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Message: <blockquote data-quote="arscott" data-source="post: 1894194" data-attributes="member: 17969">A setback or defeat isn't a cliffhanger at all.  Defeat implies some sort of resolution.  Cliffhangers are "the only thing keeping Sir Garathus from falling into the pit of damned souls is the quickly fraying rope that he grasps with one hand.  And since I've got to go home and cook dinner, we'll let him hang there for the rest of the week", not "the paladin falls into hell and dies.  What'll you do about this next week?".There are two things you should get from a session ending.  The first is a desire to return next time.  Unless Overused, cliffhangers do this quite well.  The second is a sense of the problem you face.  If you're in the middle of a dungeon, then you'll want to have a week to think about how to defeat that beholder.  But in your courtly intrigue campaign, the problem is how to get the King to marry Princes Stephanie to Berkhart instead of the Black Knight.  Having a dragon carry off the princess at the end of the session is just distracting.It's important to adjust cliffhangers to account for the amount of time between sessions.  If you won't be meeting again for three weeks, you shouldn't end the session in the middle of a duel with the BBEG.  That'll just drive everybody nuts for almost a month.  But if you'll be meeting again on friday, then it fits just fine.</blockquote>