Re: Difficulty Balance

In message <1168439933.110061.284300@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
          "Will in New Haven" <bill.reich@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> 
> Del Rio wrote:
> > In article <eo0q1f$48p$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> > Mary K. Kuhner <mkkuhner@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > >
> > >I have, in the last ten years, heard a lot of complaints about
> > >too-hard scenarios.  I have heard an *enormous* number of complaints
> > >about too-hard scenarios coupled with weak GM play or outright
> > >fudging.  I don't think I've heard anyone complain that their
> > >GM is giving them a consistent diet of encounters which, although
> > >played accurately, are simply too weak to threaten the PCs.

<snip>

> In hundreds of sessions over thousands of hours, I don't think there
> was a single suggestion from the players that would have led to making
> the game EASIER when we were playtesting a scenario. When playtesting a
> system, it is entirely different. Playtesters will complain about game
> mechanics that disadvantage the players. .

However, it is always less work to make a scenario easier than it is to
make
it harder. Simply strike out a few of an enemy's skills or feats, or
reduce
any other number on his character sheet by an arbitrary amount. And after
such changes, the NPC is still a legal character. Monsters can be made
easier to fight by reducing their numbers and/or having less monsters.

Upgrading an overly-weak character is harder because you have to (well, at
least ought to) add abilities in such a way that the stronger NPC is still
rules-legal. That usually means multiple simultaneous changes and is
significantly more complex.

So I'd always rather have a hard scenario I can tone down than an easier
one
I have to beef up.

The glaring omission, of course, is actually pointing out to GMs that the
scenario is trying to err on the side of 'too hard' and giving guidelines
on
where and how best to tone it down. My mythical Star Wars Bootleg Edition
does mention this trick, but judging from the postings given here maybe
it's
unique in explicitly mentioning the matter.

-- 
Simon Smith

When emailing me, please use my preferred email address, which is on my
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