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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2013 5:56:00 GMT -8
Hey HJP
I planning in starting an semi-horror modern campaign and I'm worried about the enemies I will create down the line. I know the basics of balance in encounters. However, given that they players will be special forces, I want to avoid them feeling like they can stomp everything without doing a TPK.
Any help would be appreciated.
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Post by jazzisblues on Jan 17, 2013 6:17:26 GMT -8
themook.net/There is no better resource for information on GURPS anywhere. JiB
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2013 6:05:30 GMT -8
Hey HJP I planning in starting an semi-horror modern campaign and I'm worried about the enemies I will create down the line. I know the basics of balance in encounters. However, given that they players will be special forces, I want to avoid them feeling like they can stomp everything without doing a TPK. Any help would be appreciated. First, it would be helpful to know what powerlevel you plan on running the campaign on. If your heroes are close to the 400 CP that the Monster Hunters Champions are on, I strongly recommend to you to pick up Monster Hunters 3: The Enemy. In said PDF you can find templates for supernatural as well as mundane enemies. If you powerlevel is lower, have a look at GURPS Horror. What exactly do you fear to run into a problem with? Remember that guns are a great equalizer. A lucky crit of a low level bad guy can ruin the day of anyone... if the bad guy uses a high powered sniper rifle (As said often on Happy Jacks Podcast). So, you could give out "Destiny Points" à la Monster Hunters which allow - besides other things - to buy off damage as "flesh wounds". You could make all your players take Luck, to have a way to get out of the afforementioned "lucky crit".. There are so many possibilities, I really can't help you anymore if you don't tell us more about your campaign. A little piece of advice from my GURPS experience: I like cinematic gaming, so I put the opposition I let my players face in 3 categories: Mooks, Worthies and Bosses. Mooks die if they receive 1 point of injury Worthies die if they reach 0 HP Bosses use standard GURPS rules to determined their health (they die at -5xHP, -10xHP even...) Mooks only choose standard maneuvers, never attack options (deceptive, pop-up attack...), never extra effort Worthies use all the maneuvers and all the attack options, never extra effort. Bosses use everything, including extra effort (Feverish Defense, Mighty Blow...) - just like your players would... Hope that helps some Cheers Onkl
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Nolinquisitor
Journeyman Douchebag
Next Project: BrigadeCon, RPGS 2 Your Science Fantasy Toolkit Supersetting
Posts: 162
Preferred Game Systems: GURPS, M&M, 7th Sea, Cypher System
Currently Playing: Playing is for the weak.
Currently Running: Cypher System, D&D 5E + Freeport
Favorite Species of Monkey: Dr. Zaius
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Post by Nolinquisitor on Jan 18, 2013 10:18:53 GMT -8
Looks to me you need to talk with your players and tell them that they won't get out of every fight.
Make your point of view super clear with them, how you see your game and how they are supposed to handle themselve.
It's about the social contract you have with your players more than anything else.
Nothing is worse than building a 600 points Spec-Ops badass only to discover your GM have made monsters with DR1000 and Affliction 20 (Heart Attack, Aura with 100 yards radius).
I think a great example to throw at your players is the movie Predator. Tell them it's like that. Against the guerrieros, the spec-ops are moping the floor with them, 50 to 1, but when the Predator arrives they turn into a bunch of two-legged grapefruits.
Explain your game to them, it's the key.
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Post by Stu Venable on Jan 18, 2013 11:10:28 GMT -8
The best way to illustrate that in game (assuming Seb's solution might spoil a surprise).
If they're playing Spec Ops, maybe another spec ops team gets wiped out and the party hears about it. Or maybe that fact is in their briefing documents.
Maybe as they're sneaking and creeping through an abandoned mine, they come across a couple half-eaten Delta Force shooters. If they investigate enough, maybe they'll look around and realize there are empty shell casings all over the place, not to mention six or eight discarded (empty) magazines.
