PC's can't take a hint

[Buttercup]

I agree that you should let the PCs do as they will, and let them suffer the consequences or reap the rewards.

I try my best to provide an open ended gaming experience, and it's a lot of work. I have megabytes of stuff I've written up that has never been used. Towns they have never visited, caravans they have never rescued, an invasion they could have stopped, but didn't. Heck, I've got a whole goblin nation with warring clans, sleazy merchants, horrifying meals in flea bitten taverns and dozens of potential plots hooks that they walked away from. Will I ever use any of this stuff? Who knows. But I'm not so good at pulling an entertaining night's gaming out of the air, in real time. So I have to be prepared for every eventuality I can imagine.

I don't want all this work to go to waste. But if my players send their characters into a situation that will cause a TPK, then a TPK is what they'll get. (And maybe I'll start the next campaign in that dang goblin nation!)

 

[Humanophile]

You have three options here.

First, drop a deux-ex-machina on this plot thread and kill it. Proceed to give the party a more structured, linear, video-gamey environment. However, this is a sub-optimal solution, and meant only if the two newbies need the training wheels on longer. (If the monk is an experienced player, he sounds like he needs some solid training, and more coddling can't be a good thing.)

Second, let the party attack, especially if the giants are present, and hope that they have the sense to run when the first death or so happen. Be sure to drop hints pre-game and early on that running away is an option, and cheat a little to let them get away. You might lose a party member or two, but this will reinforce in-game lethality, and hopefully teach some well-needed lessons.

Thirdly, you can go the capture route. Giants can suck a possible AoO to sunder the party's weapons, and once that's done, a disarmed party can be easily captured. (The monk might well not get the hint and have to be put down; so be it. A death or two could serve the learning curve, as said before.) "Escape from cature/slavery" is a popular enough adventure arc. Just be careful that you might have to pull out a deux ex machina if someone smart wants to run; otherwise, you'd have to handle a split party, which is almost never a good thing.)

 

[Emerald]

You've already established the giant/hobgoblins as slavers. So the survivers will be slaves.

Buy you know what you do with 7th-level adventuring-class slaves? The gladiator pit! Adventure hooks galore.

Of course, don't pull punches in the battle. Keep track of negative HP. Those who die should stay dead.... and roll up new characters.

 

[Stalker0]

I think the merciful clubed giants works out perfectly. It makes sense, they are slavers afterall and if they have to beat around there merchandise they don't want them killed. You can take the gloves off and rail the party without a TPK... and hopefully they will learn a valuable lesson

 

[Kichwas]

It is key to note that yes, you should always give warning of a challenge that is too great to handle.

Whenever you're putting something 5+ ELs above the party you should give them plenty of clues that this will be too difficult and give them plenty of opportunity to avoid it.

That said I'm gathering from the first post that you have done this, and having done that you've done your fair duty. If they insist on continuing then they get what they get...

I would not provide an escape for even one PC, but if they find it and they can pull it off the game continues. Otherwise it's TPK and new party design time.

As for capturing PCs, consider Hobgoblins. If I had a batch of them capture the PCs, the very first thing they would do would be taken out of Star Trek III - I'd have a Hobgoblin officer order one of them killed, and a soldier would move behind the PCs, I'd roll a a die and do a coup de grace on that player's PC...

With the PC down, they'd put another sword or two into him/her, 'to make sure'.

Then we'd move on, with the players knowing these creatures offer no quarter, no mercy - the rest of them are headed for the slave markets of Bet Kalamar or Norga-Krangel - with the exception of the party cleric, who would be bound for sacrifice to the Dark One in the holy city of Rinukagh.

Of course, even before the encounter I'd remind them of how harsh Hobgoblins are - so they would in essense be choosing that outcome if we ended up there.

Not all creatures would react with so little mercy, but Hobgoblins sure would.

 

[RuminDange]

Just a note to help out. Make sure you explain and describe everything they can see of the giants and hobgoblins. Use pictures, models or miniatures if possible that show the size difference between their characters and giants. Let me have a general idea of how many hobgoblins there is in the fort.
The reason I say to describe and such is due to my own experience as DM with players with this kind of mindset. Not that over the many years as DM I haven't had other examples but this one is the best.
Right after 3E came out and we converted over from 2E, My players were lost on another isle near their home, slowly regained some equipment after being captured and escaped, and working to attack their previous attackers to regain thier own stuff. The PC's were about 4-6th level. The Druid/Ranger was talking with a dear to gain information when the Barbarian/Rogue snuck up and killed the dear for food...of course making the druid very mad. Anyway's after cleaning the deer and starting a fire to cook it a very large bear showed up (ie Dire Bear) and went after the meat. The barbarian grabbed the meat and took off running with it, of course the bear took up chase. This happened for a while until the barbarian got trapped by a man-eating plant some distance away and the bear wandered back toward the PC's camp. The other players rescued the barbarian before he was killed. The bear meanwhile came into contact with the ranger/druid and she calmed it and spoke with it. They became fast friends and still are, 3 years later that bear is awaken and begun the druid path. Anyway about a month after this I showed the player the picture in the MM of the dire bear and he said "That's what I was running from!!, If I'd known that I would have let it have the meat!".
So that made me remember to use whatever I could to make sure the players got a good description and comparison of what they were facing, something I had gotten lax on doing do to time constraints at times.

Now if they still ignore it after that, kill'em, capture'em and let them learn the hard way...I still have a few players that even after 15 years of gaming togather still think they have to fight everything all the time to the death because it is evil. But the lessons keep coming.

RD

 

[orangefruitbat]

I'd let the giants spot them and go, "Praise Ymir, new slaves!". Round one, using their improved sunder, they break all the PC's weapons. Round two, they strike to subdue the wizard or rogue (they're still at +14 to hit), hoping to get lucky and cleave.

Round three, the players wake up in a dank mine, without any equipment and shacked to the wall...

The giants should totally be about to rout the party, and you've already established a prcedident of slavery, so it doesn't look like you've been coddling them.

But, rather than have them try to break out immediately, have the party roleplay a few sessions as slaves. Maybe they get into a turf war with the "boss" ogre slave (hth with no weapons, this is a tough fight). Maybe they get sold to the White Skull Orcs, or to that vile necromancer who is looking for something lost in the deeps... (gives them a chance to see some of those nice Underdark locations described in Larin Karr).