I got this idea for a series of posts about the most Iconic Encounters in old-school style adventures. I don’t mean this type of adventure is repetitive, but there are some types of encounters that appear with certain regularity, are quite entertaining and challenging, and thus have become iconic for me.
The first of these I would like to talk about is the “You must be this tall to ride!” encounter, which often is found in the beginning of an adventure, or in a section that will introduce the meaty part of it. I first heard about the term hearing Jim Wampler pass around some of his wisdom. It has a few characteristics I will examine further below.
- In the beginning of the adventure or at the beginning of the most important part of it.
- Involves a very difficult challenge that can cause a TPK if not handled well (it can be a powerful monster or group of monsters, a devious trap, powerful spell, and so on).
- There must be tips the player can pick up that indicates how the PCs can deal with the challenge.
- The challenge can be dealt with in a much easier way using cleverness and exploiting some weakness (which can be inferred using the tips).
It happens in the beginning!
It’s interesting to place this type of encounter right in the beginning of the adventure (especially in short scenarios and one-shots), or right before the most important part of it, when things will get serious. Doing this will help set the tone of the adventure, and puts everyone on the edge of their seats for what’s to come!
Players will realize the challenges in the game are serious and are not there just to entertain them or make them look good. There’s real risk, and at the same time, real triumph over that risk. They will feel a much greater feeling of accomplishment when they survive the encounter and the adventure as a whole because of this
And as things start with such a thrilling and deadly encounter, they will be at the edge of their seat, excited to see what’s happening and what will happen next. Nothing kills an adventure like boring and predictable encounters.
This thing will kill us!
As said above, the challenge must be very difficult, possibly deadly for this to work. Players need to fear for their characters and realize the odds are against them if they decide to simply try to overcome the challenge using the most obvious strategy (usually violence).
One way to do that is by telegraphing the danger to the players using the environment and NPCs. Have the thing that is the challenge show its powers, its theat, using these things. Creatures kill NPCs, destroy furniture, and put things on fire. Traps and other non living things have the remnants of their victims around them.
Another way is letting the PCs suffer some damage and losses that are not so great right upfront so they understand they will lose a lot more if they just keep doing what they are doing.
Wait a minute…
However, the challenge isn’t unbeatable, and there’s a way to overcome it with some ease. And there must be indicators the characters can see and be aware that will inform them of this possible course of action.
How to introduce these tips is the hardest part of designing this type of encounter, but don’t fret too much. It’s always best to give more and more obvious information instead of giving less, or unclear tips.
The characters could see some NPC accidentally push a creature away with a torch, indicating it fears fire and is vulnerable to it. They could see inscriptions on the walls of the temple showing that the death ray trap is deactivated sacrificing warm blood into the statues mouth. They could find a diary of a fallen adventure at the corpses near the challenge detailing a theory that will actually work against the obstacle.
Remember to include multiple tips, from various sources, allowing players to figure it out even if they miss some of them.
And Voilà!
When the characters figure out the easier way to deal with the challenge, make sure to show them it’s working. They will need some reassuring in this strenuous situation to keep going until the end.
This might require some creative thinking by the Referee, and some good descriptions of what’s going on. For example, when they wield fire against the fire vulnerable monster, the creature’s wounds seem way worse than before or than they expected. When they speak the name of the machine’s creator, it’s energy falters.
Anyway, be creative and make sure the easier way is actually easier, helping them overcome the challenge without much sacrifice. Having figured it out, and having defeated what otherwise could have been a truly fatal encounter, will make the players feel a great sense of accomplishment and, hopefully, make your adventure memorable!
See you on the next installment of Iconic Encounters!