This part of Fight Club will concentrate on why to fight and how to fight. Or something
like that…
First of all, the statement in the title summarizes enemies behavior in battle quite well. The key to realistic combat in RPG is keeping in mind that the bad guys want to stay alive too. And, because of that, they will do their best to win, or, if they lose, to escape or surrender. Keeping those in mind makes battles much more realistic and also interesting.
Some may say, that adding the escaping and/or surrendering, keeping enemies alive and so on, is only making the fight less enjoyable. Who doesn’t like orcish kamikaze charging with axes or extremely intelligent dragons sitting in their caves waiting to be slaughtered? Because of the rule most of them would hide or run away. This means no fun.
However, that is not true. Using this rule only makes battles more interesting and exciting. Every monster, orc, mercenary does their best to win. Use complicated tactics. Throw a spear before charging with an axe. Dragons hide their treasury in high mountains and use magic and flying while fighting with PCs. This all makes battles more remarkable and fun.
But, before the battle begins, we should ask ourselves “Why do they fight?”,”do they have to fight?”,”how did the monster get there?”,”who is the enemy?”,”what made him/her attack the PCs”,”what will be the consequences?”. As we know the answers, we can be sure that the enemy is well-prepared. Of course, we don’t have to ask those questions when players encounter another lone wolf. However, if they fight humans (or other creatures with a bit of intelligence) it is highly advisable. Of course, in systems like Dungeons&Dragons where every encounter that has “evil” character almost instantly attacks players asking all those questions don’t make much sense. But believe me, the more heart you put into preparing a fight the more fun it will be. The players know why they fight, and, if you know the enemy so well(you have answers for all the questions) the enemy will also be more realistic and remarkable.
Okay, we have the enemies, the characters, they meet each other and than what? The battle begins, obviously. However, if we want the fight to be really cool and realistic we should ask one more question: “Is it the right time for the villain to attack?”. He should choose the right time and place, where he can fully use his abilities and characters’ weaknesses. Maybe throw a rock at them, or fight in a hallway, so PCs can’t outnumber the enemy…
Than again, “who should the monster/villain/whatever attack first?” The answer is: those, who are most dangerous for him. For undead - clerics, for flying creatures - probably wizards etc.
“What tactic should the enemy use to win?” The answer for this question is simple and works for all monsters. Always use their special abilities. Hide, fly, poison, burn, freeze etc. Attack clerics and wizards first and so on. This also makes the battle more fun.
Finally, what happens after the fight, once the enemy is defeated. The truth is people/animals hardly ever fight to death. They fight to death only, when they can’t escape and know that the winner has no mercy. Normally, people try to run away or surrender. They attack and die only in the mentioned conditions. Of course, undead, golems or some fanatics may always fight and die. But this shouldn’t happen to often.
I am aware that making fights that realistic and complicated, keeping in mind the rule, might make RPG less DnD-style, heroic, colorful, fast and bloody. I am also aware that it may make battles more difficult. As always it is partly true. However, it is always good to ask yourself at least some of those questions when preparing a combat scene.
Express your opinion in a comment.
image by Preston Smith
There’s the sniper test: Why would the BBEG not hire an assassin/sniper/the equivalent and kill the player characters with very little risk to themself? Very realistic, but it is not exactly enjoyable to players to simply be assassinated out of the blue.
No, it is not. I guess it depends on the type of game we are playing.
But perhaps the BBEG underestimates the PCs, sending someone who’s not up to the task. An arrow/bullet/bomb etc misses it’s mark, sparking an investigation.. The assassin leaves a trail, or confronts the PCs and fails, leading the PCs to investigate. The BBEG decides to feel out the PCs, maybe try and bring them onside. Only then do the PCs come face to face, and even then the BBEG may have an escape planned..
Slightly off-topic maybe but thought I’d throw my oar in!
@Tommi - no, dropping PCs dead by shots out of the blue isn’t fun, but the *tension* of the possibility is worth hours of RP. The PCs find out that there’s someone hunting them. Suddenly, that tavern doesn’t look so friendly anymore. Does the food taste funny? Maybe the beer *is* sour, maybe not. 3 or 4 arrows go zinging by, but nobody’s there. Maybe they get hurt in the back when the kobolds were up front. Man, I’m wanting to go play now just to be involved in that.
Mikhal, wanna do a fight club article specifically on ambushing/assassinating player characters in interesting and hopefully nonlethal ways?
Chgowiz, yes, I can see that. As long as the player (characters) are sufficiently motivated so that the entire game does not stop, that can certainly work.
Ethalias, yup, all possible solutions. The sniper test is essentially a test of game mastering style; if your style leads to instant deaths of player characters by skilled assassins, there just may be a problem.
I have used the assassination before as a great plothook; just maybe a failed attempt - but STRESS HOW CLOSE IT GETS - is the very thing which alerts the PCs to the presence of the big Black Hat - had he had the sense to ignore them he might not have gone plunging to his doom….!It will certainly have the effect of making them dislike him intensely, personally, and not just ’cause he’s the bad guy!I would love to see that article on “Assassinations”, not necessarily lethal; there is nothing like doing a guy dirt to make him dislike you, there must be lots of ways to trip or backstab without necessarily killing him? One way is to kill or maim a well-liked NPC, some friend of the PCs’? Perhaps it transpires that he was mistaken for the PC himself? Or perhaps a pet or steed dies instead, as someone tries to slip poison into the player’s food? (Indiana Jones’ monkey in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”?)