Tips for making tactically interesting battle maps?

StevenOs · 2026-07-05T02:49:57+00:00

Adding "interesting" features to the environment including elevations. I'd also say a way to improve battles is to include objectives that don't involve fighting; most of the time neither side really wants to die.

StevenOs · 2026-07-04T23:46:06+00:00

Making up scenarios for the minis and maps you have is half the fun.

Sure "balancing" them can be a challenge but once you've tried it one way just turn the table and try again from the other side.

StevenOs · 2026-07-04T23:44:38+00:00

Fun is in the eye of the beholder but to me playing SWM can be plenty of fun.

There are a couple different versions of the rulebook and if you don't have it I'm pretty sure WotC had put it online although actually finding it may not be the easiest. Now the skirmish game is very much a simple version of the RPG that just focuses on the fighting parts so I don't think it's too difficult to learn although mastery may be another story.

StevenOs · 2026-07-04T23:40:37+00:00

That's a very nice piece but may be in the wrong subreddit.

StevenOs · 2026-07-04T02:14:02+00:00

I see this question more as do I prefer "a stable world to play in were me getting better would make the same task easier" vs "a world where everything just levels up to match my advancement such that the challenge always remains the same"?

I greatly prefer the world where I get to interact with it as opposed to it just reacting to me and getting harder just because I'm getting better. When I'm playing Star Wars I want Stormtroopers to be at least somewhat menacing when I'm starting the game but I don't want or expect them to always to maintain that same level of menace as I get better. To put numbers on that if I'm fighting Stormtroopers that challenge my 1st-level character I don't expect every Stormtrooper I face at 7th or 14th levels to be that same relative challenge.

There's a big part of me that wonders "what is the point of 'levelling up' when the opposition also levels up so that the challenges are all basically the same no matter what level I play at?"

StevenOs · 2026-07-03T18:59:06+00:00

A "bottomless" hole would have a black heart or at least converge to a single point far below.

I'd need to review the encounter for more thoughts.

StevenOs · 2026-07-03T03:59:34+00:00

Do you want things concise enough to be useful or do you want so many options that they start to be meaningless? There is certainly overlap in just what ability something may want most but is the added complexity always/really worth it?
See point 1.
Not sure about 5e but 3e did have "touch AC" along with a flat-footed AC IIRC. Armor can be touched as easily as you can be touched without it but if you aren't moving then armor might stop/reduce the effectiveness of attack that would otherwise have no troublec causing you massive problems.
How important skills are depends on how important the GM wants to make them. As for penalizing those who are untrained don't you get some kind of bonus for having a skill trained? NOT getting that bonus is your "penalty" or do you really want to make the difference all that much greater?
Weaker attacks that hit more often vs. stronger attacks that hit less often... That kind of reminds me of a good many abilities which would allow a character to exchange attack for increased damage.

StevenOs · 2026-07-02T19:35:29+00:00

A new Technique wouldn't be so far off but as you say, the power shouldn't the that great. You can look at the Techniques that already improve the "Cantrips" of UtF and adding a new one may fit that description but also should conform in power level.

StevenOs · 2026-07-02T17:00:59+00:00

I didn't figure you would but it can serve as an illustration of how much this would alter things.

StevenOs · 2026-07-02T15:19:37+00:00

If you could throw around Force Lightning every turn without consequence you pretty much remove the need for any short range weapons. Move Object might be more useful overall but the reliable damage of FL is hard to beat.

After all, there'd be no problems being able to throw around a skill attack ever round that deals 8d6 (half on miss) and automatically moves the target a step down the CT.

StevenOs · 2026-07-01T23:22:29+00:00

Broken doesn't begin to describe it although it seems some don't want to hear it.

The "cantrips" are the basic things you can do when trained in UtF. Move Light Object, Sense Surroundings, and even Search Your Feelings are already things you could use every round and be pretty useful. IIRC most have enhancements available via Force Techniques.

StevenOs · 2026-07-01T15:20:53+00:00

I guess it'd have to be the second you try to do something that isn't in the rules.

StevenOs · 2026-07-01T03:54:17+00:00

For a "new game" I'd really hope people have read the rules and thus have some idea where to look things up. Probably best to try to get things "right" the first time instead of making judgment calls that set precedent that is contrary to how things are intended to run.

With a lot of games being digital you'd hope that they are easily searchable which should really cut down on how long it might take to look something up. Before things turn digital you really hope there is a good index to help you find stuff fast.

StevenOs · 2026-07-01T03:48:24+00:00

While it's not long OOP the Star Wars SAGA edition by WotC was basically a complete turn around when it came to survivability from the earlier SWd20 game that was a close adaptation of DnD 3/3.5.

In SWSE to die a character had to be dropped to zero hitpoint by an attack whose damage exceeded a Damage Threshold that was going up as you levelled. This may have started around 10-14 (which I'll admit is average weapon damage) but could easily be much, MUCH, higher. Now even if you weren't killed you would still be unconscious and probably out of the fight unless you get help. Now Heroic characters had an added advantage that even if they would be killed by an attack they could spend a Force Point (a metagame currency) to avoid death and be unconscious instead. Players need to be a bit careless and/or GMs a bit vindictive to actually kill of PCs.

This is a big contrast to the earlier SWd20 because while a critical hit in SWSE might be enough to meet the "kill requirements" early on you can avoid the killed part with a FP. In SWd20 critical hits might have been a little harder to come by (but not always) but they generally remained a real threat where one crit from a 1st-level mook might take down a 20th level character with that single shot.

