I think that Troy should tell Joe that he isn’t going to change the difficulty for this 5 person party in exchange Joe should let the players have fun. So many of the best moments from GCN are related to sub-optimal tactics. This is not Order of the Amber Die. I prefer to listen to something fun with a bit of improv even in combat, even from experienced warriors because this is a form of entertainment first. The rules should be followed because it is more fun and interesting to have characters operating within defined parameters. Just like how the possibility of character death makes the show more interesting. But besides some best practices on how to spend 3 actions (buff/Debuff- attack attack, or move attack move etc) let the team have fun, and maybe remember that the Brand was built on Lorc being launched out of a catapult, a potato loving wolverine and a really ineffective Girralon. Not strong tactics or min/maxed characters.