This Week's "Killer DM" Trifecta

[Retreater]

This post isn't intended to brag. Trust me.
Of the three games I have run this week, all met with a somewhat disappointing ending.
1) TPK in 5e
2) MacGuffin devoured by cursed item, really derailing other 5e campaign
3) Players voted unanimously to walk away from PF2 campaign

To recap: TPK, story-ending event, and system-ending session.

Nothing to do but work with the players and figure out what's next.

 

[TwoSix]

This post isn't intended to brag. Trust me.
Of the three games I have run this week, all met with a somewhat disappointing ending.
1) TPK in 5e
2) MacGuffin devoured by cursed item, really derailing other 5e campaign
3) Players voted unanimously to walk away from PF2 campaign

To recap: TPK, story-ending event, and system-ending session.

Nothing to do but work with the players and figure out what's next.

Now that's a week!

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

This post isn't intended to brag.

Yeah, right. "I guess I was just being too easy on them, even though I TPKd five straight parties in Beyond the Crystal Cave."

#humblebrag
#sorrynotsorry
#gorightintothegargoylemouth

Trust me.

Q. "How does a Killer DM say, 'Ima kill you all?'"

A. "Trust me."

Of the three games I have run this week, all met with a somewhat disappointing ending.
1) TPK in 5e
2) MacGuffin devoured by cursed item, really derailing other 5e campaign
3) Players voted unanimously to walk away from PF2 campaign

To recap: TPK, story-ending event, and system-ending session.

Nothing to do but work with the players and figure out what's next.

I can tell you what's next.

Pain. Pain and suffering. And you're going to love .... every ... minute ... of it.

 

[billd91]

Now I'm really curious about the macguffin being eaten by a cursed item. Someone put it in a bag of devouring or something?

 

[Retreater]

Now I'm really curious about the macguffin being eaten by a cursed item. Someone put it in a bag of devouring or something?

Essentially. They got a magic item called a Tome of Devouring, which ate spellbooks and scrolls stored near it. They put the unique scrolls needed to weaken the big bad in the bag of the party's bard, reasoning they would be safer being held all by the same character, who also happened to be storing the ominous book with the mouth on the cover.

 

[Jmarso]

 

[Blue]

Just curious, what was up with the PF2 campaign? Play style mismatch, system issues, don't like the adventure path?

 

[Retreater]

Just curious, what was up with the PF2 campaign? Play style mismatch, system issues, don't like the adventure path?

Some of the players are on this board, so they can interject if they want. I'd say that it's a bit of everything you mentioned.
The AP was all dungeon crawl and didn't really involve them in the story or role-playing. The system was a bit crunchy for some of them. Others were displeased with how their characters performed. The challenges were sometimes frustratingly difficult.
In the end we decided adding story and role-playing to the AP would feel tacked on. They weren't interested in trying another AP either. I think they just had enough of the system in our 5 months playing.
Most of us had come in with a previous bad experience with the system and wanted to give it a second shot. I guess that's a second miss?

 

[Lanefan]

"TPK in 5e" is the one that catches my eye, in that TPKs in general are difficult provided someone in the party is willing to flee and TPKs in 5e are difficult because of all the in-combat healing they (in theory) have.

How did you do it?

 

[Retreater]

"TPK in 5e" is the one that catches my eye, in that TPKs in general are difficult provided someone in the party is willing to flee and TPKs in 5e are difficult because of all the in-combat healing they (in theory) have.

How did you do it?

The adventure I was running had been originally written for an OSR system but converted to 5e, so it had some older encounter sensibilities.
The party was only second level and was in a crypt. They had fought a couple encounters that day, so the cleric was running low on spells. They went into a burial vault that had 5 skeletons coming out each round. By the end of the second turn they had only killed two, so the four-member party was outnumbered 2 to 1. They wouldn't retreat because they underestimated the skeletons.
Then the caster moved up to get as many as possible with a burning hands, he triggered a bunch of Opportunity Attacks trying to leave, and was dying. The party, not wanting to leave him behind slowed their retreat to get the caster.
Rogue dropped next. Then the barbarian attempted a heroic last stand to hold off against the skeletons. Even though he was in a hallway, he faced many attacks because most of the skeletons (now nearly 20) pulled out bows. He was raging so it was death by a thousand cuts. The cleric was trying to run, but he had to make it down a long, straight hallway. And he couldn't outrun the arrows.