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Post by mao on Jan 20, 2018 13:19:13 GMT -5
Just like the title says, either as a player or a DM.
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Post by ripx187 on Jan 24, 2018 19:28:31 GMT -5
I enjoy designing my own games, it is always a learning experience because sometimes you can completely ruin an entire game with one tiny mistake. I thought that I only had one spot in the dungeon that was a TPK trap if it went unnoticed. An elevator that went down to the lowest level of the dungeon, and automatically went back up after a period of time. The monster entombed in this place used an undead zombie with rocks in his pockets to trigger the weight mechanism. If the players didn't figure this out, and didn't take measures to ensure that the elevator didn't go back up they would be entombed down there forever, even if they did kill their enemy.
That was designed, and I would had excepted it if they would had failed, however they found another flaw in the dungeon that I didn't realize was there. Everyone started dying off really quick and there wasn't anything that anybody could do to stop it. It wasn't the players, it was me. I stopped the game and cussed. I had to think of a way out of this mess that didn't require me to completely redo the entire dungeon; I settled on telling them what happened, and told them how to avoid the glitch in the game and we replayed it. Now I got this player that is a great player but doesn't always pay attention, and what does he do? He sets off the glitch again! Well, he tried to. We both yelled at each other for 5 or 10 minutes before it sunk in that he was doing stuff out of order. It was a mess.
I hate TPKs.
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Post by mao on Jan 25, 2018 12:20:22 GMT -5
I enjoy designing my own games, it is always a learning experience because sometimes you can completely ruin an entire game with one tiny mistake. I thought that I only had one spot in the dungeon that was a TPK trap if it went unnoticed. An elevator that went down to the lowest level of the dungeon, and automatically went back up after a period of time. The monster entombed in this place used an undead zombie with rocks in his pockets to trigger the weight mechanism. If the players didn't figure this out, and didn't take measures to ensure that the elevator didn't go back up they would be entombed down there forever, even if they did kill their enemy. That was designed, and I would had excepted it if they would had failed, however they found another flaw in the dungeon that I didn't realize was there. Everyone started dying off really quick and there wasn't anything that anybody could do to stop it. It wasn't the players, it was me. I stopped the game and cussed. I had to think of a way out of this mess that didn't require me to completely redo the entire dungeon; I settled on telling them what happened, and told them how to avoid the glitch in the game and we replayed it. Now I got this player that is a great player but doesn't always pay attention, and what does he do? He sets off the glitch again! Well, he tried to. We both yelled at each other for 5 or 10 minutes before it sunk in that he was doing stuff out of order. It was a mess. I hate TPKs. Yup, That there is a lot to hate |
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Post by The Master on Feb 11, 2018 20:44:14 GMT -5
Early on in our game, when the players were all first level, they encountered two trolls at a distance and they decided to put several rounds of arrows into them. I don't know what they were thinking but after firing off three rounds of arrows, with only two hits, they decide to melee the two trolls on the grounds there are six of us and only two of them. Two rounds later all three of them are dead. Trolls being 6d6+3 versus first levels that roll a 1d6 for hitpoints and you play with what you roll and all with leather armor, did not stand a chance. I love TPK's, they are a learning tool.  |
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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Feb 11, 2018 21:14:19 GMT -5
I've never had one, but I was to charitable with my players because of previous experience with Killer DMs (real ones, they'd either go after us & we barely stood a chance or the DM would roll high on a regular basis - Rolemaster is lethal). That said, once I start running OD&D or B/X I'll get a few TPKs until the Players learn to run from my nasty monsters, especially my dragons. The monster blocks in OD&D are mere suggestions in my book & my dragons are frighteningly deadly killing machines.Also I do not stock dungeons by level but how they should be stocked, by climate, creature populations & need for the adventure. My players will have to use their brains or die - even with negative con HP rules.
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Post by The Master on Feb 11, 2018 22:10:48 GMT -5
I am not a killer DM, that is to say, I don't favor the monsters over the players or deliberately upgrade all encounters to unsurvivable or anything like that. I just play it straight and sometimes the players have a hot streak with the dice and sometimes I do. The players learn to allow for that.
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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Feb 11, 2018 22:26:07 GMT -5
I don't plan to be a killer GM they ruin the fun of the game, but my players will have to respect the monsters & not see them as solely as walking XP waiting to be mowed down. My worlds are Grim Dark but I want my players to have fun & survive but a few TPKs won't hurt them if it teaches them to be careful & smart. No more "oh Goblins, lets mow through them & get the loot"; they will used tactics & numbers; and if you are not smart about it - you'll die.
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Post by simrion on Feb 19, 2018 19:27:38 GMT -5
As mentioned elsewhere I currently run 3.5 and variants. Ran the party though an adaptation of Tomb of Horrors. The party, most of whom had never met "Gary's Grinder" judiciously avoided doom until the very end. They found and opened the vault, never realizing it too was a trap. Party leader herdedall within prior to inserting the key and...squish! Never even faced the Demi Lich lol. Next was Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. Found their way to the Fire Node at the very end, faced off against a Fire Elemental God and, but for one character who fled, perished at the Gos's hand. The fleeing character had little protection from the heat of the Node and perished from exposure as he could not locate an exit
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Post by robkuntz on Feb 19, 2018 19:30:55 GMT -5
I don't design TPK situations; the players do.
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2018 22:39:15 GMT -5
In the first ever game I ran at the University of Minnesota in fall of 1973, the group of 9 PCs and hirelings encountered 4 wandering Kobolds. The magic users had used their spells.
Fifteen minutes later, all the PC party was dead including hirelings. One Kobold had taken 3 points of damage.
All dice were rolled openly.
And then, after ten seconds of stunned silence, one of the players said "Let's roll new characters and get those little f***ers!"
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Post by mao on Feb 20, 2018 11:15:50 GMT -5
In the first ever game I ran at the University of Minnesota in fall of 1973, the group of 9 PCs and hirelings encountered 4 wandering Kobolds. The magic users had used their spells. Fifteen minutes later, all the PC party was dead including hirelings. One Kobold had taken 3 points of damage. All dice were rolled openly. And then, after ten seconds of stunned silence, one of the players said "Let's roll new characters and get those little f***ers!" To Cool! have an Exalt! |
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