this...Aaron E. Steelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789462075611254929noreply@blogger.com