Setting Up Opposing Forces in Role-Playing Games: Balancing Points and Scenarios
Setting Up Opposing Forces in Role-Playing Games: Balancing Points and Scenarios
When designing encounters or scenarios in a role-playing game (RPG), the challenge of creating compelling opposing forces for your players is crucial to keeping the game exciting, tense, and rewarding. A key component of building opposing forces is understanding how to balance encounters in terms of points or power levels. While balance is important for many scenarios, not every encounter should be evenly matched, as different narrative needs or objectives can call for varying degrees of opposition. Below is a guide to assembling opposing forces with a focus on how and when to balance them using points.
1. Understanding Points and Power Levels
In RPGs, particularly in systems that involve combat-heavy gameplay, many game masters (GMs) use a point system to measure the strength of enemies or opposing forces. This can involve numerical values attached to the health, damage, or abilities of enemies. Points are a useful tool to ensure encounters are roughly appropriate for the player characters (PCs) and can be adjusted depending on the type of challenge you're setting up.
For example, in a game like Dungeons & Dragons, enemies are often measured by their challenge rating (CR), while in miniature-based games, such as Warhammer 40K, units are assigned points based on their effectiveness in battle.
2. Balancing for Fair Fights
When designing a scenario that calls for a balanced combat encounter, it’s typically best to match the points or power level of the opposing force closely to that of the player characters. This ensures that the fight feels challenging without overwhelming the players.
For instance, in a typical “ambush” or “defend the village” scenario, the points of the enemies might be slightly less than or equal to the combined strength of the player party. This makes for an engaging fight where players can leverage tactics and teamwork without feeling underpowered.
Tips for balanced scenarios:
Even Point Match: Ensure the combined point total for the opposing force closely matches the party’s capabilities.
Varied Opponents: Mix up enemy types to challenge different skills or weaknesses of the party (e.g., a group of low-level enemies accompanied by a single stronger foe).
Give the Players Control: Balanced fights should allow players to dictate strategy and pace, making their choices and tactics matter more than raw power.
3. Unbalanced Encounters for Narrative Impact
Not every encounter should be a fair fight. In certain scenarios, it’s important to create a sense of urgency, fear, or desperation, which can be accomplished through intentionally unbalanced encounters. These scenarios might have the points of the opposition far exceed that of the players, leading to fights where victory is unlikely—or even impossible.
For instance, in a “hold the line” scenario where the party has to defend a position for a set amount of time, the opposing forces may vastly outnumber or overpower the PCs. The goal of this kind of encounter isn’t to win the battle but to survive or hold out long enough for reinforcements. This type of encounter creates tension and forces the players to think creatively about how to achieve their goals under difficult circumstances.
Tips for unbalanced scenarios:
Escape or Survival Objectives: In some encounters, the goal may not be to defeat the opposing force but to survive long enough or escape the area.
Time Limits: In scenarios where overwhelming forces are present, use a time-based objective to give players a clear path to success beyond simply winning the fight.
Narrative Rewards: Even if the players are forced to retreat or fail in their objectives, ensure there’s a narrative payoff that rewards their decision-making, such as gaining key information or creating a new opportunity for future success.
4. Asymmetrical Warfare and Creative Challenges
Another way to set up opposing forces is through asymmetrical encounters. Here, one side may have greater numbers or power, but the players have advantages in tactics, terrain, or objectives. In a “guerrilla warfare” scenario, for instance, players might face a larger force but can win by using traps, environmental hazards, or hit-and-run tactics. This forces the players to think strategically and emphasizes the importance of planning over brute force.
Tips for asymmetrical encounters:
Terrain and Tactics: Give players a terrain advantage or access to special equipment that makes their smaller numbers more effective.
Hidden Objectives: In some cases, the opposing force may not know the players’ true objective, allowing for more creative solutions to overcome a stronger foe.
Conclusion:
When setting up opposing forces for RPG players, the key is to tailor the points and power levels to the narrative and scenario goals. Balanced encounters create tense, strategic battles where the outcome is uncertain, while unbalanced or asymmetrical encounters can drive home feelings of desperation, creativity, and immersion. By varying the types of encounters and recognizing when balance is necessary—and when it isn’t—you’ll keep your players engaged and excited with every twist the adventure throws at them.