I've been thinking about surprise attacks in RPGs. Rather than making up caricatures and laundering my opinions through imaginary critics, I'll go straight to listing some games and how they handle the subject.
A SURVEY OF THE FIELD
In Delta Green being surprised in combat is instant death. It grants +20% chance to hit and automatic critical damage. I've wiped out groups of Agents with ambushes using these rules and looking back it sucked. Delta Green is an espionage and conspiracy game and one of the challenges with this genre is you can get killed in an instant by the machinations of enemies you never saw. A failure of tradecraft which you didn't notice a session back leads to the other guy setting in motion a chain of behind the scenes events that leads to your sudden death. It's part of the genre but it's not actually the fun, equivalent to soft locking one of those Sierra adventure games because you didn't pick up an item eighteen hours of gameplay ago. Tradecraft is an important part of the genre but there are infinite ways to get caught and by definition it's impossible to know whether you covered them all. You have to find ways to show the players that something is happening behind the scenes and they need to prepare, without just giving them a free lunch.
By that same token Delta Green players can eliminate almost any group of humans in a single round of shooting from surprise. This can be anticlimactic but it can also be a reward for players who do their homework and surveil the enemy to learn their routines and where they can be caught unawares. One thing I didn't think about until now, the automatic critical damage from surprise would also double the effective lethality rating of any lethality weapons, meaning you could blow up monsters who were normally resistant to your guns if you ambushed them.
I couldn't remember the surprise attack rules from Unknown Armies 3e because in half a decade of running and playing I can only think of one ambush (the Grognards attacking the Mamluks in The Lone and Level Sands). Turns out the rules work the way I said they did in that moment: if you successfully ambush someone, every ambusher gets a free action before the fight proceeds as normal. The Unknown Armies corebook lists many ways the players can deescalate fights instead of engaging in turn based combat. While I don't think this is borne out by the published modules (Maria in Three Parts, Rattleshake and Bring Me The Head of Comte Saint Germain) it strongly implies a social contract where fighting is a player decision. Attacking the players out of nowhere skips the part the game developer is most interested in. The DM section of the UA3 core set has a whole phase for NPC blowback, where the players challenging a powerful enemy could prompt a violent response. But in practice that opens with a confrontation prior to the actual fighting, where the NPCs intimidate the characters before attacking.
I remember Unknown Armies 2e had more of an emphasis on ambushes and instant lethal violence, with whole conspiracies of mage-hunters who shot wizards before they could start casting. 3e has a very different setting and tone. The conspiracies of elite special operators have been dialed back and the assumption with the corkboard is that the players are basically aware of who might be a threat to them at the beginning of the game. The mystery cult design of the original game where the players learned about the world and key factions is harder to maintain in a legacy Kickstarter game for superfans of prior eds.
Sneak attacks in Eclipse Phase 1e (I haven't played the second one) combine all the most challenging parts of running and playing the game. Surveillance (huge list of gadgets) and enhanced perception (massive list of augments and gear) versus countersurveillance (gadgets and hacking rules) and other augmentations to dupe the enhanced perception. Add weapons that can't be detected by conventional means (nanomachines carrying lethal poison) and countermeasures to THOSE weapons (nanodetectors), reputation rules to see if you learn about the plot before it happens, special traits that alert you to danger if all of the above fails, psychic powers that circumvent every rule I just listed... The rules for the surprise attack itself are a sideshow compared to the interplay of all the different pieces of game content that go into ambush and counterambush.
I couldn't remember the surprise attack rules from Unknown Armies 3e because in half a decade of running and playing I can only think of one ambush (the Grognards attacking the Mamluks in The Lone and Level Sands). Turns out the rules work the way I said they did in that moment: if you successfully ambush someone, every ambusher gets a free action before the fight proceeds as normal. The Unknown Armies corebook lists many ways the players can deescalate fights instead of engaging in turn based combat. While I don't think this is borne out by the published modules (Maria in Three Parts, Rattleshake and Bring Me The Head of Comte Saint Germain) it strongly implies a social contract where fighting is a player decision. Attacking the players out of nowhere skips the part the game developer is most interested in. The DM section of the UA3 core set has a whole phase for NPC blowback, where the players challenging a powerful enemy could prompt a violent response. But in practice that opens with a confrontation prior to the actual fighting, where the NPCs intimidate the characters before attacking.
I remember Unknown Armies 2e had more of an emphasis on ambushes and instant lethal violence, with whole conspiracies of mage-hunters who shot wizards before they could start casting. 3e has a very different setting and tone. The conspiracies of elite special operators have been dialed back and the assumption with the corkboard is that the players are basically aware of who might be a threat to them at the beginning of the game. The mystery cult design of the original game where the players learned about the world and key factions is harder to maintain in a legacy Kickstarter game for superfans of prior eds.
