D&D General Do You Play Out Every Combat?

[Edgar Ironpelt]

I play out every combat. The only reason I wouldn't would be if the players say or otherwise make it clear that they want to just handwave the foregone conclusion. That's been very very very rare - I only have a vague memory of it ever happening even once.

On the flip side, if I decided not to play out a fight, but simply ruled that the PCs lost, because the opposition was overwhelming and the PCs losing was a foregone conclusion, I'd get loud and vigorous complaints - and I'd deserve that.

 

[cranberry]

In the case where the outcome is inevitable, I will say "you finished them off", or at least reduce the monsters hp so that the fight is much shorter.

However, I try to only provide meaningful encounters that advance, or are at least are related to the objective.

 

[Reynard]

Generally yes bit I wouldn't use goblins at 7.

It is the Goblin Forest. The Goblin Warband is what is on the encounter chart.

 

[Reynard]

However, I try to only provide meaningful encounters that advance, or are at least are related to the objective.

This is fine if you are running a structured orlinear style adventure with a plot. it doesn't work if you are running soemthintg less structured.

 

[el-remmen]

This is fine if you are running a structured or linear style adventure with a plot. it doesn't work if you are running something less structured.

Uh-Oh. The sandbox thread is threatening to take over every conversation on these boards!

 

[Zaukrie]

No. Sometimes I say that they take out the last two enemies. Sometimes they run out give up, but I have a lot of flights with aberrations and undead, so mostly I just hand wave the end if it's a slog.

 

[payn]

Uh-Oh. The sandbox thread is threatening to take over every conversation on these boards!

 

[el-remmen]

I think there is a profound difference between the DM choosing to have enemies flee or surrender versus just narrating or handwaving the conclusion of the battle. The former seems like a normal potential consequence of the in-game fiction the battle represents and the latter is a meta concern about pacing and game action preference.

 

[the Jester]

So, the 7th level party is traveling through the Goblin Forest and encounters Goblin Warband. The appropriate establishing and reaction rolls are made, and the goblins attack. The gobs have no chance outside of really, really bad rolling on the part of the players. The fight is not part of the main storyline or anything. Do you run the whole fight down to the last goblin HP? Do you run the first round or two and (assuming things are what you expect here) have the goblins run, surrender or just tell the players "you finish them off." Do you skip it entirely or fudge the dice so it was a more level appropriate encounter?

First, I'll say that having the goblins run or surrender IS running the fight to the end.

Yes, I usually run the combat until it's done. It matters in terms of resources expended (spell slots, hps, magic item charges, etc).

What if it isn't a random encounter? What if the Penultimate Battle (the one before the boss fight) has turned into a slog due to bad luck, bad tactics or some combination. Do you keep at it because it is important what resources the PCs use up before the boss fight?

Yes.

Do you cut it in the middle and "charge" the PCs some spell slots, hit dice, and/or other resources?

No. It's not up to me to decide what resources they expend; it's up to them.

In D&D, have you implemented something like Quick Combats or Dramatic Tasks to deal with these sorts of things? If so, what and how do they work?

Nope. I let the dice lead the game; sometimes even an encounter that the odds say should be quick and insignificant can turn due to luck.

 

[AlViking]

I know. That's why i asked how? It was genuine curiosity, what did he or you do, specially in 2e (haven't played 1e), to not have any TPK-s. In 5e, i had exactly one TPK. And it was against goblins. Those little buggers are nasty if they get drop on party.

I haven't played TSR versions of the game for decades so forgive me if my memory is a little hazy. But I typically gave the players plenty of warning that they were in over their heads and gave them options to escape. Animals just want food whether that was the party's mule or the character everyone used to call Slow Larry. Against intelligent enemies there was a lot of running and doing something as simple as a grease spell to slow pursuit or just jamming spikes into a door. Sometimes the enemy didn't immediately pursue because of confusion or thinking it was a trap.

Other than that? Maybe we just ran combats that were on the easy side.