iserith
Magic Wordsmith
Here is some helpful expectation setting from the very first section of the PHB which, of course, hardly anyone reads because, you know, why would you ever want to know the point of this game you're playing and what to expect?
I bolded the bits relevant to the original post in this thread. I'm all for having a pre-game discussion and page-setting and even taking death off the table (as I've done in my current campaign), but my opinion is that someone who's going to get upset enough at this to not play D&D anymore is really missing the point. Of course, we don't actually know that's what happened with this player in [MENTION=6783882]Nevvur[/MENTION]'s game. I have encountered players who legitimately get upset by this though and, again, those people are just missing the point in my view.
There’s no winning and losing in the Dungeons & Dragons game—at least, not the way those terms are usually understood. Together, the DM and the players create an exciting story of bold adventurers who confront deadly perils. Sometimes an adventurer might come to a grisly end, torn apart by ferocious monsters or done in by a nefarious villain. Even so, the other adventurers can search for powerful magic to revive their fallen comrade, or the player might choose to create a new character to carry on. The group might fail to complete an adventure successfully, but if everyone had a good time and created a memorable story, they all win.
I bolded the bits relevant to the original post in this thread. I'm all for having a pre-game discussion and page-setting and even taking death off the table (as I've done in my current campaign), but my opinion is that someone who's going to get upset enough at this to not play D&D anymore is really missing the point. Of course, we don't actually know that's what happened with this player in [MENTION=6783882]Nevvur[/MENTION]'s game. I have encountered players who legitimately get upset by this though and, again, those people are just missing the point in my view.