How to model a ”Boss fight” in Uncharted Worlds.
I like the option to include a powerful foe more challenging than a normal threat and has some difficulty with AW / UW approach of this.
I was thinking about dealing with a superior foes special properties like individual dangers (or even stages) that (probably) needs to be overcome individually (Like space ships).
For Example:
The Eldar Warlock is surrounded by a shimmering sphere of force and swirling debris (the first time he is “defeated” the force field is shut down, unless the characters has some shield penetrating technology).
Or:
The Space Ork BigMek with his battlewagon what need to be disabled only to face the BigMek with force field in Mecharmor.
How are you modelling “boss fights” in AW/UW?
I’ve been a pretty vocal proponent of the “composite threat” method, similar to how starships work. The villain is a spell-sword (or whatever)? Cool, make a Threat for wizardly defense, and a Threat for being a badass with a sword. Both threats are active simultaneously, and failure to deal with either of them invites a hard move — this is mechanically similar to having the players fight two guys anyway, but represented differently in the fiction. This method doesn’t work if you overuse it or if you overload the boss with a ridiculous number of threats. As always, follow the fiction — its not your job to plan and predecide there needs to be a “boss fight”, its your job to follow the PCs around and see what’s what.
Generally speaking, the best boss fight is the one that models consequences and costs over arbitrary difficulties. On one hand, cool, the guy has three layers of body armor that need to be disabled before he can be hit… on the other, your PCs brother is brainwashed and is one of the big bad’s elite cyberguards that you need to get past, and even then the big bad has a biometric trigger that will go off if he dies, releasing the neurotoxin into the citadel, etc.
Seconding the composite method. I ran a wonderful DW boss fight that was a giant cthulhu like squid beast ripping a hole in reality to enter our world. The PCs fought the tentacles, each with different abilities, to push it back in the hole.
It’s also worth adding things to overcome that are not combat related. If they’re fighting Captain Cyborg and his swirling drones, maybe you have one PC trying to Access some of the drones to deal with them, while the others defend her by Facing Adversity with Mettle to shoot at the drones and provide cover fire. Once that’s complete, you can totally Launch Assault on Captain Cyborg, but shit now he’s firing constant lasers everywhere just wrecking the ship all around him, so you can’t get close. What do you do?
So I think the danger with a “boss fight” in Pbta is thinking about it like D&D. A boss in D&D is going to have a lot of hit points, attacks that deal a lot of damage and some kind of special abilities that make him deadly. You defeat him or her generally by whittling hit points down until either he/she dies or surrenders.
In fiction and specifically movies and TV that’s not always how it works. For example,
Think of Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars. The boss fight didn’t involve whittling hit points down did it? It was dealing with obstacles, minions, Boba fett, and dangerous terrain. Jabba was defeated rather easily once those obstacles were overcome.
Darth Vader was defeated not by strength of arms but by the psychological aspect of seeing his son tortured and killed and appealing to “the good in him”.
So I think look at a boss fight as a series of obstacles and challenges that need to be overcome and have the outcome be fictionally appropriate.
I’d link the famous Dungeon World Dragon Boss article but we are about to start the game. Google it up.
“16hp dragon”
Yeah I’m familiar with the 16 HP Dragon, but at least that ”Boss” has 16 HP (and Armor 5) and wont be defeated with a simple successful action.
And before Darth Vader was finally defeated the main protagonist fought him and lost, If Starwars was an adventure and meet him I think it would be very anti-climactic to defeat him with a simple success.
The Main adversary needs some sort of Plot armour (If your play a Pulpy Sci-Fi).
Daniel Fors he doesn’t necessarily need plot armor. I think people need to play smart villains. By the time you actually fight the boss his minions should have been defeated or bypassed and his countermeasures the same. Typically when you get to the boss you have used up resources, lost some HP and are generally at a disadvantage. If you are fully capable and pose a threat a smart boss will get out of there and wait until they have the advantage.
Even if they are caught unawares they usually have an escape plan. Whether that is a henchman they call, and explosion or some other means.
Bosses fight on their terms. Not on the PCS terms.
Yes that good advice but if it only requires a single success to finish the BBEG you are about to head to an anti-climactic ending.
As soon as you allow the character a Open Fire / Launch Assault move against him there’s 40-50% chance he’s defeated. In DW and normal Pbta games there is plot armour (HP, armour etc.) even when you have the means to harm him (like the Dragonslaying spear).
Daniel Fors – don’t set it up that way. But if the pcs are clever and plan well enough to get into a position where they could take him out in one shot then let them
I suppose one way of handle bosses is to foreshadow his bad-assnes for a few sessions (Foreshadow Trouble) to scare the bejesus out of your group and if they insist to stand and fight just use the GM Moves the Fiction demands (Like the outcome in Starwars IV Vader vs Luke duel (when he wasn’t ready to face him)).
But come to think of it, eventually when you have the means to defeat him. He’ll be no tougher than a simple Stormtrooper and it will still be anti-climactic.
Yeah, we get that a lot around here. We consistently recommend actually playing the game and seeing how it works.
Also, on the Vader front, I would point out: the fight isn’t the climactic part of their fight. Its the third film in the trilogy, of course Luke is going to win — no one doesn’t know that. What’s climactic is the cost of the effing fight. Will Luke have to kill him? Will Luke succumb to the dark side? Can Vader be redeemed? All of these things that matter are what you need to build into your fights, and what you model with Face Adversity, Debts, and costs of success across the whole campaign up to this last fight.
And while I’m at it, go reread the combat moves: a success just means the player wins this encounter, but that might mean death or retreat for the enemy. You seem to be insisting that Vader dies if the player gets a 10+. No, probably Vader gets driven into hiding beneath the stairs or jumps onto a higher platform and stops shooting lightning for a half second or changes up his tactics or whatever.
I’m going to GM in a Rogue Trader (Warhammer 40k) Space Opera setting and I like the option of cinematic “throne room/Boss battles” that has its ups and down. And will use a Plot armor approach and change the Launch Assault & Open Fire moves slightly:
“On a 10+, you win this engagement or make a significant progress(1)…”
(1): Large and/or important targets may have special properties, dangers or stages that needs to be overcome individually.
Daniel Fors How did it work for your game?
I haven’t had time to gm Uncharted Worlds yet. Atm I’m not the GM, I will try the rules when it’s my time to gm again. I hope FBH will be released by then