Too Easy?

[jakdethe]

I'm pretty much the "old-school DM" of my playgroup, everyone else preferring 3E/NEXT or WOD. I've noticed my players have a habit of wiping the floor with my monsters, on a semi-regular basis. They easily kill monsters that are sometimes twice their total party hit dice even. Of course on the odd occasion someone will die, last night even in fact, and most often when they go in to a straight up fight.

I think this is usually because the players end up with surprise, almost every time, usually because they role-play some way of obtaining it (setting up ambushes, stuff like that). My players also get creative, using nets to try and catch monsters (I give the monster saving throw to avoid it), or throwing boulders at monsters (I use the giant's boulder toss as a reference for damage). Of course fire, and booby traps are common as well (slick floors, marbles on the ground, ditches and pits).

Is this a common thing for anyone else? I'm thinking this is actually a really good thing. I think they're skill as players really is that good to warrant such grand success. I think that they're able to create that almost over the top feel they get in 3E/NEXT through player skill in OD&D. What's better is there is no attempt to balance, and thanks to less rules and mapping, they can actually beat a monster, much tougher than they should be able to through straight combat.

What's everyone's thoughts? Am I just to easy on them? Is this normal for a group of smart players?

[kesher]

Nah, sounds to me, like you suggest, you've just got a good group of players! They're playing OS style even if they don't realize it...

Additionally, you can always throw in monster variations (what was it in Greyhawk? A Necromancer riding a purple worm?), mixed-monster groups (ogre with six or eight goblin archers), or monsters using scrolls and magic items.

[Red Baron]

As a player the scariest monsters are a group of magic users, or bizarre creatures from the fiend folio. A magic user can levitate out of a pit, turn you into a pig, and teleport off to plan a counterattack.

[Deleted]

I need more details to answer the question.

Are these random encounters, or monsters in lairs? Intelligent or unintelligent monsters?

[joseph]

I agree with previous posters, the best way to surporse players is to modify your monsters to some extant. Use creatures that work together and have a game plan themselves. Without being railroady try to allow your monster an escape plan as well, most creatures would not fight to the death and would likely flee or change tactics when they see that they are outmatched.
And remember that creatures that fight and run away live to fight another day....and will be better prepared to face the players, maybe alerting their fellows and pulling their own ambush.

[talysman]

I think it's normal and desirable, but you do want to make sure you are playing the intelligent creatures intelligently, and to include encounters that are not meant to be fought. I don't mean "make them unkillable", but "make killing, capturing, or threatening creatures a poor choice". Place really hard to bypass tricks and dungeon features, and give the easy solutions to some of the dungeon inhabitants. Bargaining gets the party past the obstacles without a problem, killing everything they see is "doing it the hard way".

[barrataria]

I agree that having good players is not a problem! They will make you a better DM.

And hopefully you'll have the same effect. Try designing an NPC party of similar class, level, and abilities to your PCs. Make them the commanders of a brigand gang or some such. Also, be sure that the NPCs have some pets (mountain lion, dogs, etc.) that will help counter the party's stealth abilities.

[Red Baron]

Dec 28, 2013 15:40:59 GMT -6 talysman said:

I think it's normal and desirable, but you do want to make sure you are playing the intelligent creatures intelligently, and to include encounters that are not meant to be fought. I don't mean "make them unkillable", but "make killing, capturing, or threatening creatures a poor choice". Place really hard to bypass tricks and dungeon features, and give the easy solutions to some of the dungeon inhabitants. Bargaining gets the party past the obstacles without a problem, killing everything they see is "doing it the hard way".

A purse of silver, a few flasks of wine, and a barrel of southfarthing pipeweed will get the party past most humanoids.

[jakdethe]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I'm definitely happy with my play group, and we all have fun, so I'm going to assume it's that they're good players. I've definitely stumped them before, and had a few "non-combat" scenarios, though I'll use all of the advice given.

[Finarvyn]

I typically play my monsters "dumb" so that the players can constantly outwit them. Then I occasionally surprise them with a "smart" monster just to shake things up.

I guess my philosophy is that in general the players ought to "win" and in most fantasy movies and literature the heroes encounter a lot of dumb guards with an occasional smart villain thrown in.

[Deleted]

Interesting. I play D&D like a wargame. My bad guys are trying their best to win.

It's one reason I always design my encounters a bit on the weak side. It lets me play "no punches pulled" without a TPK every time.

[Deleted]

Yeah, OD&D can be challenging. Probably vary the monster attributes, though. Trolls are fun, trolls with immunity to fire are more.