Making Rules-Lite Monsters Mechanically Distinct and Tactically Interesting
Threats in your rules-lite games don't have to be boring or repetitive.
When it comes to enemies, foes, and monsters, rules-lite RPG systems demand a little more work in order to make threats mechanically distinctive and tactically interesting. In rules-heavy games, monster stat blocks provide you with lots of info regarding powers, traits, auras, etc., but end up creating even more information for the GM to retain in order to be effective. Instead of stat-centric powers, rules-lite systems tend to rely on both the fiction and narrative positioning to frame the unique threats that a given monster brings to bear against the party. But I’ve found myself getting lazy at times and simply making bigger threats little more than a slightly bigger bag of hit points. Booooooooring.
To remedy this tendency I’ve begun compiling a list of ways to make enemies and monsters more mechanically interesting and tactically challenging for players to face. Tricube Tales does have “Hack-and-Slash” genre rules which assign a trait and rank to monsters in order to vary the challenge difficulty, but there is no guidance offered on ways a GM can increase the complexity of monsters beyond increasing their relative challenge rating.
What follows is an attempt to flesh out some options that lead to more dynamic engagements with enemies. (Note: while these ideas are mechanically tied to the Tricube Tales system, I think the principles are transferrable to most rules-lite games.)
In addition to adding effort tokens to increase a monster’s durability, I’ve begun introducing:
1. Enemies that remove a player’s Karma. A vampire’s bite drains more than blood!
2. Enemies that reduce the number of d6's a character can roll for a challenge by 1. Example: A Brawny character can only roll a maximum of 2d6 for a Brawny challenge. A psionic blast from the alien temporarily impairs the hero.
3. Enemies that limit a character’s actions to 1/turn. While Tricube Tales doesn’t have a strict action economy, having an effect that limits a player to either moving or attacking in a round presents a new tactical wrinkle. The wizard’s ice spell begins stiffening the joints of the barbarian.
4. Enemies that negate perks for the duration of the combat. The hag’s totem of cursing inhibits the heroes as long as it remains in her possession.
5. Enemies that are immune to critical successes. The bounty hunter’s soldier’s armor will bend, but never break.
6. Enemies that cannot be harmed by non-magical attacks (or attacks by element “X”). Only a weapon forged by Elven magic can pierce the dragon’s hide.
7. Enemies that immediately counter-attack after each player's attack. The shinobi strikes with furious precision against his foes.
8. Enemies that bestow a narratively appropriate Affliction. The ogre’s club is massive and causes all struck by it to be concussed.
Integrating these ideas into Tricube Tales’ “Hack-and-Slash” rules would look like this:
Yeti: Rank 2. Brawny.
A Yeti’s attack can break bones (Affliction)
Mummy: Rank 3. Clumsy.
A mummy’s gaze can render a character’s perks unusable.
Vampire: Rank 3. Agile.
A vampire’s bite (i.e. melee) attack reduces a player’s Resolve and Karma by 1.
Goblin horde: Rank 1. Agile and weak.
The horde is relentless and unyielding, dishing out an immediate counter-attack after a player’s attack roll.
What are your thoughts? How do you make rules-lite monsters mechanically and tactically distinct and interesting?