Have more fun with unbalanced encounters

Summary

Ben argues that old-school role-playing games are often most exciting when combat is treated as war rather than sport. “Combat as sport” emphasizes balanced encounters, fairness, and winning through tactical use of character abilities and rules. Ben says this style can be enjoyable, but believes it does not fully draw on what makes role-playing games distinctive.

In combat as war, the goal is to avoid a dangerous fight or prepare so thoroughly that victory is heavily tilted in the players’ favor before combat begins. Players assess the situation, gather information, use the environment, and devise unconventional plans. Success then feels like the result of the players’ decisions and ingenuity—not simply their characters’ statistics.

This approach also makes the world matter: terrain, useful objects, relationships, enemy habits, and local features can all become part of a plan. Because old-school characters can be vulnerable and combat can be deadly, players have a strong reason to prepare rather than charge into every encounter.

How to Run Combat as War

• Give players an open world with choices. Provide multiple routes, goals, and threats so players can decide what to tackle and plan ahead. A sequence of encounters that players must simply proceed through leaves little room for this.
• Make rulings for unconventional plans. Players may propose ideas that are not covered by the rules. The game master should judge whether a plan could work, decide what advantage it provides, and adapt as the situation unfolds.
• Reward ingenuity. Encourage players to look beyond their characters’ standard combat abilities and give meaningful benefits when they devise effective solutions.
• Make information valuable and obtainable. Offer ways to research enemies, consult libraries, question allies or foes, and spy on targets. Useful discoveries might include weaknesses, routines, or travel routes.
• Make combat genuinely dangerous. Low hit points or high damage can create real stakes and encourage players to avoid fighting without an advantage. When combat does happen, the danger makes the outcome more intense.
• Play enemies as believable people. Realistic motives and behavior help players anticipate and influence opponents. They may use intimidation, fear, or displays of power to disrupt a group or turn the battle.
• Let the environment become part of the plan. Instead of entering a dungeon and fighting through it room by room, players might investigate its inhabitants or exploit nearby terrain. Ben gives the example of diverting a river to flood a dungeon, which could itself become the focus of an entire session.

Ben’s closing point is that this style often creates memorable stories: victories come from unexpected schemes that surprise both the game master and the other players.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Ben, host of Questing Beast.
• Sun Tzu, referenced for the strategic idea that the best victory may be achieved without having to fight.
• Old-school role-playing games and Dungeons & Dragons editions 3, 4, and 5, discussed as examples of different approaches to combat.