Clusters
So, this last saturday was the first session of a new 4e campaign.
I started it a bit heavy handed, sorta pushing the characters into the first story bit. Mostly just to kick-start the group, and to try and dump one of the players (new to 4e) right into the action. I'm using one of the dungeons in Dungeon Delves to start off with, and probably work that into the Thunderspire Labyrinth module.
The party is a Half-Elf bard, a Half-Elf Paladin, an Elf Ranger (Archer), and a Dwarf Invoker. Half the time the party is making dwarf jokes. The combination is.. interesting. With three basically ranged characters, fights seem to be an exercise in either keeping the paladin between them and the enemy, or just keeping the enemy as far away as possible (the invoker doesn't do a half bad job of that, actually).
Which brings an odd problem. Movement through a dungeon generally consists of the following routine:
- Move as close as possible to the next area without alerting creatures inside.
- Figure out who/what is inside
- If hostile, burst into the room guns blazing
- Stay in the hall while blasting enemies from range.
So, the whole "sneak up and burst in" strategy isn't really a problem per se. Depending on the situation, it's either appropriate that the party gains surprise, or appropriate that the enemies know they're coming (battles in a nearby room tend to be fairly loud).
Where I'm kinda stumped is that last bit. The tactic is to stick in the hall/room before the encounter room, forcing the enemy to come to you. It allows defensive/melee types to stick in the front and take the brunt of damage, while the ranged sticks to the back, relatively safe. It also limits the number of enemies that can effectively engage the party simultaneously.
From my perspective, as a GM, this is frustrating. It really limits the tactical movement possibilities for both the players and the npcs. Battles slide much easier into "stand there and attack shit until everything is dead". I want the players to be a bit more engaged, to care more about their position, and to actively have to think about moving each round. Not "I'm standing behind the paladin, nothing can get to me, so I can stand here."
I don't want to just throw NPCs with ranged ability at the party to counter the damage bottleneck issue. Tactically, what they're doing is reasonably intelligent. I don't want to punish that by consistently throwing archers or spellcasters at them. Ideally, I want something that will make them WANT to enter the room to engage the enemy.
Right now, I only see one real possibility, and that's using the geometry of room layouts make the "kick the door open and stand in the hall" tactic not viable. Oddly shaped rooms, pillars, turns, etc to basically block line-of-sight from the door to most of the enemies.
I could really use some opinions/suggestions on this, though.
I'm pretty sure the last 2/3 of this post was pretty rambling. Oh well.
I started it a bit heavy handed, sorta pushing the characters into the first story bit. Mostly just to kick-start the group, and to try and dump one of the players (new to 4e) right into the action. I'm using one of the dungeons in Dungeon Delves to start off with, and probably work that into the Thunderspire Labyrinth module.
The party is a Half-Elf bard, a Half-Elf Paladin, an Elf Ranger (Archer), and a Dwarf Invoker. Half the time the party is making dwarf jokes. The combination is.. interesting. With three basically ranged characters, fights seem to be an exercise in either keeping the paladin between them and the enemy, or just keeping the enemy as far away as possible (the invoker doesn't do a half bad job of that, actually).
Which brings an odd problem. Movement through a dungeon generally consists of the following routine:
- Move as close as possible to the next area without alerting creatures inside.
- Figure out who/what is inside
- If hostile, burst into the room guns blazing
- Stay in the hall while blasting enemies from range.
So, the whole "sneak up and burst in" strategy isn't really a problem per se. Depending on the situation, it's either appropriate that the party gains surprise, or appropriate that the enemies know they're coming (battles in a nearby room tend to be fairly loud).
Where I'm kinda stumped is that last bit. The tactic is to stick in the hall/room before the encounter room, forcing the enemy to come to you. It allows defensive/melee types to stick in the front and take the brunt of damage, while the ranged sticks to the back, relatively safe. It also limits the number of enemies that can effectively engage the party simultaneously.
From my perspective, as a GM, this is frustrating. It really limits the tactical movement possibilities for both the players and the npcs. Battles slide much easier into "stand there and attack shit until everything is dead". I want the players to be a bit more engaged, to care more about their position, and to actively have to think about moving each round. Not "I'm standing behind the paladin, nothing can get to me, so I can stand here."
I don't want to just throw NPCs with ranged ability at the party to counter the damage bottleneck issue. Tactically, what they're doing is reasonably intelligent. I don't want to punish that by consistently throwing archers or spellcasters at them. Ideally, I want something that will make them WANT to enter the room to engage the enemy.
Right now, I only see one real possibility, and that's using the geometry of room layouts make the "kick the door open and stand in the hall" tactic not viable. Oddly shaped rooms, pillars, turns, etc to basically block line-of-sight from the door to most of the enemies.
I could really use some opinions/suggestions on this, though.
I'm pretty sure the last 2/3 of this post was pretty rambling. Oh well.