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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 5:22PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2008
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Ran my first session this weekend, and decided to run the adventure out of the book to get everyone used to the system and gauge player reactions as well.
Unfortunately, no one survived.
The group made it to encounter S3: Warren Entry, before fate conspired to wipe them all out. "The Machine" in that encounter combined with the slave driver's Fear Wave can be rather deadly to level 1 characters.
On the plus side, everyone had a good time despite the need to roll new characters.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 5:26PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Sep 16, 2004
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On the plus side, everyone had a good time despite the need to roll new characters.
That's the most important part.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 5:33PM
#3
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Yeah, it's intensely difficult to judge how difficult a fight will be. Most often the fights I expect to be hard are easy, and the fights I expect to be easy are hard. It's just the way the players adapt to each and reason it out. And it's one of the most difficult things I face as a DM. Also, since my campaign is supposed to be brutal, I'm pushed to balance the edge between difficult and TPK. And since it is so difficult to accurately gauge how they will do, this is no easy task.
Only thing that wil help is more experience with your players. As long as they know that you aren't out to kill them, and the game is played with a light heart, then it will even be fun testing the waters of what makes a good encounter for your party.
Currently Playing:
lvl 6 Pixie Skald in Home Campaign
lvl 2 Human Bard in Forgotten Realms
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 5:42PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Apr 17, 2008
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The group made it to encounter S3: Warren Entry, before fate conspired to wipe them all out. "The Machine" in that encounter combined with the slave driver's Fear Wave can be rather deadly to level 1 characters.
That's where I ended up with a TPK when I ran it at Rincon, and where I killed off Billdownawell this weekend. It's a tough fight.
Two things to consider: (a) make the machine's aura 1 instead of 2, and (b) remove one of the slave drivers if you have fewer than 5 players.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 5:44PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 28, 2009
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This is actually kind of encouraging. Because I am thinking about creating a Pure Strain Human origin, which has no mutant powers and does not draw Alpha Mutations, but which has Inspiring Word or something along those lines. And if the group never needed healing, that sort of power would be useless.
But they do need healing. So that's good to know.
Thanks!
The Doctor Comics Blog: doctorcomics.blogspot.com
On Twitter @doctorcomics
GW Card List: http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/26023881/Card_List
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 6:02PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Oct 30, 2002
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On the plus side, everyone had a good time despite the need to roll new characters.
That's the most important part.
Indeed it is! 
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 6:07PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Sep 26, 2001
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Ran my first session this weekend, and decided to run the adventure out of the book to get everyone used to the system and gauge player reactions as well.
Unfortunately, no one survived.
Gamma World is balanced a little differently than D&D, with higher damage all around, and fewer sources of healing. The main in-combat healing, Second Wind, is something 4e D&D players are used to avoiding, since it takes a standard action and heals only a surge. In Gamma World, though, it's a minor action, and heals your bloodied value - that's quite a lot, for little 'action economy' cost, but you have to remember to use it. I playtested Trouble in Freesboror, and found players dropping because they were used to healing being the responsibility of a leader class, and second wind being a last resort. In GW, you can get beaten down pretty quickly, and that Second Wind is only a minor, so you should use it the moment you're bloodied (or even when you're very close to bloodied on your turn). It turns out your allies can trigger your Second Wind with a Standard Action (no healing check required), so that ended up being done a lot.
Love 4e? Concerned about its future? Join the Old Guard of 4e"You want The Tooth? You can't handle The Tooth!" - Dahlver-Nar. "If magic is unrestrained in the campaign, D&D quickly degenerates into a weird wizard show where players get bored quickly" - E. Gary Gygax
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 6:13PM
#8
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It turns out your allies can trigger your Second Wind with a Standard Action (no healing check required), so that ended up being done a lot.
It doesn't even say the ally has to be adjacent, which, assuming that's not an oversight, means every character has a built-in quasi-warlord ability.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 6:39PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2008
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That's where I ended up with a TPK when I ran it at Rincon, and where I killed off Billdownawell this weekend. It's a tough fight.
Glad to know I'm not the only one who's group found this a little rough in general.
Two things to consider: (a) make the machine's aura 1 instead of 2, and (b) remove one of the slave drivers if you have fewer than 5 players.
That's what I'm thinking for the next go round. Either reducing the range or the damage to 2 or 3.
To be fair, the first to fall, was planning to use Machine Command on his next turn and cut off the healing to the badders and direct it to the players. Unfortunately, he misjudged both the range and negative effect of the machine as he was the first to end a turn in range and take damage. Had he gotten that power off, the fight would have gone much differently.
As a side note, my players have always enjoyed the fact that I've always ran the knife's edge with them, and occasionally we've had a character die, but this was our group's first TPK. I've known my players for a few years, one is a great friend who I"ve known and played D&D with for nearly 20 years. This was his first TPK in all the off and on years of his playing, and he was actually kind of excited to have it happen, and even more so because I was the GM it happened with. As he put it, "it just adds to the legend," as in my gaming circle I'm infamous for two gaming sessions one of which happened nearly 16 years ago.
As for balancing around their play style, it isn't usually very difficult, at least with D&D. The randomness of GW though makes it a bit more difficult as none of us are familiar with the powers and tech yet, so it's definitely a feeling out period. However, we all see it as more of a fun challenge, kind of similar to when 4e first launched. I should have the majority of the text for powers and tech memorized in short order, so developing and adjusting encounters should get much easier.
In the end, I'm kind of glad we had this experience early on. It helps drive home the point of a hostile world and helps all involved feel out the game mechanics.
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3 years ago ::
Oct 18, 2010 - 6:51PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2008
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Gamma World is balanced a little differently than D&D, with higher damage all around, and fewer sources of healing. ...In GW, you can get beaten down pretty quickly, and that Second Wind is only a minor, so you should use it the moment you're bloodied (or even when you're very close to bloodied on your turn).
Lack of healing was definitely a factor, even using their Second Wind. Wrench (machine command) had low hp to start with (5 Con), so a couple hits and one machine tick was all it took (already spent his Second Wind).
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