How to add challenge for powerful heroes?

[Jaws]

I am sure this must have come up a lot of times in these forums, but a search didn't really give me what I was looking for.

We (my brother and I) are currently playing through the original campaign. I play Morcar, and try my best to give a challenge without brutally killing everyone.
So far, 8 quests in, there has only been one death, but a lot of close calls. Which is fun. We also play with the american rules. Which greatly increased the fun and challenge aspect of the game, compared to the European version. But it's not quite enough.

I do see the balancing becoming harder to do as the heroes grow in power.

The heroes are currently all up at 4 defence dice. Or soon will be.

I believe the current stats are:
Barbarian 4/3
Dwarf 3/4
Elf 3*(2)/4 - *Crossbow
Wizard 2/4

I have been adding 1-2 extra monsters in the rooms. But I would like to hear what suggestions you veterans have on this subject. Are numbers the only way of adding difficulty? I want to avoid having every encounter room stacked with monsters. Yet, even now, if there are less than 4, they're usually all dead before their turn comes up. If one survives, there is a very low chance for that monster to do any damage.

[knightkrawler]

I play Morcar, and try my best to give a challenge without brutally killing everyone.

There's the first mistake. Try. have fun. Tell your players you're out for vengeance from now. It's a competition and you are not the referee. Tell them this beforehand and make yourself a list with tactics to use. Search for them here, chaoticprime has listed them more than once, be inventive, go nuts, write them down, and go out to kill heroes.

Take a gander at some optional rules, too: http://forum.yeoldeinn.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1765&hilit=optional+rules
Most of those reference the problem you've met.

[chaoticprime]

Tear up their character sheets and claim they just got lost somehow.

[Goblin-King]

Your first mistake was not killing them sooner
You just have to gang up on a single hero and take him down. Don't spread out the damage.

As I see it, a total party wipe every game is no fun, but neither are immortal heroes. A death here and there adds an element of danger and excitement.

[knightkrawler]

Exactly. It's not like loser players have nothing to do. The first hero who dies will make cheese snacks, compile burger thingies, and serve beverages.
The second gets up on the pole and dances salaciously.

[Teldurn]

Exactly. It's not like loser players have nothing to do. The first hero who dies will make cheese snacks, compile burger thingies, and serve beverages.
The second gets up on the pole and dances salaciously.

None of this happens at my games. I must be doing something wrong. I'm coming over to play in yours.

[Jaws]

I play Morcar, and try my best to give a challenge without brutally killing everyone.

There's the first mistake. Try. have fun. Tell your players you're out for vengeance from now. It's a competition and you are not the referee. Tell them this beforehand and make yourself a list with tactics to use. Search for them here, chaoticprime has listed them more than once, be inventive, go nuts, write them down, and go out to kill heroes.

Take a gander at some optional rules, too: http://forum.yeoldeinn.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1765&hilit=optional+rules
Most of those reference the problem you've met.

Thank you for these pointers. I've tried to GM like a more traditional roleplay dungeon master. I have quite some experience with being one, and there you sort of want the players to survive, at least long enough to see the end of the story you are telling. But they shouldn't feel like it. My players of course think that I've tried to kill them to the best of my ability, and they did often finish quests with only a few HP left on all characters, going "phew.. that was a lot of close calls!". This even though I've bent the rules a few occasions, added more monsters when needed, and circumvented a few deaths by not exploiting weaknesses in their placement.

I guess the only way to keep the game challenging is to separate the most well equipped heroes, get them alone and kill them. I hope I'll be able to do this over the course of the last four levels, making them have to save up for new equipment again.

Next quest pack, I will definitely use the wandering monsters on a skull roll for dead turns. This makes the run back to the stairs actually worth playing as well.

Exactly. It's not like loser players have nothing to do. The first hero who dies will make cheese snacks, compile burger thingies, and serve beverages.
The second gets up on the pole and dances salaciously.

Since my girl also plays I can't believe I haven't thought of this yet! Haha. More incentive to kill'em.

[Goblin-King]

Just make sure to kill your fat friend FIRST, THEN your girlfriend! The other way around could quickly end in disaster!

[knightkrawler]

Exactly. It's not like loser players have nothing to do. The first hero who dies will make cheese snacks, compile burger thingies, and serve beverages.
The second gets up on the pole and dances salaciously.

None of this happens at my games. I must be doing something wrong. I'm coming over to play in yours.

You're a guy, right!? Methinks I'll have to circumvent your dying second...

[Teldurn]

Exactly. It's not like loser players have nothing to do. The first hero who dies will make cheese snacks, compile burger thingies, and serve beverages.
The second gets up on the pole and dances salaciously.

None of this happens at my games. I must be doing something wrong. I'm coming over to play in yours.

You're a guy, right!? Methinks I'll have to circumvent your dying second...

Yes. but hey, don't knock anyone's dancing skills before seeing it. Just sayin'