Sneak attacks in Eclipse Phase 1e (I haven't played the second one) combine all the most challenging parts of running and playing the game. Surveillance (huge list of gadgets) and enhanced perception (massive list of augments and gear) versus countersurveillance (gadgets and hacking rules) and other augmentations to dupe the enhanced perception. Add weapons that can't be detected by conventional means (nanomachines carrying lethal poison) and countermeasures to THOSE weapons (nanodetectors), reputation rules to see if you learn about the plot before it happens, special traits that alert you to danger if all of the above fails, psychic powers that circumvent every rule I just listed... The rules for the surprise attack itself are a sideshow compared to the interplay of all the different pieces of game content that go into ambush and counterambush.
In Esoteric Enterprises surprise is instant death for players because it bypasses your larger fast-regenerating HP pool (grit) and hits your smaller pool of real HP (flesh), the one that doesn't increase with level. A single D8 of damage to this pool can result in a lethal bleeding out condition or just outright kill the victim. This makes the Perception skill mandatory to maximize. Buy it up to 6 points and you've got only a 1 in 36 chance of being caught unaware. Getting Perception and Medicine up to can't-miss levels was the single biggest determining factor in the lethality of every EE game I ran and played.
Notably, the EE rules are more punishing to players than monsters because monsters as a rule have higher flesh than humans. Sometimes multiple dice. Going straight to flesh with one attack isn't beneficial if you don't deal enough damage to kill the target, since on subsequent rounds you have to work your way through their grit anyway. Though it could provoke a morale check, since getting hit in flesh is an immediate signal (especially to wild animals) that something is wrong and you need to get out of there...
In OSE, the surprise rules combined with the game's default method of side based initiative can annihilate a group of players before they have an opportunity to react. I actually really like the basic encounter paradigm of random encounters, surprise rolls, encounter distance and reaction rolls because they can generate so many different results that add stakes and tension. But I also think the chance to go from alive to dead without the opportunity do anything really throws into sharp relief the tension between all the posts about "player skill" and how the game rules actually work.
People complain about the Thief introducing skills to D&D, as though rolling Hide in Shadows to hide in shadows is any different than rolling Turn Undead to turn undead. I do understand the beef with the Thief though because the OSE Thief's rules for sneaking around and attacking people are their own separate side pot with different mechanics from the general use surprise rules. Sneaky monsters and monsters with special senses have an increased chance to surprise the players and/or a reduced chance to be surprised. Rather than doing the same for the players the Thief has a separate percentage based system reflecting their ability to move and hide. I think the idea is that the Thief skills are used when the Thief is scouting ahead of the party, or when they're creeping up on a foe the group has already detected but is unaware of them.
Mythic Bastionland assumes the players act first in normal combat. If they're caught unaware they have to pass a saving throw to act on the first round. If you get attacked when you aren't expecting it there's a good chance you aren't wearing your full suit of body armor.
Notably, the EE rules are more punishing to players than monsters because monsters as a rule have higher flesh than humans. Sometimes multiple dice. Going straight to flesh with one attack isn't beneficial if you don't deal enough damage to kill the target, since on subsequent rounds you have to work your way through their grit anyway. Though it could provoke a morale check, since getting hit in flesh is an immediate signal (especially to wild animals) that something is wrong and you need to get out of there...
In OSE, the surprise rules combined with the game's default method of side based initiative can annihilate a group of players before they have an opportunity to react. I actually really like the basic encounter paradigm of random encounters, surprise rolls, encounter distance and reaction rolls because they can generate so many different results that add stakes and tension. But I also think the chance to go from alive to dead without the opportunity do anything really throws into sharp relief the tension between all the posts about "player skill" and how the game rules actually work.
People complain about the Thief introducing skills to D&D, as though rolling Hide in Shadows to hide in shadows is any different than rolling Turn Undead to turn undead. I do understand the beef with the Thief though because the OSE Thief's rules for sneaking around and attacking people are their own separate side pot with different mechanics from the general use surprise rules. Sneaky monsters and monsters with special senses have an increased chance to surprise the players and/or a reduced chance to be surprised. Rather than doing the same for the players the Thief has a separate percentage based system reflecting their ability to move and hide. I think the idea is that the Thief skills are used when the Thief is scouting ahead of the party, or when they're creeping up on a foe the group has already detected but is unaware of them.
Mythic Bastionland assumes the players act first in normal combat. If they're caught unaware they have to pass a saving throw to act on the first round. If you get attacked when you aren't expecting it there's a good chance you aren't wearing your full suit of body armor.
In His Majesty The Worm if the players get surprised the monsters get a free action, and whatever they do automatically succeeds. But the book also says the monsters should do something besides just deal damage, only getting a free hit as a last resort. Take a superior position, cast a buff, snuff the players' light source, shove the players around, grapple someone, set off a trap... Similarly if the players ambush the enemy their first action succeeds automatically, whether it's dealing damage or maneuvering or casting a spell.. Like in Bastionland, characters ambushed while camping may not be wearing their armor or weapons.
