D&D 5E Becoming prisoners without removing player agency (OotA)

[Rhenny]

I played in a OotA campaign and it was actually fun interacting with prisoner NPCs and Drow guards and getting a chance to escape.

I agree with Iserith and others that players should get buy in so it works. It is much easier to get buy in for being a prisoner at the beginning of a campaign than it is to ask them later.

That said, I also like the idea that they need to break someone out. That gives them a chance to be heroes, and if they fail, knock them unconscious rather than killing them and they are now prisoners...viola.

 

[Weiley31]

when they start this and just saying "You're captured by drow slavers!" will seem lame, steal agency from them and possibly be unfun, even though escaping will happen rather quickly. I have a few ideas on how to get there but wanted to see what the fine folks here thought.

At that point: you ask them why they agreed play it if they are gonna be babies like that.