One of my biggest disappointments when I play Fantasy RPGs as a player is that it all comes down to combat.
It often starts out very promising; there's a story afoot, a chance for exploration, possible character interactions, and then...the fighting starts. The problem is, it never stops. It's followed by another encounter with hostiles, and then another, and before long everything you do ends in violence.
Sure, Combat is a major element of TRPGs in general and let's be clear, I'm not a gaming pacifist who never wants to see some action of the physical conflict variety. It just feels as if in most of the Fantasy games [specifically] I've been in, that's all there is.
At best, World-Building and Character Interaction feel a little on the light side. At worst, the game is just one boring fight bleeding into the next, none of them particularly distinctive or memorable. Fantasy, for all its tactical features, wide-range of weaponry and armor, and of course magical spells, features some really boring combat.
I'm not sure what it is about Fantasy combat but I usually find it very bland and flat. It doesn't feel kinetic or dynamic as I've suggested incorporating in the past. Part of the issue, in my experience and opinion, is that Fantasy combat is always so heavily regulated. The place where the crunch is loudest in these sorts of games is often in the encounter mechanics, making fights long, slow, and tedious.
There is also the typical Pass/Fail nature of the Attack Rolls in the majority of Fantasy games. As I've discussed elsewhere, this often results in a situation where if you didn't build your character 'correctly', you are likely to miss fairly often. A miss, followed by a round of other people's actions, followed by the high chance of missing again results in wondering why you're even there. In a small party of 3 players and their PCs this might not be so bad but imagine a [decently sized] group of 5 or more participants. It can be grueling for even the most patient of gamers.
So what can be done?
Don't play Fantasy Games. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
What? You want more? Fine. I've really spoiled you all...
I think some ways of improving the bog standard Fantasy fight are probably pretty obvious; changing up the terrain, actually making said terrain matter mechanically, using opponents placed above and/or below the battlefield, and use of evocative descriptions. Nothing you haven't heard of or thought of before.
That said, please bare in mind that 'mechanically mattering terrain' need not only hinder or impede the PCs. It should be something they can use as easily as it might be used against them. I've had PCs in snow covered Tundra slip on the icy ground or have their actions penalized because of the frigid cold but also let them throw snowballs at opponents and escape by sliding down the snow covered hills on their shields.
Battle in the sky, underwater, while swinging across a jungle chasm on vines, or any other non-typical way of trading blows with adversaries!
I also think a Fantasy game that functions less like a 50+ year old wargame and more like...get this...a Fantasy game...might be really fun. I always find it hilarious that in a game of flying carpets, elves shooting fiery balls of death from their hands, and treasure chests that try to eat you, so much attention is paid to...teehee...tactical realism. Realism! Bwahahaha-ha-ha!
Realistic? Muwa-Bwahahaha-ha-ha!
It's pretty clear to me that most Game Designers haven't been in any real fights. I'm not talking about serving in the military; that is a completely different experience that has very little to do with the kind of combat you see in most RPG campaigns. Complex strategy doesn't really apply when five or six people jump four others in a dark, dank tunnel or the your group of pals is suddenly accosted by a bear-sized chicken covered in scales with a snake-like tail.
Let's see some moves like finding that one weak spot in a Dragon's armored body or spraying an area with holy water or greek fire to watch a horde of undead burn. Sure, it's super exciting to have the power of...um..*read read read*...not getting a penalty in Mounted Combat. Cool. Wow. I am beside myself with how great that -yawn- is.
Finally (for now...), give the players something else to do. What can happen in your world of mystery, magic, and monsters shouldn't be limited to just stabbing things or bonking them on the head. Yes Combat can be great for getting the blood pumping and the mind racing but if that is all there is it makes the game seem simplistic and unimaginative.
It's like looking out upon a grand vista of wonders and saying, "Can you believe all this is open to us? Let's go find an animal and hit it with a rock."
Really? That's the best Fantasy can do?
Humans. *Shakes head*
In a follow-up post I will discuss other things PCs could be doing other than fighting. I will also introduce an idea that I've talked about before but which appears to blow people's minds when I bring it up.
See you soon,
AD
Barking Alien
I like the write up, I can sympathize with all of it I have solved a lot by running sandbox games at the with strategic layers. Traveller and Dungeon Crawl Classics are excellent for having characters do more than combat and having combat be interesting and punchy, respectively. A lot of my players are getting slowly deprogrammed from years of bog-standard D&D and some struggle with even wanting autonomy but we are working on it.
ReplyDeleteI concur that Traveller is especially good at having non-combat activities for the PCs to engage with and frankly, I think that is true of most Science Fiction games in general. There is very little direct combat in my Star Trek campaign for example, though there is always a little as we're very Original Series focused.
Deletethat was me.
ReplyDeleteD&D and its kin work with the idea that combat encounters are needed to wear down the PCs and make them spend resources. So, if combat feels like a grind, it's because it is.
ReplyDeleteI learned long ago that combat and action are not synonyms. I don't think this is exclusive to fantasy, but modern and sci Fi settings often have more interactive environments by default.
"...modern and sci Fi settings often have more interactive environments by default."
DeleteYes, that's basically what I'm driving at. It seems much easier, perhaps one might even say more 'built in' to other genres. Even Superheroes believe or not. Sure, there are a ton of battles in Supers but there is also investigating crimes, interaction with the NPCs tied to ones Secret Identity, etc.
Well, I think it is easier for us players and GMs to figure out how to do some stuff in a modern or pseudo-modern setting. But I meant the literal environment when it comes to action and combat: you know your typical office building has power lines, elevators, fire extinguisers, boiler rooms, air conditioning ducts, security cameras, maybe a garage... That helps to imagine paths of action other that just fighting the bad guys until one side drops.
DeleteI see what you're saying.
DeleteA good observation and one that illustrates why I find Dungeons, specifically the man-made underground structures typical to D&D and the like, to be so uninteresting.
There is literally nothing to them [more often than not] beyond stone corridors and rooms. There's no power running through them, no plumbing, no fire extinguishers mounted to the walls...nothing that can really be used and interacted with in combat.