Beginning to prepare for an epic adventure I will run this coming summer (I plan early lol). I want my PCs to attack a small goblin camp, with 7 regular thugs, 5 soldiers, 3 archers, a magician, and a chieftain (all goblins). This will be a fight for PCs at level 1 or 2. How can I make this fight more fair and easy for them?
I’m thinking of doing the fight in waves. The first would be the soldiers and two archers, then a wave with just the thugs, and finally there would be an archer, the mage, and the chief. There would probably be a rest period after the first fight.
Any tips?
If you want to make it easier, make easier moves. Want it harder? Make harder moves.
Example: Fighter rolls 7-9 to H&S. Easy move would be have a goblin soldier or two attack (d6-d6+2 or so). Hard move would be goblin mage attacks along with soldiers (d10+2 or 3).
Why make your Goblin fight to death? Frankly, if I were a goblin I would hide in a hole as soon as my Goblin boss looks the other way
Yeah. You don’t need to muck about with waves or anything, unless you don’t want your PCs to be able to take on these kinds of odds in the fiction.
I recommend reading the Dungeon World guide that’s up on the DW site for some good examples on how to control difficulty in fights.
Maybe your PC encounter a Goblin patrol first and have to pursue the survivors before they can alert the other Goblin
All great ideas! The prime objective in this scenario is to rescue a princess. Yeah, stereotypical, but it works with my overarching plot.
Is this a one shot or a campaign? If it’s a one shot, a plot may be fine — if it’s a campaign, a prepared plot sends up red flags.
Explain what u mean by red flags?
Because prepared plots seldom work well. If the campaign requires the player to take A,B,C actions… then you can be 99% sure that this will not happen. What if your players do not want to save the princess? What if your players save the princess but decide to take her hostage?
1) Beware of over planning. Your PC’s may decide to run away and the fight may not even take place. Life is what happens when you’re planning something else. Play to find out! (Thats what Alfred means with Red Flags)
2) Have a look at my beta Mob Fight moves here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9G77aR8YgmbcTR6bWltbEtYdE0/edit?usp=sharing
It may appeal to you
Just that, its not intended for the GM to prepare a plot line. Ideally, the GM might prep an encounter (like you’re doing) and then ad lib from there.
You ask leading questions surrounding your minimal prep like: Hey, characters, why are you here? Which of you is friends with the princess? How’d the goblins get her? What traitor have you already outed in her court?
The idea being, you don’t answer these yourself by writing a plot line. The players answer for you, and you connect it back to their characters with more questions.
Like: Paladin, why’d your order forbid you to save her? Why’re you here anyway?
And from all these questions, the broad outline of your campaign emerges (maybe the paladins are corrupted, maybe the goblins have a secret castle tunnel, maybe the princess was betrayed by her uncle, etc).
If you’re doing a one shot: then sure, make a plot. Sounds awesome.
If its a campaign: I would grow concerned, as a player, about my contributions to the game I’m playing in if the GM pre-scripted the plot.
That’s all I mean by red flags. The game is built to be fueled by ad lib! No need to plan the plot ahead of time!
Ah I see. This makes sense. I’ll keep it in mind.
I really like what Julien Tabulazero said about goblins hiding any time the boss looks away. That would make for a great encounter. You could have tons of goblins attacking but disobedient, the big bosses spending all their time roping the little dudes into shape and getting them to attack.
Ha that would be a fun way to increase challenge. Oh, what if one of the thugs also kept taking the princess as he was going to and from his hiding spot. Could add a bit of comedic flair.
I’m thinking like this:
“Hey you! Get out here!”
‘Yes boss.” The goblin runs out.
“Not with the princess, you dolt!”
“Should I put her back then?”
“YES!”
“Ok. Now what?”
“Now GET BACK HERE AND SUPPORT ME!”
I’m thinking if Boss ain’t careful, he may start looking like he’d be easier to take down than the adventurers
Well, the game will be for campers at a summer camp who in all likelihood, have never touched a d20 (I know DW doesn’t use d20s a lot, its just the expression) and the goblin chieftain will be their first combat-based boss. I want it to seem tough at first, but I want the players to be laughing and having a good time.
Have the antagonists be drunk