The players also get abilities which grant surprise attacks. The Sneak ability from the Pentacles list lets you disappear into the background and return in the first round of combat to get an automatic success on your first action. The Ambusher talent doesn't actually let you ambush people, just gives you bonus damage on the first round of combat and prevents YOU from being ambushed. Ambush protection is not as essential in His Majesty The Worm as in other games on this list.
The players also get abilities which grant surprise attacks. The Sneak ability from the Pentacles list lets you disappear into the background and return in the first round of combat to get an automatic success on your first action. The Ambusher talent doesn't actually let you ambush people, just gives you bonus damage on the first round of combat and prevents YOU from being ambushed. Ambush protection is not as essential in His Majesty The Worm as in other games on this list.
The Goblin Punch guy, who was one of the primary inspirations for Bastionland and His Majesty The Worm, said that he got rid of surprise rolls and just gave the initiative to the players. He felt that the decision of fight/don't fight was too important to leave up to chance. Instead he went with an immediate action system where the sudden apparition of monsters forced the players to immediately choose what to do, without the opportunity to discuss and plan. Technically this is also how His Majesty The Worm is supposed to work, with the guy walking point making snap decisions on how to react to unexpected events.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
I don't like surprise attacks that grant instant lethal damage. I don't care for lengthy tactical combat but if you make it too fast and lethal then the optimal strategy is always "attack attack attack" and any other action becomes nonviable because you aren't dealing damage. Delta Green has an issue where suppressing fire, maneuvering, etc is never as good as just standing and blazing away with your service weapon in hopes of a disabling hit, and maybe using your free 3 meters of movement to claim cover. But I also recognize that this is part of the setting and tone. Delta Green is a game where instant death from a gunshot wound is a serious possibility, that's just core to the genre. Some real world police departments do train officers to advance on the target while firing rather than seek cover and engage in a protracted gunfight, prioritizing immediate elimination of the threat.
The other issue with big bonus damage from stealth is it's an obvious dominant strategy that can eclipse everything else. In my own heartbreaker Begone FOE there's an issue where a character specced for stealth is a better fighter than the actual Fighter. The ability to control the terms of engagement and open with bonus damage attacks is stronger than fighting arts and slightly higher to-hit and damage from BODY. Having a character with Alertness as their mastered Skill also prevents the same thing from happening to you. I've inadvertently created the same problem I criticized Esoteric Enterprises for.
I say all this about my own experiences running Begone FOE, but I've heard different stories from other people. My last essay where I waxed about the problems with rolling to hit and torches got a positive response from DMs who had run the game. According to their players, being a Fighter is actually great and not overshadowed by the all encompassing power of a SKILL build. It's possible we're running the game differently (I often forget to apply chip damage from BODY) but it's also possible I'm just wrong about BODY being weak.
After writing up this survey I think the big value of surprise is that it stops the players from starting in an optimal position and making the obvious winning moves they've learned from prior combats. Like randomized starting positions in chess, forcing everyone to think on their feet rather than cycle through memorized openings. I think His Majesty The Worm has the right idea, starting the players in a dangerous or losing position without opening with a barrage of unavoidable damage.
The other issue with big bonus damage from stealth is it's an obvious dominant strategy that can eclipse everything else. In my own heartbreaker Begone FOE there's an issue where a character specced for stealth is a better fighter than the actual Fighter. The ability to control the terms of engagement and open with bonus damage attacks is stronger than fighting arts and slightly higher to-hit and damage from BODY. Having a character with Alertness as their mastered Skill also prevents the same thing from happening to you. I've inadvertently created the same problem I criticized Esoteric Enterprises for.
I say all this about my own experiences running Begone FOE, but I've heard different stories from other people. My last essay where I waxed about the problems with rolling to hit and torches got a positive response from DMs who had run the game. According to their players, being a Fighter is actually great and not overshadowed by the all encompassing power of a SKILL build. It's possible we're running the game differently (I often forget to apply chip damage from BODY) but it's also possible I'm just wrong about BODY being weak.
After writing up this survey I think the big value of surprise is that it stops the players from starting in an optimal position and making the obvious winning moves they've learned from prior combats. Like randomized starting positions in chess, forcing everyone to think on their feet rather than cycle through memorized openings. I think His Majesty The Worm has the right idea, starting the players in a dangerous or losing position without opening with a barrage of unavoidable damage.
My favorite classic d20 fantasy monster is the Umber Hulk. Umber Hulks are ambush predators who jump out of a dungeon wall and attack you with their confusion gaze followed by brutal melee attacks. In my run of the Caves of Contemplation the players were kitted out with Alertness and Engineering skills that let them detect the hulk tunneling around them. Rather than ruin the surprise it turned the encounter into an Aliens motion tracker style stalk, with the Hulk following the players just outside line of sight. Umber Hulks are intelligent and it waited until they were tarpitted by traps and Gnomes before attacking. The players detecting the beast turned a few seconds of excitement into half an hour of Hitchcockean suspense.
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