[MECHANICS] Combat and Conflict
A process for creating more exciting encounters
A scenario: You’re preparing your next session of your fantasy roleplaying adventure game. You look back at the past few sessions and realize you haven’t run a combat in that time, and so you think it would make sense to add a combat in the next one for pacing purposes (or, if you’re like me, to throw a bone to your more tactical-minded players).
When you sit down to plan it out, however, you blank; what kind of combat should it be? What monsters should be a part of it? What should the goals be of the combat itself? And, most importantly, how can I make sure people are having fun?
Two words: add conflict.
What is conflict?
Conflict is the engine of narrative and character development. It arises from opposing forces clashing, whether they are internal struggles within a character, external battles against nature or other characters, ideological confrontations between differing beliefs, etc.
The significance of conflict lies in its ability to engage the players, compelling them to invest emotionally and intellectually in the outcome. It challenges characters, forcing them to confront their beliefs, make difficult choices, and ultimately undergo transformation (i.e., character development).
Conflict vs. Combat in ttRPGs
That being said, for many, conflict is mistaken for combat. This belief can lead to a narrow focus on only physical confrontations as the primary or sole means of generating tension and advancing the narrative. Not only that, but combat focuses intently on the outcome of an encounter rather than the why and how.
True conflict encompasses a spectrum of challenges that define the situation as a whole, whether that be moral dilemmas, emotional struggles, social intrigue, intellectual puzzles, and more.
Combat is just one expression of conflict.
GMs can create more memorable gaming experiences, ones that resonate on multiple levels by encouraging players to explore the depths of their characters and the complexity of the world as a whole, by not focusing on stat blocks, balance, and challenge ratings; but focusing instead on what—whether it’s the narrative or a character’s perspective—ought to be challenged.
Why Combat (Sometimes) Isn’t Enough
Combat can often feel superficial when it lacks meaningful context or integration with the overarching narrative.
This can manifest in four ways:
No Consequences: Combat scenarios that are inserted purely for the sake of action, without risks to the story or character arcs, can feel inconsequential and interrupt the flow of the narrative.
No Stakes: Fights where the outcomes do not advance the characters or the ongoing narrative fail to create suspense or investment from the players.
No Engagement: Encounters that do not tap into the characters' motivations, fears, or desires miss the opportunity to engage the players and keep their attention.
No Context: Enemies that serve as obstacles to be overcome, rather than as characters with their own motivations and ties to the world, can make combat feel flat and monotonous.
Prepping Conflict
So how do you prep conflict? You start by looking at three things:
The characters and their beliefs. This goes beyond knowing what your characters want—its about knowing how your characters see themselves and the world at large.
Ex: The noble Aydra believes herself to be above the common folk, but is aware that is rude and in poor taste. Still, she subconsciously distrusts the peasantry and is unlikely to heed their word above others., often opting to simply pay them off for information or favors.
The current objective and those who seek the same thing. Which other groups or individual characters pursue the same objectives as the player characters?
Ex: Aydra and her party seek the Golden Heart, a mechanical marvel squirreled away in a forgotten corner of the capital city. The Longfingers Guild, a widespread guild of thieves and assassins, seem to search for the same.
The points of contrast between 1 and 2. If a faction and a player character both pursue the same objective, what makes them opposed to one another.
Ex: The party travels down to the Dustdock in the depths of the capital city to get info on the Golden Heart’s last whereabouts. Dustdock, being in the very poor district, is rife with banditry and lawlessness. However, the Longfingers have vowed to make the streets safe with sanctioned theft and assassinations only against the rich and, as such, their supporters in the poor districts outnumber their detractors 3:1.
Based on these examples, we can already tell that no matter what the players choose to pursue in their search for the Golden Heart, Aydra is going to be forced into uncomfortable situations where her money is worth no more than her words, and both are worth very little down here.
One thing to note: despite #3 appearing as the outcome of #1 and #2, it's important to understand that each of these points independently can cause conflict; they are not sequential steps but separate processes leading to distinct types of conflict.
Below are a list of potential conflicts that can arise in your games. This is nowhere near comprehensive, but it may give your prep a bit of a jumpstart when searching for potential points of conflict:
Hunting down a traitor of an allied faction
Afflicting someone with a curse / virus / disease
Escaping a location once considered safe
Someone who mirrors a player character in belief
Someone who mirrors a player character in loyalty
Someone who serves as a foil to a player character in either of the above
Minions attempt to complete a ritual while their boss fights
Fearing the player character for their actions
Disrespecting the player character for their inaction
Spotlighting a character’s deepest held flaw
Flirty romance between opposing sides
An example of what the player character could have been
Letting a villain go in order to save innocents
Allowing the ritual to complete to get more information
… and many more.
Tying It All Together
By focusing on the characters, their objectives, and potential competitors or foils to their objectives, your conflict prep can become exceedingly simple. You don’t need to come up with entire storylines or plots, you only need to challenge the characters in ways that feel natural to who they are and what they want.
Many times, GMs look to the wrong answer to the right problem; the problem being how to keep players engaged with the world and its events. The answers often involve very detailed, plot-driven prep that can feel like railroading. Or, potentially worse, very complicated and tactical battles that end up feeling like tedious slogs. In both situations, can you blame players for checking out?
It's important to note that not everyone is going to be as committed to this idea as others. Players who are only looking for combat and rolling dice might not get full mileage out of this sort of conflict preparation. Still, the benefits outweigh the cons. Conflict prep will result in more player-driven actions overall, even for those who want the game more linear.
So, to recap:
Know the characters in your games, particularly their beliefs and flaws. As an added bonus, the more zealous they are in their beliefs or the more crippling the flaws, the better.
Identify objectives of the characters and, in the same vein, identify factions and/or other individuals who share the same objectives.
Determine points of conflict between the characters in #1 and the organizations or people in #2. Highlight these potential conflicts in your encounter prep.
Remember: conflict is the engine of narrative and character development. Without conflict, things don’t transform or change. But with it, you can create stories with your players that feel uniquely interesting to them—because they are!