Being an Encounter Head
NPCing this weekend reminded me about one of the important roles on the NPC/staff side - Encounter Head. I thought I would share my thoughts about this role!
An Encounter Head helps keep a module/town fight run on track, with the most fun for PCs and NPCs involved. This, in turn, helps the game run smoothly and lifts the burden from the staff/plot runners. Encounter heads are not always specifically designated. If you are taking a bunch of rogues to run through ropes, bells and snap traps (with no other NPCs involved), then you, the hook, are also the Encounter Head, whether you think of yourself that way or not.
An Encounter Head may not do all of these for a given encounter. They may not come up, or the hook (or big boss) may be handling some of these things. That being said, I caution against having the main fighting or RP boss of a large field fight also be an Encounter Head, simply because they are often distracted with a small subgroup of PCs.
For all of these, do not be afraid to seek advice/input from other NPCs with you, just be aware you are making the final call.
What does an Encounter Head do Before an encounter?
- Grab the person whose encounter it is, and have them tell you what is supposed to happen from start to finish. Do not let them get distracted or start talking to other people, or wander off. There may be a writeup, but you should make sure the encounter has not been changed since then.
What to ask the person whose encounter it is (if it is not yours):
* What is the goal of the encounter for the PCs? What are the win and the lose conditions?
* What are the physical constraints of the encounter? How should the setup look?
* What is the ending condition of the encounter?
* What is the costuming for the encounter?
* Who is giving the NPCs stats? Get those stats and make sure the other NPCs know them, including funny traits, etc.
* What are the special mechanics, if any, for the encounter?
Then...
- Get your NPCs geared up and to the encounter area.
- Set up the encounter, cleaning up any previous stuff from the encounter area.
- If the supplies are not available, improvise and make decisions about how the encounter will be changed.
- Talk to the hook when they bring the PCs outside and let them know of any changes you had to make. Find out how many PCs were brought and who they are, etc.
What does an Encounter Head do During an encounter?
- Clarify any rules, tags, effects, etc. If the PCs seem confused about what the jumpy stones do, or whether they are allowed to go through that string of lights, etc, you are the person who helps make it clear.
- Keep track of the PC progression. How many McGuffins have they acquired (out of the total)? How many mini-rituals have they done? How many times have they killed the Big Bad Boss?
- Call recycles for the NPCs, either speeding up, or slowing down recycles. You might drop abilities from the NPCs that are creating unintentional problems for the encounter, or direct NPCs to change recycle points. You also keep an eye out for any kind of problem (someone got headshot/injured, or someone is in battle-frenzy, etc) and do what you can to keep things in check.
- Monitor encounter safety. Did a tarp fall down onto the floor? Is everyone hitting the string lights with their weapons? Are people fighting on the stairs? You might try to subtly direct the PCs (and less subtly direct the NPCs) to change fighting patterns, or eliminate/fix the problem.
- Make sure the encounter ends when it should. Either you are calling the final death call, or you are making sure every NPC stops fighting, or you are chasing the PCs out of the encounter (and stopping at the door/gate), etc.
What does an Encounter Head do After an encounter?
- Head up any cleanup that the area needs.
- Tell people to drink water/get food/etc.
- Report the results to the Plot person whose encounter this was.
Not everyone wants to be an Encounter Head. It is responsibility after all, but if you are interested, this might give you some idea of what to do.
An Encounter Head helps keep a module/town fight run on track, with the most fun for PCs and NPCs involved. This, in turn, helps the game run smoothly and lifts the burden from the staff/plot runners. Encounter heads are not always specifically designated. If you are taking a bunch of rogues to run through ropes, bells and snap traps (with no other NPCs involved), then you, the hook, are also the Encounter Head, whether you think of yourself that way or not.
An Encounter Head may not do all of these for a given encounter. They may not come up, or the hook (or big boss) may be handling some of these things. That being said, I caution against having the main fighting or RP boss of a large field fight also be an Encounter Head, simply because they are often distracted with a small subgroup of PCs.
For all of these, do not be afraid to seek advice/input from other NPCs with you, just be aware you are making the final call.
What does an Encounter Head do Before an encounter?
- Grab the person whose encounter it is, and have them tell you what is supposed to happen from start to finish. Do not let them get distracted or start talking to other people, or wander off. There may be a writeup, but you should make sure the encounter has not been changed since then.
What to ask the person whose encounter it is (if it is not yours):
* What is the goal of the encounter for the PCs? What are the win and the lose conditions?
* What are the physical constraints of the encounter? How should the setup look?
* What is the ending condition of the encounter?
* What is the costuming for the encounter?
* Who is giving the NPCs stats? Get those stats and make sure the other NPCs know them, including funny traits, etc.
* What are the special mechanics, if any, for the encounter?
Then...
- Get your NPCs geared up and to the encounter area.
- Set up the encounter, cleaning up any previous stuff from the encounter area.
- If the supplies are not available, improvise and make decisions about how the encounter will be changed.
- Talk to the hook when they bring the PCs outside and let them know of any changes you had to make. Find out how many PCs were brought and who they are, etc.
What does an Encounter Head do During an encounter?
- Clarify any rules, tags, effects, etc. If the PCs seem confused about what the jumpy stones do, or whether they are allowed to go through that string of lights, etc, you are the person who helps make it clear.
- Keep track of the PC progression. How many McGuffins have they acquired (out of the total)? How many mini-rituals have they done? How many times have they killed the Big Bad Boss?
- Call recycles for the NPCs, either speeding up, or slowing down recycles. You might drop abilities from the NPCs that are creating unintentional problems for the encounter, or direct NPCs to change recycle points. You also keep an eye out for any kind of problem (someone got headshot/injured, or someone is in battle-frenzy, etc) and do what you can to keep things in check.
- Monitor encounter safety. Did a tarp fall down onto the floor? Is everyone hitting the string lights with their weapons? Are people fighting on the stairs? You might try to subtly direct the PCs (and less subtly direct the NPCs) to change fighting patterns, or eliminate/fix the problem.
- Make sure the encounter ends when it should. Either you are calling the final death call, or you are making sure every NPC stops fighting, or you are chasing the PCs out of the encounter (and stopping at the door/gate), etc.
What does an Encounter Head do After an encounter?
- Head up any cleanup that the area needs.
- Tell people to drink water/get food/etc.
- Report the results to the Plot person whose encounter this was.
Not everyone wants to be an Encounter Head. It is responsibility after all, but if you are interested, this might give you some idea of what to do.