Re: Renfield
Fully agreed on random games and overly verbose start/tutorial. Do I really need to know what deity created the world and what happened in the Great Dragon War 10,000 years ago if it isn't directly relevant from the start? I might want to research these things in the game if it's an interesting setting - starting out with a lore nuke is rarely a good idea.
There has to be some middle ground between fifteen minutes of unskippable intro followed by a cliché quest railroad and being dropped in Newbieville to grind Herbalism for two hours so you can fail Alchemy rolls for three hours so you can afford to buy a rusty dagger so you can get five copper for killing the rats in the tavern basement. Weaker/simpler combat encounters near "safe" locations serve the purpose of a combat tutorial just fine. The rest... well, if a gamer with normal intelligence can't figure it out in five minutes, it's too complex.
Fifty-fifty odds of combat seems pretty heavy fighting to me. Fits a dangerous area, sure. But maybe it would be more interesting if the encounters weren't always obvious at a glance? Example to follow.
The Traveler
A mysterious light to investigate, a strange sound, a wagon on the roadside... stuff that could be one thing or another. Save-scumming and meta-thinking won't help much, because the player can't be sure what's up before the encounter is cracked open in stages.
Fully agreed on random games and overly verbose start/tutorial. Do I really need to know what deity created the world and what happened in the Great Dragon War 10,000 years ago if it isn't directly relevant from the start? I might want to research these things in the game if it's an interesting setting - starting out with a lore nuke is rarely a good idea.
There has to be some middle ground between fifteen minutes of unskippable intro followed by a cliché quest railroad and being dropped in Newbieville to grind Herbalism for two hours so you can fail Alchemy rolls for three hours so you can afford to buy a rusty dagger so you can get five copper for killing the rats in the tavern basement. Weaker/simpler combat encounters near "safe" locations serve the purpose of a combat tutorial just fine. The rest... well, if a gamer with normal intelligence can't figure it out in five minutes, it's too complex.
Fifty-fifty odds of combat seems pretty heavy fighting to me. Fits a dangerous area, sure. But maybe it would be more interesting if the encounters weren't always obvious at a glance? Example to follow.
The Traveler
Encountered anywhere outside a settlement.
"While moving through (location), you encounter a traveler."
1. Approach
2. Observe
3. Avoid
1. Puts the PC face to face with the encounter, no sneaky shenanigans or caution. Advantageous if friendly encounter, disadvantageous if hostile. (1.1 / 1.3 / 1.4)
2. PC looks before leaping. Friendlies will be initially suspicious or surprised if the PC decides to approach after a more detailed description of what the Traveler seems to be. Description of what the PC sees may be misleading. Options to avoid (3.), attack (4.) or approach suspiciously (1.2 / 1.5 / 1.6).
3. PC tries to avoid the Traveler. Non-hostile encounter ends here. Hostile may pursue, PC may blunder into a trap or an ambush. (3.1 / 3.2 / 3.3)
4. PC attacks NPC. (4.1 / 4.2 / 4.3)
1.1 - Friendly encounter with open approach.
1.2 - Friendly encounter with suspicious approach.
1.3 - Hostile encounter with open approach. Fight ensues, PC may be caught off-guard.
1.4 - Hostile encounter with open approach. Devious enemy tries to trick PC.
1.5 - Hostile encounter with suspicious approach. PC less likely to be surprised.
1.6 - Hostile encounter with suspicious approach. PC less likely to be tricked.
3.1 - Evasion unsuccessful, NPC catches up and fight begins.
3.2 - Oh snap, it's a trap! Simple snare? Spell trigger? Could be an outright capture scene transition or a fight with NPC getting a free hit or three.
3.3 - Oh snap, there were more than one. And now you get to fight them all at once.
4.1 - NPC drops like a sack of potatoes. Guess he wasn't dangerous, afterall. Oh well.
4.2 - NPC is hostile and surprised by PC's ruthless attack. Free hit or three.
4.3 - NPC is hostile and expecting a fight. Time to dance.
"While moving through (location), you encounter a traveler."
1. Approach
2. Observe
3. Avoid
1. Puts the PC face to face with the encounter, no sneaky shenanigans or caution. Advantageous if friendly encounter, disadvantageous if hostile. (1.1 / 1.3 / 1.4)
2. PC looks before leaping. Friendlies will be initially suspicious or surprised if the PC decides to approach after a more detailed description of what the Traveler seems to be. Description of what the PC sees may be misleading. Options to avoid (3.), attack (4.) or approach suspiciously (1.2 / 1.5 / 1.6).
3. PC tries to avoid the Traveler. Non-hostile encounter ends here. Hostile may pursue, PC may blunder into a trap or an ambush. (3.1 / 3.2 / 3.3)
4. PC attacks NPC. (4.1 / 4.2 / 4.3)
1.1 - Friendly encounter with open approach.
1.2 - Friendly encounter with suspicious approach.
1.3 - Hostile encounter with open approach. Fight ensues, PC may be caught off-guard.
1.4 - Hostile encounter with open approach. Devious enemy tries to trick PC.
1.5 - Hostile encounter with suspicious approach. PC less likely to be surprised.
1.6 - Hostile encounter with suspicious approach. PC less likely to be tricked.
3.1 - Evasion unsuccessful, NPC catches up and fight begins.
3.2 - Oh snap, it's a trap! Simple snare? Spell trigger? Could be an outright capture scene transition or a fight with NPC getting a free hit or three.
3.3 - Oh snap, there were more than one. And now you get to fight them all at once.
4.1 - NPC drops like a sack of potatoes. Guess he wasn't dangerous, afterall. Oh well.
4.2 - NPC is hostile and surprised by PC's ruthless attack. Free hit or three.
4.3 - NPC is hostile and expecting a fight. Time to dance.
