#Encounter Design (遭遇設計)
Contents
A GM guide for making meaningful battles.
#Difficulty Standards
| Difficulty | Enemy Composition (for a 4-person party) | Expected Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 1 Elite + 1 Minion squad + 4~6 Mobs | 2~3 |
| Normal | 1 Elite + 2 Minion squads + 6~8 Mobs | 3~5 |
| Hard | 2 Elites + 1 Veteran squad + 2 Minion squads | 5~7 |
| Lethal | 1 Lord-grade + 2 Elites + many squads | 7+ |
#Elements That Make Combat Interesting
- Place the objective in the Core Zone: not simple annihilation, but an objective such as "destroy the altar in the Core Zone."
- Zone modification: a narrow bridge(capacity limit), a burning building(1 Wound each turn), a collapsing floor.
- Lull Phase event: yoma intrusion drawn by the smell of blood (d100 encounter table).
- Time limit: if the objective is not achieved within N rounds, reinforcements arrive.
- Moral dilemma: an allied squad is in the Core Zone; do you use an area attack?
#Moral Dilemma Design Guide
A moral dilemma is "a situation where the tactically optimal answer creates a Three Ways and Six Hearts conflict." Design it in the 3 steps below:
- Present a tactical advantage: create a situation where a "strong move" such as an area attack, squad sacrifice, or assassination is clearly advantageous.
- Impose a moral cost: show through narrative that if that move is used, at least one of allied lives, trust, reputation, or faith resources will be damaged.
- Open an alternate route: preserving morality requires a harder tactic(for example, additional Energy spent, flanking movement, negotiation), but remains possible.
3 Examples:
- Area Attack vs Squad Sacrifice: Fire-dragon bombardment burns the yoma stronghold, but also sweeps up the captured allied squad → Loyalty(Rescue) vs Hegemony(Victory).
- Deal with a Yoma: If they promise to provide information instead of sealing it, a powerful yoko becomes an ally → Truth(Way) vs Compassion(Rescue).
- Violating the Lord's Secret Order: The order is "burn the village," but the villagers are innocent → Loyalty(Lord's Order) vs Compassion(Rescue).
The result of a dilemma leads directly to a Three Ways and Six Hearts movement check. See co-02-02 §Heart Movement.
#Mass-Battle Scenarios — 5 Core Mission Types (合戰の核心)
In a large-scale mass battle(thousands to tens of thousands), the mission assigned to the PC unit is the "core of the battle's course." Choose 1~2 of the 5 types and assign them to the PCs. Do not track 5 myriads of troops — bind the fate of those 5 myriads to the PC unit's mission.
Related Entries: Squad Operations §Mass Battle · Breakthrough §Forced Charge
#1. Seize an Enemy Key Point
A point that creates the beginning and end of the battle's course. Take this one point, and the entire battle tilts.
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Example | bridge, passage, high ground, spirit-vein location, spiritual rift, entrance to the enemy main camp |
| PC Mission | "Hold this bridge for 3 rounds" / "Capture the high ground" |
| Victory Condition | zone control (Domination advantage for N rounds) |
| Demonstration | A Domination contest over one zone decides the course of the whole battle |
#2. Capture or Kill the Commander
An army collapses when its head is cut off. One person's death becomes the flight of ten thousand.
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Example | enemy daimyo, front-line commander, sealer, ritual officiant |
| PC Mission | "Infiltrate the enemy lieutenant's tent" / "Capture the daimyo" |
| Victory Condition | specific Elite/Lord incapacitated or bound |
| Demonstration | One blade decides the morale of ten thousand |
#3. Headquarters Ambush by a Detached Force
Not the front, but the flank; not the Front Zone, but the Rear Zone. A handful of detached troops strike the back of the whole army.
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Example | Fuma Band infiltration, setting the main camp on fire after an outside flank, stealing the war banner |
| PC Mission | "Topple the main camp's war banner" / "Set fire to the supply tent" |
| Victory Condition | destroy a rear key facility (war banner, supplies, ritual altar) |
| Demonstration | the true field of mobile classes such as the Fuma Band, shinobi, and gaijin |
#4. Vanguard Breakthrough
Pierce the enemy Front Zone head-on and reach the Rear Zone. This is the scenario-scale form of Forced Charge.
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Example | cavalry charge, Jigen-ryu first strike, suicide squad rush |
| PC Mission | "Split the enemy formation in two" / "Destroy the supply unit in the Rear Zone" |
| Victory Condition | kill N Rear squads or occupy the Rear |
| Demonstration | the true field of samurai and cavalry. Apply Forced Charge rules |
#5. Defend a Key Point
Hold one point until reinforcements arrive. Time itself is the enemy.
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Example | village entrance, mountain-castle gate, bridge entrance, reinforcement arrival point, protection of an ongoing ritual |
| PC Mission | "Defend zone N for 5 rounds" / "Hold until the ritual is complete" |
| Victory Condition | time passes (reinforcements arrive), or ritual completes |
| Demonstration | the samurai's Immovable Formation, the artisan's barricade, the Pure Land monk's barrier |
#Free GM Additions
These 5 types are only starting points. The GM can make new categories that fit their scenario. Examples:
- Split the Front: divide the enemy force in two and defeat each part separately
- Morale Collapse: kill the enemy war band/standard-bearer team and collapse the entire army's Cohesion
- Stop a Faith Ritual: stop the progress of a heretical/yoma ritual and change the battle's course
- Rescue Prisoners: recover companions trapped deep in the enemy camp
- Release Seals: release, one by one, the seals that empower a giant yoma (a paradoxical scenario)
#GM Operation Advice
When running a mass battle, choose 1~2 of the 5~7 types above and assign them to the PC unit. If the PCs complete that mission, it affects the whole battle's course (narrative effects: enemy army retreats, allied army advances, reinforcements arrive, etc.). Do not track 5 myriads of troops. Bind the fate of those 5 myriads to the PC unit's mission.
Compound Missions: You can assign 2 or more missions at the same time in one scenario. Example: "Topple the main camp's war banner while also defending the bridge" — the party must split in two. This is the moment when support classes such as scholars, onmyoji, and gaijin shine.