This ought to give them pause. Depending on the characters and their disads (especially with spec warriors) you're unlikely to get them to turn tail and run, but they might go in SMARTER than they otherwise would.
You're dealing with characters with an ENORMOUS amount of training and skill. These guys are trained to deal with all kinds of unexpected situations and adapt and improvise accordingly.
Assuming the characters are unaware of the supernatural nature of the situation, they ARE going to go in over-confident, thinking they can stomp over whatever it is.
But if you can, through in-story illustration and foreshadowing, give them a hint that they're out of their depth, you may slow them down and have them enter the situation with more care.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2013 4:05:43 GMT -8
I must thank everyone for the help, but I realize that I need to give more info to get more specific help. The setting is lifted from the Jericho computer game with some modifications Think along the lines of our world but with all mythology being real. The players are all part of a special forces group under the control of the UN. All players have some supernatural abilities and are 250 point characters. They don't have to worry about money because their equipment is given to them by the organization. They will be fighting both against followers of different cults and mythological creatures from all over the world.
I don't think I've left anything out. If there is something else that you are wondering about the campaign, just ask.
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Nolinquisitor
Journeyman Douchebag
Next Project: BrigadeCon, RPGS 2 Your Science Fantasy Toolkit Supersetting
Posts: 162
Preferred Game Systems: GURPS, M&M, 7th Sea, Cypher System
Currently Playing: Playing is for the weak.
Currently Running: Cypher System, D&D 5E + Freeport
Favorite Species of Monkey: Dr. Zaius
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Post by Nolinquisitor on Jan 28, 2013 10:20:26 GMT -8
Here's one way to do it: When designing an encounter start with two basic questions: 1. How tough this encounter is supposed to be? (easy, average, hard)That will represent the defensive capabilities of your baddies. Easy could be enemies that defend only 25% or the time or less. 2. How long this encounter is supposed to last? (in GURPS rounds, 1-2 rounds?, 10 rounds?)The attrition in GURPS comes from DR and HP. You'll need to know the average damage done be each player each round with their typical attack. If you know how much damage your group do in 1 round you'll be more able to figure out how many HP and DR to give your baddies. Examples: Encounter #1: The PC's will fight some Cultists of Seth (the egyptian god).Level of Difficulty: Easy Duration: 1-2 rounds Seth Cultist(their will be as many as players x 2 cultists, they are supposed to fall as soon as they are hit) DR 0 HP 5 Dodge 8, Parry 8 Knife 1d-2 cutting Encounter #2: The PC's will fight Seth Avatar in person!Level of Difficulty: Hard Duration: 5 rounds Seth Avatar(*My PC's will use automatic rifles (7d) and will score 3 hits per round in average. That will be three times 24.5 points of damage per round, per player (average of 7d = 7 x 3.5 = 24.5). Supposed I have 5 players, that mean fifteen (3 hits x 5 players) times 24.5 damage. Let's give him a DR of 20, that will mean a total of 67.5 damage per round.) DR 20 HP 340 (67.5 damage per round x 5 rounds) *This is maybe a bit much as HP can go into negative but you could tell the avatar goes down at 0 hp. Dodge 12, Parry 12 Wrath of Seth (Flaming Eye Beam): 6d burning, range 25/50 Punch: 4d crushing Poison Bite: Afflication (HT-2, Stun) + Sharp Teeth (3d-2 cutting) I realize that it is a more mechanical way of trying to "balance" an encounter but that should do it. If you know what numbers your group can generate on average each round that will give you a good idea what to place in front of them. As usual a high Dodge will nullify most direct attack. High DR and a large amount of HP will make your bad guys really tough. Minions (or one hit enemy) should have no DR and lower than normal HP (like 1 hit point). I have said it and I'll say it again, in GURPS you don't "balance" an encounter you try to simulate a certain type of reality. Luckily, GURPS have very straight forward numbers to play with. Good luck.
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