Let's say you're playing a fantasy game (I guess it could be a modern or sci-fi game for that matter) and the PCs are in a town in the midst of an angry mob rampaging through the streets.
Do you handle it via random encounters, or other random mechanics? Do you chart the course of the whole mob? Do you do it all abstract?
Depends on the size of the mob and the complexity of the streets. But usually I district an area where the encounter rate goes through the roof, for possible good or ill. That means there is a high chance of multiple encounters -- and multiple eyes watching any encounter -- and possibly joining in, on either side... or calling in more encounters!
The intent is to quickly show how things can get out of hand and overwhelm any party. D&D Overwhelm rules are good for this, as sheer numbers can pin down higher levels. I also use things where there is no such thing as Lvl 0 NPCs, so all threats are unknowns. Think your fireballs or fighter's attacks = fighter lvl vs. HD-1 creatures will save you? You're just wrong, no save.
Riots should SCARE people.
Nullifying any presumed advantage (because it's unlikely you know everyone in a given high pop town), maintaining numerical advantage, constant encounter pressure, potential for compounding encounter pressure, chase scenes, and erratic behavior are my touchstone points.
Regionalizing it into districts is my concession to order and playability. However, riots move like amorphous blobs, so given time even that's cold comfort. The second any mere "fireteam" or "squad" feels like they got it under control, you did it badwrongfun.
We just did a riot scene in Stars Without Number, using mostly the standard combat rules. In this civilized city nobody was armed with anything more dangerous than a knife or club. The party was quickly trapped and could no longer evade. The mob advanced in small groups, slowly, so I could manage how many were engaged at once, although I put a ton of figures down so party realized they could go under by attrition eventually. They did a good job of using Talk and Contact skills, making a few of the rioters back off, "Dude, you know me, I'm not the enemy!". Then it went to maybe four rounds of combat. Individual rioters turned away as soon as they were injured. When half were gone the others did their morale check, failed, and went elsewhere to smash windows and burn shops. Players were all down to 5 hp or less, but got away.
The one time I ran a riot was in a Mutants & Masterminds game. I threw together some powers that amounted to the Snare ability as an AoE the PCs had to dodge. If they failed it hit them with an Affliction that got worse unless they could break free. So basically they could get caught in the mob and then had to struggle against it to move or act in any sort of way.
For the mob's movement I just used a bit of hand waving based on circumstances. If nothing stuck out as a factor in which way they would go (explosions, police, PCs, etc) I used a d12 to determine the direction.
That's why fighters have that multi-attack rule against 0 level (<1 hd) combatants.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1029056Let's say you're playing a fantasy game (I guess it could be a modern or sci-fi game for that matter) and the PCs are in a town in the midst of an angry mob rampaging through the streets.
Do you handle it via random encounters, or other random mechanics? Do you chart the course of the whole mob? Do you do it all abstract?
I treat it about the same as any other encounter, I suppose. Players can choose to engage, or not to, for the most part. The riot will have some reason behind it. Not just something from a random encounter table. And the riot will make a difference no matter how things might end up. I won't let a riot halt or slow down a game. Things have to be kept moving in real-time.
I will sometimes treat the mob as a single entity.
I believe you're supposed to handle one riot with one ranger, right?
Quote from: HappyDaze;1030016I believe you're supposed to handle one riot with one ranger, right?
Cast
Summon Chuck Norris
While it's a superhero RPG, this is something that came up twice during play testing for Metahumans Rising. In the system we classified it as a Disaster. Based on the size of the riot and how dangerous it was a few things happened. Each Turn, no real associated time measure, the players and GM made opposing rolls, the first riot was in a school for Metahumans so it was small but dangerous, the second was at a political rally, larger but the potential for massive harm lower. The heroes had to pull down it's body of Successes while the Disaster built Successes. Based on if the Disaster gained or lost Successes the GM narrated the action. Damage to the area and people within is automatic based on the size with a bonus from how the dice fall based on the ferocity. So the heroes had to take actions that would quell the riot their rolls were based on those actions.
Well, if i was your typical fantasy medieval city riot, I'd probably do it with a chart, assuming the heroes are out in the city streets.
Each round, each player gets hit with 0-2 attacks (4d - 2, say), and the attacks would vary from mud/poo to thrown rocks to outright club attacks. I can totally see townsfolk throwing stuff from windows as well as from the rampaging crowd, and ostentatious displays of firepower (eg, fireball) would probably diminish such attacks (or end the riot entirely), a few melee swings from the more murderously inclined party members wouldn't make much difference (a good bard performance might, though).
But I'd still use some abstract system. The image of your typical plate-armored adventurers hacking up rags-wearing rioters just doesn't do it for me.
Quote from: RandyB;1030019Cast Summon Chuck Norris
Ah, a Dragon Quest player, I see. Of course you realise that the spell makes no promises on the condition of said Chuck Norris at the tie of summoning.
Chuck Norris doesn't get summoned with conditions on him. If you summon him, he puts conditions on you.
Quote from: David Johansen;1030039Ah, a Dragon Quest player, I see. Of course you realise that the spell makes no promises on the condition of said Chuck Norris at the tie of summoning.
Actually, never played Dragon Quest. I was free associating between Texas Ranger (One Riot, One Ranger),
Walker, Texas Ranger (Chuck Norris), and
Summon Bigger Fish (Darths & Droids)
Depends who is rioting.
Normal humans have piss poor morale, especially once hurt. PCs are notoriously combat-capable and usually armed to the teeth.
However, crazy crap happens in riots. So its quite possible for PCs to get overwhelmed, dragged down or get hit by rocks in the head.
By the time a riot happens, diplomacy is done. It's run, sneak or fight time.
Quote from: HappyDaze;1030016I believe you're supposed to handle one riot with one ranger, right?
In Texas.