how hard do you make the game for your players (for DMs)

[Tsyr]

Generaly, for "average" fights, the outcome is in the PCs hands, not the dice. By that I mean, unless the PCs get stupid, they should survive fighting dungeon fodder alright. It's amazing how many times the PCs get dead none the less, as they tend to try to push themselves too far (Oh just one more fight before we drink the healing potions... we are good enough...)

For major fights, I do challenge them a bit. But again, generaly, barring either A) Bad tactics or B) Bad dice, they should be ok. I don't like sending them up against stuff that they can only reasonably hope to defeat if the dice go their way (Things that take a nat 20 to hit, for example, I dispise).

My games are still quite hard, though... most of mine is in thinking type stuff, instead of fighting. In fact, fighting is often the worst of all possible sollutions. Not that they don't often do it anyhow, but there generaly are other ways to get things done. This only applies to city or intrigue type games, of course... dungeons crawls and stuff don't normaly have a "right" solution

 

[CWD]

Re: Re: Re: Re: how hard do you make the game for your players (for DMs)

I blame Battlenet.

Don't blame Battlenet. As a Detroiter, I can assure you that I often need a translation to understand Canadians.

 

[the Jester]

Well I had to vote for "I hate my players" even though I don't, based on the fact that yesterday's game saw a party of 5 pcs, levels 6-9, fight a CR17 lich...

We were all afraid it was going to be a tpk, but they all survived (well, one died, one was turned to stone, one got planeshifted away but they all made it back to life/flesh/material plane).

The game before that the party had an EL 16 encounter.

I don't try to do this stuff every game- in fact, I rarely so outpower the pcs with their adversaries- but they were warned this time (by an improved magic mouth) that going through this door would have them killed by something much more powerful than them.

I warned them, I did!

 

[derverdammte]

I don't try to do this stuff every game- in fact, I rarely so outpower the pcs with their adversaries- but they were warned this time (by an improved magic mouth) that going through this door would have them killed by something much more powerful than them.

I warned them, I did!

I don't know...if my players get repeatedly warned that they shouldn't go somewhere because they'll get killed (and the warning is actually justified), and they go anyway, I'd do my best to kill them. Anything else and you lose that coveted "DM street cred," ya know?

 

[shadow]

Generally, when I DM I try to challenge the party a little. I throw in some tough encounters (CR slightly higher than the party's level) for major battles. Players don't drop like flies, but there is the occasional fatality.

I've seen both extremes. On one extreme I knew a munchkin DM who bragged about killing a 5th level party. He sent them up against a 20th level wizard/psionicist lich who knew the wish spell. (This was back in Jr. High days. Thankfully, the aforementioned DM is no longer into gaming.)

On the other extreme, I've played with groups who never kill off characters, lest it interfere with the "story" the group was creating.

Just my observation, but it seems like groups who are more into dungeon crawl and hack 'n slash are more likely to have a higher PC body count. Whereas groups more into storytelling have fewer PC fatalities since constantly rolling up new characters could interfere with the flow of the story.

 

[the Jester]

I don't know...if my players get repeatedly warned that they shouldn't go somewhere because they'll get killed (and the warning is actually justified), and they go anyway, I'd do my best to kill them. Anything else and you lose that coveted "DM street cred," ya know?

Oh, yeah, they almost all died... It was the closest to a tpk that I've seen in forever. One pc got blocked out of the room by a wall of stone, a prismatic spray killed one and turned one to stone, some AMAZING saving throw luck ensued from the SOLE pc still up in the room (with his shield bearer, a 0-level 13 year old human boy, staying craftily out of the way and aiding another to give the pc an astounding 14 AC vs. the lich's touch) let him last about 3 rounds before being permanently paralyzed...

It was brutal, the lich was hasted and displaced, with an AC around 31 with his shield spell up. Damn good luck is all that saved the last pc (who finally picked the lock that sealed the room's door- the wall of stone covered a hole the pcs stone shaped to get in), and the fact that he reduced the lich to 5 hp. Mr. Lich teleported away, but who bets he'll be back?

 

[lupis3000]

Translation

u Translat my words!!! MEH

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Unfortunately my players tend to utilize terrible tactics and roll incredibly poorly. So they would say I was out to kill them all. Of course they have no idea how many rolls I fudge in their favor, so I would say I'm pretty lenient all things considered.

Of course I've got a particularly low tolerance for stupid actions, so that sways things a little more towards "I make things hard for them".


Sigh... my poor players. Many sessions of play (12 or so I would guess) in the Return to Temple of Elemental Evil and they are still examining the Moathouse.

 

[drowdude]

I voted for "alittle hard"

 

[bloodymage]

Kill 'em all! That's how I voted because I'm sure that's what my players would think my vote would be. My players pick their own fights but there's always some big nasty waiting to be picked. My vote would have definitely gone to "I beat them to a pulp but generally leave them at least breathing if not altogether whole."