Post by erf_beto on Sept 13, 2010 13:47:21 GMT -5
Hey all.
I'd like to share something I've not invented but I think it's totally "stealable" for any DM-less game like Dungeon Plungin.
I've been drooling over the new D&D Castle Ravenloft Adventure Boardgame for months now. It was release recently, but Amazon won't ship to my Brazil (whose policies add huge taxes on imports, so I'll probably stick to DP for a long while...).
Anyway, one of its greatest strengths is the DM-less aspect: the Monster Tactics. In a way, it's exactly like Monster Laws in DP, only written in a way that makes judging monster actions a no-brainer.
Take a look at these:
One thing to note is that, in Ravenloft, while heroes move only a set number of squares, monsters movement is measured by tiles, which are 4x4, drawn randomly from a pile. This is a good aproximation because most monsters would indeed move 4-8 squares anyway. You read the tactics from top to bottom, and when you find a condition that is true (like there is an adjacent hero), you stop there and perform the corresponding action/attack. The rest of the Tactics is ignored.
*I* often forget which law is which - it's usually my rpg/dnd lore that tells me how would a monster acts. Could presenting such information in the form of Ravenloft's Tactics improve the game?
Would it help to just name/categorize "standard" tactics/Laws (like brutal: move and attack nearest), and giving more complex monsters like the wicked witch or the lich king a full Tactics section?
What do you think? Is this worth looking into?
I'd like to share something I've not invented but I think it's totally "stealable" for any DM-less game like Dungeon Plungin.
I've been drooling over the new D&D Castle Ravenloft Adventure Boardgame for months now. It was release recently, but Amazon won't ship to my Brazil (whose policies add huge taxes on imports, so I'll probably stick to DP for a long while...).
Anyway, one of its greatest strengths is the DM-less aspect: the Monster Tactics. In a way, it's exactly like Monster Laws in DP, only written in a way that makes judging monster actions a no-brainer.
Take a look at these:
Ghoul Type: Undead AC: 16 HP: 1 Tactics: * If the Ghoul is adjacent to a Hero, it attacks that Hero with a rending bite. * If the Ghoul is within 1 tile of a Hero, it moves adjacent to the closest Hero and attack with a paralyzing claw. * Otherwise, the Ghoul moves 1 tile toward the closest Hero. Attacks: bite: +9 Damage: 3 claw: +7 Damage: 1 and Immobilized Experience: 2 | |
Kobold Skirmisher Type: Reptile AC: 13 HP: 1 Tactics: * If the Kobold is within 1 tile of a Hero, it attacks the closest Hero with a thrown javelin. * Otherwise, the Kobold moves 1 tile toward the closest Hero. Attack: +9 Damage: 1 Experience: 1 | |
Hey! I'm adding tables to posts! How cool is that, huh? |
One thing to note is that, in Ravenloft, while heroes move only a set number of squares, monsters movement is measured by tiles, which are 4x4, drawn randomly from a pile. This is a good aproximation because most monsters would indeed move 4-8 squares anyway. You read the tactics from top to bottom, and when you find a condition that is true (like there is an adjacent hero), you stop there and perform the corresponding action/attack. The rest of the Tactics is ignored.
*I* often forget which law is which - it's usually my rpg/dnd lore that tells me how would a monster acts. Could presenting such information in the form of Ravenloft's Tactics improve the game?
Would it help to just name/categorize "standard" tactics/Laws (like brutal: move and attack nearest), and giving more complex monsters like the wicked witch or the lich king a full Tactics section?
What do you think? Is this worth looking into?