The Third Pillar of my Tabletop Role Playing Games
COMBAT
Introduction
When I first started reading the Dungeon Masters Guide by Wizards of the Coast in 2018, I pressed a finger on the glossy pages around the three pillars.
"Pillars, eh? This seems important."
I structured my gameplay around these pillars, aiming to achieve the perfect balance between the three - exploration, social interaction and combat.
With a little time and seasoning, I developed my own understanding of these pillars and added a fourth for round out what I considered role playing.
In fact, the entire game, from the moment we start to the finish is role playing, the agreed upon space in which we collaborate to assign value to our imagination.
Because, no I'm not really carrying around 10 torches in my backpack. From the moment our story continues, it is all role play.
So, to help me and my players understand the point of the role play, I divided them up into categories or pillars to help the game have that wonderful feeling of purpose. They are exploration, interaction, combat and drama. I hope you may see my logic, methods and how each pillar differs from the other to serve the game's overall purpose.
Artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.
Combat
Where there is conflict, there may be combat
I like to think of combat as a part of another encounter that emerges into a point of no compromise. Two parties are involved, both want conflicting goals and are willing to shed blood. Combat has traditionally been the most enjoyable aspect of TTRPGs, I believe, because that is when the most dice are rolled and the story takes an angled turn.
Combat finds an important place in the story and game because of the stakes. Truly, not all combat ends in blood, but that is usually the case. I think it is better to think of combat as an impasse between two parties and will be resolved with the roll of a dice.
By now, you have figured out that exploration, interaction and combat can all be woven into together within the span of 30 minutes game time. The key to notice is that conflict always includes the risks and rewards of the resolution.
Variations on Success and Failure
Dragons always guard treasure. But a dragon and treasure are not enough to make a memorable encounter. What are the risks of failure? What is the consequence of success? Can there be variance in between those two benchmarks?
I like to use the oracle dice (a six sided die) to settle major conflicts, especially when there are close calls. It is a lot like me flipping a coin to settle a dispute, but in this case there are 6 options; variations on yes and no.
Will the party escape the dragon fire? That is quite the risk. So I consult this chart to make a call. Notice that I always ask questions with the party’s status in mind, with the idea that the best outcome is a 6.
No, and something worse happens
No
No, but something good happens
Yes, but something bad happens
Yes
Yes, and something better happens
When I keep this oracle at the forefront of my think, I make better calls in the heat of combat. This is possible because these are all variations on yes or no, 2 paths which then branch off into more possibilities. You can think of combat as a combination between Exploration and Interaction. The oracle can help the world expand into new possibilities as you think of the variations of success and failure. The oracle can also drive the answer down to a simple solution, a yes or no.
Death and Genre
There is so much on the internet about character death, plot armor and death saves (do you allow them?) All in all, what I have learned is that the situation of death is easily described by what kind of story are you playing - what genre?
If you are playing a dark fantasy, I have found that heroes die, but only towards the end. If you are playing a comedy, heroes DON’T die and live to tell many more tales. If you are playing science fiction horror, the monster wins most of the time until one hero stands against them - in this case, the game moves quickly killing off characters one by one.
I think most games people play are either comedy or epic fantasy. In comedy, I would simply rule that death is not an option for the players. In its place, I would simply go for LOST TURNS. Losing a turn is enough for a player to aim to keep their character health points up in the red.
For epic fantasy, I would simply allow for death, but only after the character’s arc and personal question has been resolved. The character’s death would signal the players that a new story is beginning and an old campaign retires. In this case, accidental death, or falling down the stairs with a natural 1 only leads to injuries - rather than making death saves.
Be clear on the genre and feel of the story with your table and death will become a meaningful mechanic in the game.
I hope you enjoyed this post and look forward to reading about the final pillar - dialogue and drama!