alt.universes

I have previously dealt with the notion of the cliché on this blog, and closely related to that is the notion of the archetype. An archetype is an ideal example of a type, to give the dictionary definition. Carl Jung also made use of the term to define an inherited unconscious idea. Plato’s ideas can also be seen as the original archetypes and in fact the word itself comes from the greek word αρχετυπον. But how do archetypes play into writing and how can they be used to enhance the experience of a player in a game? Are there any dangers to using archetypes that a writer or GM must be wary of?

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The most obvious encounter is the combat encounter.  The other articles in this series were aimed at adding other types of encounters instead of combat to keep things interesting and varied in a campaign, and promoting player character balance by increasing the value of non-battle skills to a player.

In this part, we instead look at the combat encounter itself.  It is important that combat, usually taking up a large percentage of a campaign’s time, be just as varied and interesting as the rest of your campaign.  We are speaking much more than switching up the monsters, however.

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A while ago there was an episode of the DnD podcast from Wizards of the Coast that had a tip for DMs to start every session with the players rolling initiative. This usually indicates that combat, or at least some action sequence, is about to play out and initiative determines the order that the characters act in. The idea is that by having your players start the session in medias res, literally “into the midst of affairs”, they will be more engaged in the session as a whole.

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Another form of encounter that plays out well is the Puzzle Encounter.  The encounter challenges the players directly, and relies little on either skills or combat.  The ever popular "what do we need to do to move on?" gag is pretty standard fare, as is the "gotta figure it out before we die" method, but more basic encounters can include figuring out a map, piecing together clues, or actually solving a simple physical puzzle in a dungeon.

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