D&D 5E Klaw's Tomb of Annihilation Post Game Show! Session #1 - A Player Character Died Tonight!

[iserith]

Good point, Iserith! You always have good input on these boards!

Thank you.

When it comes to these sorts of things, I always try to find the underlying issue because without addressing the cause, the symptoms will keep appearing.

So yeah, i think she just got fed up with the rest of the group who were mulling over how to handle a tribe of 40 goblins. There was discussion among the group members previously, but no consensus was made, and she just decided to get in there and try to "reason" with the wild and savage goblins herself (which is still odd because she doesn't even have the highest charisma!?)

No one got upset at her or anything, but i think there was a lot of disappointment that she went on in without some sort of backup plan or getting the rest of the group involved.

Yep, this is pretty common. The way I deal with this issue is to teach the players how to reach consensus more easily by using the improvisational acting technique of "Yes and..." Someone offers a good-faith suggestion and then the next person accepts the idea as valid ("Yes...") then adds something to make it better ("and...") in a way that doesn't negate the original idea. That generally means consensus is achieved when each player has had a say and it doesn't continue past that. The decision is made and the plan created in a couple minutes if that.

Contrast this method with the standard model of debate at many tables (in my experience) where suggestions are proffered and then everyone discusses how that won't work. In addition to taking up more time at the table, it means that what you've got is a competition for the best idea at the table and no clear rules on how to decide on the best one. Everyone loses unless someone is particularly good at arguing or applying social pressures to get others to climb aboard. Or maybe the DM, noticing the clock ticking and people getting annoyed, calls for a vote. People's good-faith ideas are shut down, often repeatedly, leading to frustration which turns to impatience which turns to rash decisions. It's vicious.

 

[OB1]

I think this was well played! One thing you may want to keep an eye on going forward is if this encounter makes the players overly cautious, but if the lesson is more about the danger of acting alone I think you'll be good.

 

[Klaudius Rex]

All good points.
Thank you.

At this point, the drama is over. It was a bad move on her part, but admittedly, I as DM could have been softer, i suppose.

You live. You learn.
Unfortunately for her, this is Tomb of Annihilation, and PCs cannot come back to life.

 

[Bolares]

Perhaps that was an error on my part as DM. You're right..

I wouldn't call it an error, ToA is very deadly, and the players should be ready for that to happen. I just like the idea of them being able to talk to the players, because it opens the possibility for interesting interactions. Maybe the players come up with a smart way out by talking... maybe the goblins offer the shield guardian in exchange of something of value to the players, or as a quest reward if they to something for the goblins...

This AP has A LOT of encounters not leveled to the players, and if their only option is fight or flight, they will almost always fight, in my experience at least. Players play the game to be awesome heroes, they don't want to be "cowards", so don't expect them to run from trouble (even if it's the logical thing to do), so I would try, depending on the context of the encounter, try to have a third alternative to finghting or fleeing.