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Blastin@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 4/17/99 11:28:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> JulesMrshn@aol.com writes:
>
> Now
> think about some of the encounters. What if all of the villians had
> attacked
> your tank mercilessly, and had been in numbers. What if all of the
> stronghold your were fighting in heard you and came running in. What if that
> big wizard used his finger of death spell. What if all the villians thought
> like PCs. You can see now how the level and the turn over rate of the game
> would increase.
> >>
>
> And I can see how my players would never come back to play another game
> with me if I ran thing that way. I play my NPC's as smart as I think they
> SHOULD be, not how smart I am. If I ran the NPC's in my game to MY full
> potential, the players wouldn't have a chance as I have so much more
> knowledge of the situations as I'm the one who created them.

Another example, IMC, is what the players have termed 'the anti-party'. While out
seeking a tighmaevril dagger (tighmaevril is one of the few things in the game
that I still am extremely stingy with, the party hasn't managed to get their
hands on a T-weapon yet, although they once had access to the formula without
knowing it), the group was attacked by a group of people that they had never seen
before, yet seemed to know all their weak spots (the paladin in our group had a
holy defender and powerful magical defenses, so the guy who attacked him was
encased in an anti-magic shell, an archer fired three anti-magic arrows down on
the mages and at the priest (missed the priest because of his cloak of
displacement, I'm not totally unfair), and other stuff like that). There were
ways that this group could have been defeated, and quite easily, but the fact
that all of the party's weaknesses were being so easily exploited scared the PC's
into running like scared rabbits, even leaving one of their own behind. Turned
out that this 'anti-party' had been following the PCs for a long time, and
watching them fight. This anti-group really didn't have to be anything nearly as
powerful as the PC's, their tactics did make up, but only due to my omniscience
in the game. Sorry to ramble
Point is, as a DM, it is very easy to have my NPC's be 'smarter' than the PCs,
but without careful planning it isn't because they are more creative, it's just
because I'm abusing my power. Besides, many of my villians are egotistical enough
to attack the party's strengths, thinking they can win.
Thx,
Alaric

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Blastin@aol.com wrote:
In a message dated 4/17/99 11:28:52 PM Eastern Daylight
Time,
JulesMrshn@aol.com writes:
<< Which is why you are argueing.  Run a game you have played
in your mind.
Now
 think about some of the encounters.  What if all of the
villians had
attacked
 your tank mercilessly, and had been in numbers.  What if
all of the
 stronghold your were fighting in heard you and came running in.
What if that
 big wizard used his finger of death spell.  What if all
the villians thought
 like PCs. You can see now how the level and the turn over rate
of the game
 would increase.
  >>
   And I can see how my players would never come back to play
another game
with me if I ran thing that way. I play my NPC's as smart as I think
they
SHOULD be, not how smart I am. If I ran the NPC's in my game to MY
full
potential, the players wouldn't have a chance as I have so much more
knowledge of the situations as I'm the one who created them.
Another example, IMC, is what the players have termed 'the anti-party'.
While out seeking a tighmaevril dagger (tighmaevril is one of the few things
in the game that I still am extremely stingy with, the party hasn't managed
to get their hands on a T-weapon yet, although they once had access to
the formula without knowing it), the group was attacked by a group of people
that they had never seen before, yet seemed to know all their weak spots
(the paladin in our group had a holy defender and powerful magical defenses,
so the guy who attacked him was encased in an anti-magic shell, an archer
fired three anti-magic arrows down on the mages and at the priest (missed
the priest because of his cloak of displacement, I'm not totally
unfair), and other stuff like that). There were ways that this group could
have been defeated, and quite easily, but the fact that all of the party's
weaknesses were being so easily exploited scared the PC's into running
like scared rabbits, even leaving one of their own behind. Turned out that
this 'anti-party' had been following the PCs for a long time, and watching
them fight. This anti-group really didn't have to be anything nearly as
powerful as the PC's, their tactics did make up, but only due to
my omniscience in the game. Sorry to ramble
   Point is, as a DM, it is very easy to have my NPC's
be 'smarter' than the PCs, but without careful planning it isn't because
they are more creative, it's just because I'm abusing my power. Besides,
many of my villians are egotistical enough to attack the party's strengths,
thinking they can win.
    Thx,
        Alaric

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