Post
by Mytholder » Thu Mar 06, 2014 8:56 pm
To get away from the maths - one thing to keep in mind with Encounters is that they're designed to model the sort of meetings in the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings where the travellers arrive at a potential safe haven after a long journey and have to convince the local ruler that they're trustworthy. It happens quite a lot. In the Hobbit, you've got Beorn's Hall, Thorin's meeting with Thranduil (a dismal failure) and the arrival at Laketown. (Heh, and you could arguably count the Unexpected Party as an Encounter, only Bilbo's so polite his Tolerance is through the roof).
In Lord of the Rings, the model holds for Tom Bombadil's House, arguably the Prancing Pony, the meeting with Galadriel, Aragorn and co meeting Eomer, Merry and Pippin meeting Treebeard, Frodo and Faramir, and Pippin/Gandalf and Denethor (another failed Encounter). In each case, you've got the Companions arriving, introducing themselves, and trying to show they're not enemies so they can shelter and rest. You can expand the model to other, similar interactions, but Encounters work best when the PCs are in need and they're on the home ground of the person whose Tolerance is being tested.
Gareth Hanrahan
Line Developer - Laundry Files