Our GM seems to have given up on Minion Groups. We still fight minions, but now each acts only with their own skill. The game system is fast enough that this hasn't significantly slowed down combat. But I'm trying to mentally troubleshoot the repercussions, should he continue doing this.

+ side

• Fewer Proficiency dice means fewer Criticals against us. And Crits are how our amazing characters go to fictional person heaven (the waste paper basket).
• Smaller attack pool means individuals will be hitting less and doing less damage than before (especially good news if you're playing a tank).
• Spending 3 Advantages to up your Ranged Defence becomes more effective.

- side

• More attack rolls means more chances to get hit. Don't know the maths of that, but that sounds like we're going to get nickle-and-dimed to death incapacitated.
• Dodge (which is usually on offer to less fighty character types) becomes **** exhausting.
• Spending 2 Advantages to give an enemy a Setback die becomes less attractive (you're affecting one Minion, rather than the whole group).
• Minion's become tougher to beat, each individual gaining Soak (rather than just the group as a whole).

I think he's primarily trying to spare us Crits (at one point our Marauder was wandering around with 4), but I'm leaning toward thinking it's a mistake. Anyone experimented? Anyone think of a benefit/drawback I haven't?

We had a firefight early on where the GM split up 9 minions against the 5 of us and it both took awhile and we got shot to pieces. Granted we were starting characters so we hadn't begun to add layers of capability yet.

The difference between a G and a Y is not that large in terms of Advantage generation, a G die has a 62.5% chance of generating an Advantage and a Y a 66.6% chance. The split on Success to Failure is larger, about 20%. So in actuality he may hit you all less but it's likely there will be just as many crits, or even more with the increased number of rolls.

I tend to group minions based on the encounter and what makes sense for the characters involved (street thugs rarely group, stormtroopers group unless there's some special effect or goal they need to achieve that prefers them not to.)

My experience has you partly right. Your pros are pretty correct.

-More attack rolls means more chances to get hit. Don't know the maths of that, but that sounds like we're going to get nickle-and-dimed to death incapacitated.

-Minion's become tougher to beat, each individual gaining Soak (rather than just the group as a whole).

Yes and no, it depends. The thing is unless he's using A LOT of minions, you're probably winning init a lot, and even with their individual soak, one or two hits takes them down. so by the time the minions actually do start shooting back, there should be only a few of them.

• Dodge (which is usually on offer to less fighty character types) becomes **** exhausting.

Yes. I can't say more at this time.

• Spending 2 Advantages to give an enemy a Setback die becomes less attractive (you're affecting one Minion, rather than the whole group).

Unless you're running minions different than I am, no.

Minion groups, and Solo Characters are really no different when you start rolling dice. Really applying a setback to a minion group and applying a setback to a rival nets you a nearly identical result.

If anything applying a setback to an ungrouped minion should be more effective since they'll only be rolling ability dice, and a slightly less likely to be rolling successes and advantage, making the results fo the setback a smidge more harmful.

Still, the GM doesn't have to spend is Triumph/Advantage on crits. He can spend it on any number of things...disarming, extra maneuvers, boost dice, setback dice, upgrades.

Speaking from experience, I would bet that the GM in question is trying to make the encounters a little more challenging while still keeping them small and keeping the enemies "mook" level (staying away from rivals and nemeses unless they're called for). 4 minions, each by themselves, can be a decent challenge for a 4-PC group. 4 minions in one group, however, is laughably easy for 4 PCs.

My general idea about the game is that its conception is focused to have a max (or above) 3 target on a battle. For example:

- 3 Minon group

- 1 or 2 Minion group and a Rival

- 1 Minon group, 2 Rivals

- 1 Minon, 1 Rival and 1 Nemesis

- 2 Rivals and a Nemesis.

I know that there isn't a writen rule but this my general sensation based on mechanics and PC options for combat. By the way, a great clarification you made there

My general idea about the game is that its conception is focused to have a max (or above) 3 target on a battle.

See that's what my default position would be if I were in the big chair. There's enough to do running a game so I tend to grab every method of simplifying the job I can.

Still, the GM doesn't have to spend is Triumph/Advantage on crits. He can spend it on any number of things...disarming, extra maneuvers, boost dice, setback dice, upgrades.

Speaking from experience, I would bet that the GM in question is trying to make the encounters a little more challenging while still keeping them small and keeping the enemies "mook" level (staying away from rivals and nemeses unless they're called for). 4 minions, each by themselves, can be a decent challenge for a 4-PC group. 4 minions in one group, however, is laughably easy for 4 PCs.

Yeah. He blew up my gun that time. He tends to trigger Crits when they're there though (if we were dropping our weapons every combat I suspect the game would slide (further) into the comedic).

You're probably right about maintaining challenge without increasing deadliness. Before he started splitting them up we'd tear up Minions the first chance we got. Either because they were easy to get rid of or out of fear of what they did with their powers combined.

I tend to group minions based on the encounter and what makes sense for the characters involved (street thugs rarely group, stormtroopers group unless there's some special effect or goal they need to achieve that prefers them not to.)

My experience has you partly right. Your pros are pretty correct.

• Dodge (which is usually on offer to less fighty character types) becomes **** exhausting.

Yes. I can't say more at this time.

I like the situational grouping thing. Like punks'd lack the discipline to coordinate their fire.

Yer Dodge comment makes me think you're about to ambush your group's Politico with multiple stun bolts. GoM's group's face, RUN!

We had a firefight early on where the GM split up 9 minions against the 5 of us and it both took awhile and we got shot to pieces. Granted we were starting characters so we hadn't begun to add layers of capability yet.

The difference between a G and a Y is not that large in terms of Advantage generation, a G die has a 62.5% chance of generating an Advantage and a Y a 66.6% chance. The split on Success to Failure is larger, about 20%. So in actuality he may hit you all less but it's likely there will be just as many crits, or even more with the increased number of rolls.

I was (dumbly) forgetting Advantages and thinking instead of Triumphs. Thought the Advantage gap would be higher between the die-types. Good to know.

Depending on the minions, not grouping them only increases their lethality. Stormtroopers are the prime example. They still roll 3 G individually and at medium range or closer all those extra rolls are going to tear a group apart, as they also carry blaster rifles by default.

I don't really view grouping minions as the way to make them more lethal. It's mostly a way for the GM to avoid numerous dice rolls and allow the players to maximize the spread of their damage and speed at which they dispatch targets as there is no wasted damage output.

A GM doesn't have to spend Advantages on crits but if he has a pile of them he should be spending them on something and that equals bad for a group.

I say keep them grouped for the above reasons but make them different species within the group. My PCs aren't aware who is a minion and who isn't a minion until the first hit on one is scored. I make it a point not to have everyone in the minion group be the same species and wear the same clothes (except for where it makes sense to, ie Stormtroopers). This way when the PCs enter a combat all they really know is that they are facing 5+ combatants.