Deep down inside, do you eagerly anticipate a TPK?

As a DM I never actively try for a TPK. Sure I make it difficult for my players, but I like to see them grow thier characters. If I do get a TPK (I've only got 4 in 10 years as a DM. I should be due for one soon :] ) its usally the players being stupid. As a player if my character dies in an epic battle, hey its just another story I get to tell to all those new whippersnappers. If my chracater dies as a result of party stupidity (I told you dont touch that level. Its got a big skull head on it and says "Pull if you want to die" What part didnt you understand ass?) then it pisses me off. But TPKs are like ninjas. They hide everywhere, and only jump out of the bushes to kill you. :lol:
 
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I'm pretty sure I provoked a TPK at the end of our last session. We'll see though...

We along with many other groups were sent up north to offer an alliance with the Giant kingdom because a really nasty "fallen" kingdom has returned from the proverbial dead and war is going to happen.

None of the other groups made it, but we did. We even managed to gain an alliance. However, on the way back, we were attacked multiple times and some of our attackers had orders to kill us. Us specifically by description.

We are starting to worry but we make it back. We go to the abbot who equipped our group and gave us our orders. He was shocked, relieved and surprised to see us as he was told everybody from all the groups were dead.

He told us the king was at the front and we should wait as he's summoned the King's chief of Homeland defense. The head of the sorceror's guild.

A few minutes later we discover we're locked in our room. The sorceror in our group finally figures out that she has to be the reason someone knew where we were at every stage since she was supposed to report back through her "lovers book" as to her progress. We manage to pick the lock, and the room is guarded. I push out screaming that the food is bad and run around the corner like I'm going to be sick. One of the guards took off after me, and I attacked him as he came around the corner. Mind you I attacked to subdue, but when we pick up the game this week (that's where we stopped). I'm pretty sure the guards will wipe the floor with us. However, nobody except the leader of the sorcerors order knows we have a treaty or are here and we're pretty sure he's working for the kingdom to the south.
 

Generally not.

Occassionally, I regret not having taken out a party member or two in an encounter I expected to be tough.

But TPKs are a buzzkill. You gotta all work up new characters. You gotta halt the game, or find a way to work the new characters into the storyline.

Story time:

Way back when, the players in a game I was running, the whole party, thought a series of bad rolls and bad character design choices, died at the first challenge.

I stuck to my guns, confident that it would demonstrate in my world, death is close at hand.

They may well have learned that lesson that day (though the same could have been demonstrated with one death... BID).

But I think, in the long run, I was the one who learned the lesson. That pretty much ruined all chance of fun for the night. I don't need to do that.

I still don't like to fudge, but I try to spot ahead of time if an encounter has a good chance of causing trouble.
 

I do not eagerly anticipate TPKs. As a DM, I dread them.

I spend those close encounters with my eyes shut tightly, praying "please don't screw it up, you incompetent ninnies".

I am often disappointed. ;)
 

As a player I must admit there is a part of me that yearns for a TPK just to throw a bit of danger into the mix. I always feel like we have things a bit too easy in most campaigns and death is a rare occurrence - although there are exceptions. I doubt if I would actually enjoy a TPK if it happened. My favorite battles are those that start out looking like a TPK could be a possibility and we pull things out - as long as the DM isn't blatantly fudging stuff. I hate that.

As a DM I very much yearn for a TPK, but I'd never make it out of the room alive if it happened.
 

I'm running the Tomb of Horrors. Deep down inside, I'm relishing the carnage to come. Mu hu hua.

I don't think I'd feel that way about a more 'normal' setting.
 

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