The LEDGE Method: 5 Things to Consider When Designing Encounters

Some gamers like to play and/or run RPGs with a real story bent. And some story buffs like to take a "fractal" approach to stories, where each scene in the telling of a story is a mini-story in itself. Me, personally, I prefer to never lose sight of that roleplaying games are games. But unlike some of the prevailing theories out there, I feel good game, good story, and logical coherency actually work best in tandem. And so I think even gamers who aren't necessarily trying to create a story in their games will find these ideas make encounters more interesting.

First, I'll say I have actual reasons why I feel different styles actually work better together rather than separately. It's not just a warm and fuzzy sentiment for me. It's because when I get into some heavy duty thinkers, like famous psychoanalyst Carl Jung and legendary economist Ludwig von Mises. I couldn't help but notice that the anatomy of Jung's conception of a story correlates strongly to the anatomy of human action as laid out by von Mises. And I think that's why the two work in tandem. So my approach for encounters, which I call the LEDGE Method, is sort of a redux of necessary parts of both action and story.

LEDGE is a not-so-clever acronym for Launch, Environ, Dragon, Gold, and Exodus. These are the five most vital parts to an encounter. And as we go through them, you'll probably realize you're already doing most of these automatically without thinking about it. But you may also see that maybe half the time you're missing at least one of the five elements. It is my hope that by making a conscious effort to fill in the blanks that don't spring to mind automatically that could the encounters become a LOT more interesting.

Anatomy of an Encounter

LAUNCH 

Different phases of play require different time frames. We wouldn’t want to play out, minute-by-minute, when there are hours between anything eventful occurring. And we wouldn’t want to play out hour by hour an event that lasts only minutes and requires many more important decisions and interactions. Any number of conditions may mark the beginning of an encounter. The party enters a particular area, crosses a particular line, opens a particular door, enters a particular room, square, hex, terrain, etc. There could be a specific act or event, or an encounter can launch at a specific time. Periodic checks that turn up positive could also be cause for zooming in to a finer time scale.

The key here is that there should be some level of commitment to the event. Think of it as a gateway or threshold that must be crossed. Looking into a cave is generally not a Launch condition. Entering it can be. Be especially mindful of what the end condition in the Exodus step will be. If characters can step in and out quickly and easily without cost or hardship, there is no commitment. There is no exposure to risk or danger. And so avoidance should be handled on the broader scale, without needing to zoom in. If an exodus from an encounter simply requires stepping off any edge of the battlemap, the encounter should begin in the center, with the player characters thus fully committed to launched into the encounter.

ENVIRON

The surroundings wherein the encounter is contained. At its most basic, the environs of an encounter could be nothing more than terrain on a battlemap. More advanced environs may also include obstacles and traps. More exotic environs may even have special ground rules that apply, such as difficulty of using ranged weapons under conditions of high wind, visibility limitations in a foggy area, or the oppressive heat of a volcanic area.

DRAGON

The adversary. The existential chaos, out of the spoils of which a new order will be forged. The sum of all fears and of that which threatens. That which lurks beneath the surface, growing in size, strength, or even complexity the longer it is ignored. Typically, this with be that creature which is encountered, although it might be a concept instead. For instance, what is encountered my be a potential ally, if only distrust can be conquered. Triumph over the dragon is inexorably linked to the gold, that thing of value to be obtained which makes facing the dragon worthwhile.

GOLD

The ultimate objective. The primordial clay. The reward. The elixir. That which, once obtained, solves a problem, or recreates the world anew.  Gold does not have to literally be gold. Virtually any reward will work. The ideal reward, however, will be something that drives the action, and the acquisition of which has a revitalizing effect. It will enable the hero to build a new future.

EXODUS

If the launch requires a commitment, if the environs surround the encounter and separate it from the outer world, the exodus is that which must be done to exit the encounter. Any set of win conditions, as well as lose conditions, would fall under the exodus. What must happen to draw the encounter to an end or final conclusion? Ideally, the exodus will be coupled with a reintegration. How will that which is learned or obtained here be reconciled with the broader world? At its simplest, the burden of carrying home large amounts of treasure impose a special challenge. Overcoming this challenge is part of the exodus.

Example of the LEDGE Method in Action

I'm just going to roll a random daytime city encounter. d% = 23. City Watchman. Encounter is with a squad of 5 men (F0, 5 hp) plus a sergeant (F2, 19 hp) and accompanied by a cleric (C3, 9 hp). They will question suspicious persons, arrest law breakers, etc.

These city encounters are pretty good at delivering on stats and giving you some idea who these NPCs are and what they are doing. However, we’ve got a lot of work to do to fit this to the LEDGE Method. When in doubt, assume the encounter rolled is the DRAGON. These city watchmen, for the purposes of this encounter, are going to take on an adversarial role. In this case, I’m also going to assume the City Watch is going to question the PCs rather than arrest them.

First, I want to figure out what benefit there could be to the PCs  who face this encounter and perform well. This is the GOLD element. Groups that somehow manage to blow past this encounter through some clever action or magic may avoid the danger, but they also miss the opportunity for gain.

Perhaps if the players roleplay well, are courteous, provide answers that satisfy the city watch, manage to learn some of the details of what the city watch is seeking, and provide the watch with information or help, then perhaps they can earn the favor of the city watch. They may be trusted or given benefit of the doubt in the future. Or maybe one of the watchmen will have some useful information for the PCs.

Note what some of the right things and wrong things might be to say. If you feel you need some rules guidance, use the Encounter Reactions table in the 1E DMG (pg 63), and if players are going to have an ongoing friendly relationship with the watch, track loyalty (pg 36-37), which will come in handy if some other NPC tries to turn the watch against the PCs, or orders the arrest of the PCs.

Next, I want to figure out what the end condition for the encounter would be. This is the EXODUS element. It could be successful resolution as detailed above. It might also end in the arrest of the PCs if they perform very poorly. Or maybe the watch get agitated with the PCs, and the PCs manage to flee. How far ahead will the PCs need to get before the watch breaks off pursuit. You may wish to review the Pursuit and Evasion of Pursuit section of the 1E DMG (pg 67-69) for help in developing guidelines for the end state of the encounter.

In thinking particularly of the possibility of fleeing from the watch, it’s important to consider the ENVIRON of the encounter. Perhaps a map of the area of the city where the encounter occurs is in order. You might also wish to consider how the locals feel about the watch. If the watch is trusted and respected, bystanders may be likely to aid the watch. Each round, roll a die (smaller die type to represent greater likelihood of bystander interference). Maybe on a 2-3, they will shout to the watch which way the party went. This would make evasion trickier. On a 1, that might indicate the bystander(s) try to physically stop or hinder the party allowing the watch to catch up.

So what would trigger the LAUNCH? This might just be a random city encounter for your overall adventure or campaign, and it’s simply a matter of the encounter coming up. But remember, this is something that should have a level of commitment. If you simply say, “You see the city watch at a distance of 120’,” the PCs might say, “I don’t like the looks of this” and evade them entirely. And that would be a dud of an encounter. If the watch is specifically looking for the PCs, perhaps they have a couple of their members positioned elsewhere, blocking the PC’s escape if they decide to run. Then the PCs will have to decide whether to dispatch them violently to continue to run.

The details I glossed over and spoke of only in generalities should be easy to fill out given the context of your adventure or campaign in which this encounter appears. But I hope this example does demonstrate how to think of and prepare an encounter for fun and interactive play.

Let me know what you think of the LEDGE Method and if you could see yourself using it in your game.