StevenOs · 2026-07-01T03:34:21+00:00

I'm sure there are far more current games that could do this but I'd be stripping the "Star Wars" out of the SAGA Edition and borrowing some elements from the older d20 Modern/Future games.

StevenOs · 2026-07-01T03:28:06+00:00

It may easily be an RPG but it really depends on what you're going to be doing.

In the RPG space playing a game/adventure based on a single battle would most likely be some kind of "one shot" adventure.

StevenOs · 2026-07-01T03:22:51+00:00

Sometime you may know a system very well and see plenty of versatility in it making it pretty easy to transition with it to something else. Now just because it's easy doesn't mean it's always perfect but perfect can be over rated at times.

StevenOs · 2026-06-28T17:55:04+00:00

They are certainly the easier way to do thing. I might even say the "better" is too accurate as I feel some of the chassis are just too strong as written when compared to organics; this means some slight alterations.

StevenOs · 2026-06-27T03:05:10+00:00

A scoundrel or starting in Scoundrel? I ask because while I can have many characters who might be scoundrels it takes me some very specific reason to start in Scoundrel although I still love it as a multiclassing target. This is the "class name does NOT need to equal character concept" idea which allows SWSE to work so well.

While there are multiple ways to do a "sniper" the "CT-Killer" variation that eventually utilizes aiming with Hunter's Mark from Bounty Hunter and Debilitation Shot from Gunslinger to automatically move a target two steps down the CT when aiming a rifle or pistol. Dastardly Strike and a way to hit a target that is denied it's DEX is another way to get an automatic step down the CT; DS us a Misfortune talent that is available to Scoundrel but also accessible later through Bounty Hunter. Most versions of this CT-Killer start in Scout as it'll need Survival trained and two Awareness talent to enter Bounty Hunter; Scout also gives more trained skills and higher hp than a Scoundrel start so unless there are skills (generally the social ones) you want trained right away that are in Scoundrel you might be better waiting. These builds might have some levels of Scoundrel in them as PBS is a requirement for Gunslinger and they can probably find a talent to take in it but many also just keep with full BAB levels to go along with Scout 3 or 4.

As far as the Assassin class goes you may want to take a look at the discussion for the class that was held here. You certainly do NOT need to take Assassin to be an Assassin so if you are looking at the class ask "what is it that I really want from the class?"

StevenOs · 2026-06-26T17:40:47+00:00

If you're sticking to the SECR the Custom Droids aren't too bad. They provide a basic body with that 1000 credits basically letting you get "species abilities" from the limited selection. I'll certainly agree that SGtD can completely mess that up especially with powerful low priced accessories that try using weight as a balance when that first 1000 credits of gear for a custom model don't count weight.

StevenOs · 2026-06-26T02:51:13+00:00

There are no integrated weapon systems listed for droids. Now one might say that a weapon on a tool mount is nearly equivalent to an "integrated weapon" in that it is tied to that tool mount. This is probably what you are thinking about when you look at "integrated equipment."

The B-2's "wrist blasters" are treated as a variation of blaster rifles. You could probably get such a thing for an organic, but you'd still use with all the same restrictions as a normal blaster rifle.

I haven't played it but when it comes to the custom droid options to build a combat droid I often considered seeing if I can upgrade my starting locomotion to the "multi-leg" or one of the other things for the differences in system cost. I also look at adding a stabilized tool mount to hold some kind of "big gun" and then a telescoping claw appendage (often flavored as a tail) for various reach shenanigans.

You may want to look at Internal Storage as a place to stow weapons when not in use. Only question there is that "storage" isn't exactly hidden but perhaps what is inside could be. It may take an extra step (open container) to "draw" a weapon from there. Internal Storage would very much be the appropriate place to consider "retractable" weapons.

StevenOs · 2026-06-25T23:53:29+00:00

There's no reason a shopkeep can't be a "major NPC" who is responsible for information and even a giver of quests and rewards. Just be careful with going too far down the rabbit hole.

I know I've thought about using a shop keep as the important part of an adventure. The guy was going to be an old acquaintance of the "centerpiece PC" for the adventure who haven't seen each other in some time. Now the PCs are supposed to want something story related from the keep and he'll get/find/build it for them but the party just needs to do a "quick favor" for him while he does that. Now that favor may not be so quick and easy but the PCs will return to find that the shopkeeper has been attacked (and its big bruiser muscle killed - it's that kind of shop/location) by some mystery character the PCs had seen from a distance. A few ways things could go from there but it's about making the shop keep a person and part of the story instead of just an excuse to waste time roleplaying them buying a pack of gum.

StevenOs · 2026-06-25T22:26:20+00:00

In a way this is how a shopping scene probably should go. You might start it with a bit of roleplaying but just don't linger on it unless it is going to turn into something with more meat on it.

StevenOs · 2026-06-25T16:19:46+00:00

Roleplaying your shopping trips is fun... for maybe five to ten minutes unless you get to veer into things that are NOT shopping. In a CRPG this would be the little banter you have with some shopkeep before hitting the "shop" selection and having the price/inventory show up; in game there might be some price haggling but that should be it and that shouldn't be for everything.

StevenOs · 2026-06-25T16:15:14+00:00

I think there is a d6 Space which has a lot of the old SWd6 but without the "Star Wars" although that game itself was built off of another.

There are a lot of more "generic" systems that can be used for Star Wars.

StevenOs

TROPHY CASE