Do we coddle new Players?

[S'mon]

See my answer in other thread.

 

[apesamongus]

You shouldn't need me to define decent tactics for you.

Its my experience that just running in against superior or larger foes tends to be bad tactics, often resulting in death or near-death for at least one PC.

Where as use of cover, flanking, missile coverage, height advantage...etc, what most do, is good tactics.

Common sense stuff.

Wow, so a lot of stuff that can still very easily result in character death. Why not try to address the actual points in my post.

 

[apesamongus]

And if the monster gets a lucky critical, then the PC should die.

Why?

 

[Quasqueton]

And if the monster gets a lucky critical, then the PC should die.

Why?

Isn't that like:

"If someone gets hit in the head by a large caliber bullet, they should die."

"Why?"

Quasqueton

 

[DragonLancer]

Wow, so a lot of stuff that can still very easily result in character death. Why not try to address the actual points in my post.

My apologies. I did seem to miss that bit and got caught up on the tactics.

After re-reading it (and this thread) I am at a loss why you think there should be no (or little) character death.

Now I don't believe that a DM should go out of his way to kill characters, nor should he be trying to achieve a TPK, but without the threat of injury or death, whether from a lucky critical or just a well hidden and overlooked trap, the game loses a lot of its meaning and flavour. At least for me.

 

[apesamongus]

Isn't that like:

"If someone gets hit in the head by a large caliber bullet, they should die."

"Why?"

As players we define what happens in a RPG. There aren't actually any laws od physics and physiology limiting what choices we can make. And, most decisions we make in that regard should have some positive impact.

To restate the question, What positive impact does it have on the gaming experience if a character dies because of a low probability roll for a monster attack?

 

[Quasqueton]

To restate the question, What positive impact does it have on the gaming experience if a character dies because of a low probability roll for a monster attack?

Then why use the critical system?

Quasqueton

 

[DragonLancer]

As players we define what happens in a RPG. There aren't actually any laws od physics and physiology limiting what choices we can make. And, most decisions we make in that regard should have some positive impact.

To restate the question, What positive impact does it have on the gaming experience if a character dies because of a low probability roll for a monster attack?

Ok, lets look at it this way...

If a campaign had no chance of character death, ability drain, negative levels....etc, and no threat of repercussion for negative actions (addition mine), surely such a game would be boring, and dull at the very least. Sure it would be fun for a while, but it would get old hat real quick.

IMO, for the game to remain fun, there has to be risk. If that risk comes from a lucky critical from a monster or BBEG, then so be it. Death is not nessecarilly permanent after a while in D&D. This does reduce that risk, but not to the extend that it makes the game too easy.

So in answer to your question, it makes the game more enjoyable for the inclusion of that risk.

 

[Henry]

To restate the question, What positive impact does it have on the gaming experience if a character dies because of a low probability roll for a monster attack?

In one word, verisimilitude. In two words: thrill enhancement.

The less plausible consequences are in a game, just as in a book or movie, the less enjoyable people are likely to find it. Beyond that, having a small risk of death makes the game more enjoyable for all participants, in my playing experience, even for me. In fact, it kind of irks me personally if I make a heroic stand or sacrifice, or even if I trivially die in-game, and then am just as trivially brought back, or if I cannot engage in any risky activity.

If I threw my PC in front of a pack of wolves, and had no chance of death, the game loses some of its sense of drama or risk for me. Even in movies or TV shows, main characters die in trivial ways for dramatic effect (e.g. the death of the character Tara in Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series).

 

[S'mon]

Apesamongus - some people like it that PCs can die easily from unexpected rolls ("it's exciting"), some don't ("it's depressing"). Reducing crit lethality is a suggested variant rule in the DMG, btw.

Different players like different things, the same player may even like different things at different times. It's all good.

BTW I seem to remember in 1e DMG a character _could not_ be reduced from 1+ hp below -3 hp by a single blow, rather a nice way of eliminating excess lethality. And there were no crits, of course.