When does an encounter start?

[klingor]

Hi Bret et al,
I'd always assumed that an encounter started when you entered eg a room ie when the paragraph starts ' You are at A in a Type 2 room, go to xxx'.
Am I right about this, or do I get to cast protective/defensive spells on my party before I go to xxx and find out what I'm uo against.

Scenario- I'm at the top of the stairs, I go down them - What is at the bottom? If it is a room, I would have taken different actions before entering it than if it were a corridor/tunnel. I would have thought that as I moved down the stairs, I would get a better idea of what was down there. so I would have the spells already on the party when they hit the bottom.
This would be as allowing the desired spells to be cast when you see ' You are at A in a Type 2 room, go to xxx' and then going to xxx.
Sorry to be so pedantic about this. but when I played in a Melee/Wizard campaign in our group before ITL came out, the GM was a stickler for the letter of the law - even though he wasn't a Law student!
Thanks
Colin

[mister frau blucher]

Good Morning, Colin,

Don't worry about being pedantic! I am glad you are thinking about the nature of our encounters.

This is one of the problem areas between programmed and game-mastered adventures. With a gm describing things as you progress, it is easy to take such precautions as casting spells before entering a room or corridor.

With the programmed format, it is difficult to replicate this. We could put in a bunch of pre-encounter instructions that somewhat describe where you are going and seeing and allowing you to do this, but including another instruction before every encounter bogs down the reading and the playing, the overall experience of the game. One thing we have tried to do over the years is streamline the experience of our adventures as to excess page-flipping with instructions of negligible value.

So the default is, you emerge into the room without the opportunity to take spell-casting precautions. Perhaps not ideal in every situation, but generally effective, we feel. As it only takes a turn to cast spells, the mage is usually able to cast any spell before arrows start flying. If the party did not get initiative, on't forget the skill Tactician to try and seize it.

Now, one more thing to consider. I don't like when programmed adventures straightjacket you into doing something stupid. If you are playing and you feel, "Hey, now, there is obviously an opportunity for my characters to be prepared before this encounter, then by all means do it. All of our adventures are play-tested with a "cold open" to an encounter, but preparing for a few beforehand, that you feel there is a logical opportunity to do so, will not be cheating.

Just as there are places in the rules for fiat, there is nothing wrong with playing an adventure that way! Or at leat, I have not been busted by the LAW cops yet...

Cheers, Colin! Hope this answers your questions!

Bret

[klingor]

Thanks Bret,
The way I play it , in your underground adventures, is that I have a preset list of spells that have happened as soon as a party hits 'You are at A/B/C/D in a type X room'.
The fatigue for the spells has already been incurred. If the room turns out to be empty, or there is nothing threatening, or the spells are irrelevant, then that's too bad for the party - the insurance premium has been wasted but it is still gone.
The scenario would be :
Party in room A. there is an exit to the north.
You decide to go north and whether or not to apply the preset list.
Four separate cases
1) You apply the list and hit 'You are at A..... go to Z' The fatigue for all the spells is applied, the spells are in place and then you find the room contents are by going to instruction Z. Fatigue is expended.
2) You don't apply the list and hit 'You are at A..... go to Z'. You go straight to Z and take it from there - it is a cold encounter.
3) You apply the list and don't hit 'You are at A..... go to Z'. No fatigue used, no spells in force, continue as normal.
4) You don't apply the list and don't hit 'You are at A..... go to Z'. No fatigue used, no spells in force, continue as normal.
Application of the list of spells is unconditional - it is triggered by your decision that "IF I go through and IF it leads to a room THEN I will have cast the following spells and incurred the cost'.
This was what I had in mind when I suggested Multicast as a new spell.
Cheers
Colin

[klingor]

Bret
When I said in the first message that the GM wasn't a Law student, I meant that he wasn't studying for a legal degree.
Sorry about any confusion between the real world (LAW) and the fantasy world (lawyers)
All the best
Colin

[dare2go]

I think that's a good way to apply it. Like Bret said, the problem with programmed adventures is that sometimes they don't allow room for doing something that would be practical.

Anyway, I think you're doing it correctly.