This is the way I like the game to turn out.

[will_asher]

I'm GMing a game and we just had an especially exciting game session. My PCs are helping a group of dwarves rebel against their oppressors. I planned for this battle more than I've planned for any other game, figuring how I wanted to handle the mass battle between armies. Basically I sent the PCs as a special forces unit on a mission which had a lot of influence on the outcome of the battle.

I had the mission planned on a difficuly level which made it so there was a decent chance that one (or possibly even more than one) of the PCs or other main characters would die if they didn't come up with a good strategy. I didn't plan a good strategy ahead of time and kinda suggest it to them, but they came through and thought of a good strategy giving them advantages even better than I had hoped they would. And they did it using in-game strategy and not by pulling out rules, mechanics, and class features with extra bonuses from somewhere.

That's how I like the game to go.

We didn't get all the way to the end of the battle at this session, but they already killed the toughest of the three bad guy leaders (who went down before getting a chance to use his nastiest features -that was the one thing I was disappointed about). They used a couple healing potions and we'll do the rest of the battle next time. They bypassed having to fight large numbers of the enemy for this session, but they might have to do some of that next time. And they've had some of their resources depleted, but I'm confident they'll come up with a way to win out.

[Weaponbreaker]

Always have fun watching the party do well. I like even better when they are doing well and then the dice flip and they are forced overcome poor luck.

Don't forget to adapt your BBEG's strategies as the party makes contact closer and closer.

[leo1925]

will_asher wrote:

And they did it using in-game strategy and not by pulling out rules, mechanics, and class features with extra bonuses from somewhere.

Can you expand a little on that?

[will_asher]

My PCs (a barbarian/fighter, an alchemist, and a ranger) were helping some dwarves attack a glot fort. (Glots are 8ft tall humanoids which tend toward LE and are known for their pride. They are usually followers of Hextor). The PCs and two of the dwarves were a special forces team which went into the fort first while most of the armies fought out front. (This fort is more of a government building with an attached military barracks than a traditional kind of fortress, but I call it a fort.)

Instead of fighting their way to the door of the fort, the PCs told the small army of dwarves to stay back and not show themselves yet. Then they put the two dwarves they were with in fake bonds and walked up to the front door of the fort posing as mercenaries who offered to turn in the leaders of the dwarf rebellion in return for gold. They talked the guards into taking them to their boss (the captain of the fort) to discuss a price for the captives. Once they were with the military captain, they attacked the captain and the guards without having to fight through the army of glots to get there. There were some reinforcements called, but the PCs blocked the doors between the main part of the building and the barracks to slow down any further reinforcements while they went after their other target. The army of dwarves outside waited until the special forces unit had been inside the fort for a few minutes and then made their attack.

The PCs and the two dwarves in the special forces unit have three goals inside the fort. One was to kill the captain (already done), the second to kill the glot governor, and last to rescue the dwarf councilmember who was helping the rebellion but had been caught in the act. Rescuing the dwarf before he gets killed will likely be the hardest part (although it's also the part that has the least bearing in the final outcome of the battle).