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When PCs fail.
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<blockquote data-quote="ValhallaGH" data-source="post: 5283169" data-attributes="member: 41187"><p>If they can't fail (or succeed) then why are they at the table? You could simply get characters from them and write the novel, then let them read it when you finish.</p><p>Player choices have to matter, or you've just invalidated the players and the game.</p><p></p><p>All the time. And they all <u>know</u> it happened. I make it very clear when they've screwed the pooch and what the consequences of their failures are.</p><p>In your case they let Orcus, Abyss lord of undeath, regain all the tools he needed to regain and exceed his full power.</p><p>At this point you have two choices:</p><p>1) Let the bad guys win. This will be very, <em>very</em>, <strong>very</strong> bad for the people of the setting but that's the bad part of being the characters upon whom the fate of the world rests. Sometimes you suck it up and the world is hosed.</p><p>2) Give them a second chance. They screwed up, got their butts kicked, and the bad guys have what they need. But it doesn't work yet, and requires a (ritual / sacrifice / McGuffin) to activate (or whatever). Let them find out about this opportunity and choose what they will do about it. If they screw this one up then you get to fall back to #1, but at least it will be a suitably epic battle.</p><p></p><p>Regardless, you can't give it to them. They have to earn the result, good or bad, or you'll have invalidated the last four years far, far more than if they fail and the campaign ends (or putters along in growing darkness).</p><p></p><p>Good luck.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ValhallaGH, post: 5283169, member: 41187"] If they can't fail (or succeed) then why are they at the table? You could simply get characters from them and write the novel, then let them read it when you finish. Player choices have to matter, or you've just invalidated the players and the game. All the time. And they all [U]know[/U] it happened. I make it very clear when they've screwed the pooch and what the consequences of their failures are. In your case they let Orcus, Abyss lord of undeath, regain all the tools he needed to regain and exceed his full power. At this point you have two choices: 1) Let the bad guys win. This will be very, [I]very[/I], [B]very[/B] bad for the people of the setting but that's the bad part of being the characters upon whom the fate of the world rests. Sometimes you suck it up and the world is hosed. 2) Give them a second chance. They screwed up, got their butts kicked, and the bad guys have what they need. But it doesn't work yet, and requires a (ritual / sacrifice / McGuffin) to activate (or whatever). Let them find out about this opportunity and choose what they will do about it. If they screw this one up then you get to fall back to #1, but at least it will be a suitably epic battle. Regardless, you can't give it to them. They have to earn the result, good or bad, or you'll have invalidated the last four years far, far more than if they fail and the campaign ends (or putters along in growing darkness). Good luck. [/QUOTE]
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