The Effects of Light on Combat
Recently, our gaming group experimented with a mapping program instead of drawing out the maps. The mapping program had the option to only let players see to the edge of their light sources. This restriction had interesting effects on our game’s dynamic.
Our group’s fighter who would usually charge into battle always stopped at the edge of the lit area. Other characters could not shoot at foes outside of the light without a major penalty. It would be a shot in the dark. Literally. Ok, sorry about that.
A character shooting even just outside the area of light would barely see the target if he would see anything at all. If you’ve ever gone camping you can understand this: When you’re near the campfire you can see things in the light well, but there seems to be a point where you can just barely make out an object if you really concentrate.