Dungeon Master: Challenging Players

Getting the level of challenge right is a bit of an art. It is, however, important in order to engage players. I hope to give my advice on how challenge should be considered in tabletop role-playing games.

Remember That There is No Reload

When playing tabletop role-playing games, there is typically no reload (you could, in theory, allow for a Prince of Persia style time rewinding mechanic). Even if present, players probably often don't want one. They want to get on with the story, see new things and role-play new situations. However, this means that players can't retry a combat encounter and use the very best tactics. There will be some experimentation needed. Also, since dice are a core part of the game, bad luck is possible. This means that the level of difficulty will need to allow for some less-than-optimal gameplay.

Different Groups Need Different Challenges

The experience of the group as well as their knowledge outside the game plays a massive part. Some players are very good at combat systems in general and can make what the rules call a difficult encounter look easy through great tactical use. Others may have issues with a normal encounter, especially if the terrain is used against them. It's not only limited to combat though. A too rough riddle or puzzle can cause a massive problem for a party, especially if answering the riddle or puzzle is the only way to progress. The preference of the group to the kind of challenge (thinking through puzzles or through combat) also effects the enjoyment of the players.

Different Kinds of Challenges

A mix of different kinds of challenges is also generally helpful. Some people could play combat encounters in D&D until the universe ends. My players prefer that the challenges they face are varied. I'd say this is more typical than not but still, knowing your players is important. The most obvious ones are combat encounters and puzzles. However, convincing someone can also be a challenge (this relies heavily on role-play). Battles tend to be similar to combat encounters but have different rules. They also tend to have more pieces on the board in my experience and different tactics. In other cases, the challenge can come from solving a mystery. This is kind of like solving a puzzle, but it's a bit different than solving the puzzle lock on a door in a dungeon. Instead, the challenge comes from finding or noticing clues, creating plausible conclusions and then trying to cleverly confirm or reject them. There is also a different way to look at puzzle besides just difficulty. Convincing a king may be difficult because of the work, time, and effort they need to use to do it. The favours required would be long and dangerous. In this case, the challenge isn't necessarily one event (role-play and/or dice roll) but the long journey to accomplish the goal (with many smaller challenges were failure may lurk).

Challenges Should Reflect the Story

The challenges presented to the players should be coherent. In my case, my players typically pay special attention to this kind of thing. The villain, if established as extremely powerful, should be so when they face them in combat. There is some allowance (maybe when they were lower level the villains henchmen were harder than the villain after they prepared for the final battle) but the relative difficulty of tasks should be considered to prevent breaking immersion. Storming a castle should be harder for a single person than storming a small house in the middle of the forest.