Do you ever cut and run?

[Vegepygmy]

Have you ever "cut and run" from a battle in D&D, or do you heroically die with a total party kill?

I've "cut and run" too many times to count. I've even "cut and run" when I (the player) thought we could win the fight, but my character didn't share that optimism.

As a DM, how do you go about hinting to the players that the party is in way over it's head?

While I generally prefer to be subtle about it, not too long ago I came right out and told a player: "If you go back in there, you will die." (And to his credit, he replied: "I know, but my character would never leave a friend behind.")

 

[Vegepygmy]

What's the preference out there... bloody the party's nose early on in the campaign so they know you are serious or moderate encounters all along that lull the party into a false sense of superiority and then *blammo* the wake up call comes?

Is anyone really going to go with Option Two, there? That'd be like teaching your toddler to "swim" in the bathtub, and then tossing him in the deep end of a pool to drown.

If I'm going to DM for players who don't already know my style, and I'm not going to pull any punches, I tell them so from the beginning. Also, I make all my rolls out in the open, so it quickly becomes obvious that I'm not going to fudge things for them.

 

[Vegepygmy]

My players never have that chance. The battles are almost always over by round 2 because their characters are somehow so overpowered every time, no matter what i try and do.

Three of them. They just get out of a 200 years magical imprisonment. No weapons. First thing they do? Two shot an 11 headed hyrda.

Have you tried making them lower level?

 

[jonesy]

That'd be like teaching your toddler to "swim" in the bathtub, and then tossing him in the deep end of a pool to drown.

Doesn't work. Babies are master swimmers.

 

[jbear]

Yes.

I've been a DM for years. Just a few months ago I got into two different online games as a player for the first time since I was 14.

On the second session of the Wednesday night game only 3 of us showed up. After getting down a trapped hallway and nearly falling into a pit we walked into the 'lounge' of the wife of the goblin we had massacred in the first session. And from the nearby bedroom emerged her 6 angry sons. So, hell yes, we turned and ran like rabbits! I slammed the door shut behind us and bravely (unwisely) tried to hold it while my more vulnerable companions fled back over the pit. Only I rolled a 2 on my Strength test and the door burst open and I was thrown to the floor. I was sure we were goners but I managed to make it back over that pit to join the wizard and the cleric before i was hacked to pieces ... and suddenly the battle turned and we had an awesome defensive position. In the end, after they ran out of javelins, we kicked their goblin butts one after the other down that pit and rained magic on them! Beautiful!

SPOILER ALERT* If you plan to play D&D Dark Sun Encounters from week 1 then don't read any further!


The first session of the Sunday night game my group also fled. On this occaision there were 6 of us. After repelling the first wave of attackers huddled beneath an awning in the middle of an obsidian shard storm in the middle of the harsh desert we already had on PC dying and every single other PC bloodied badly. We could see the next wave of attackers arriving... and a third wave behind them... so yeah the dying elf was stabilised and hauled over my shoulder (yep, I'm a fighter in both games) and we ran for our lives. This was the first encounter of the D&D Dark SUn Encounters. I imagine the encounter itself was designed to force you to flee, because it was far far too viscious to have been able to survive even a second wave of attackers. Actually every encounter has been savagely viscious. 2 of the PCs were killed in the 4th Encounter, and I'm sure the DM could have slaughtered all of us if he had wanted to. I get the feeling that in Athas you have to turn tail and run ALOT!

 

[S'mon]

If I'm going to DM for players who don't already know my style, and I'm not going to pull any punches, I tell them so from the beginning. Also, I make all my rolls out in the open, so it quickly becomes obvious that I'm not going to fudge things for them.

Yes, I always try to make my brutal GMing style clear. I had a bit of a problem with a new player (neonchameleon here on ENW) recently when he came in after the campaign had started, and I must have omitted to mention this to him...

 

[Lidgar]

Flee the battle?

Very much so.

Our DM's (myself included) are not very forgiving, and expect the party to strategically retreat when things go south (like when reinforcements arrive). So it is not uncommon to flee a battle or two in a given session.

However, sometimes we have characters that are reluctant to retreat (because, well, its in their character - paladins and clerics being the worst offenders), so total party wipe does happen regardless of this "reality".

It can be quite satisfying when you actually win those battles your more cautious side says to flee from. Sometimes stubborn adherence to a cause can be the better part of valor too (when the dice are in your favor).

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Not as often as I should. Unless someone is draining my stats. Don't like stat drainers. Dislike running but dislike stat drains more.

 

[GandalfMithrandir]

I, as the DM, usually put one really tough encounter at the start of a Players time gaming with me, this shows them that they can possibly die in my campaigns and it usually sends them running away from the fight as fast as they can, and then worrying whenever they take a little damage. It is probably too brutal, but discretion is the better part of valor and if they have discretion, they will be fine.

My villains run all the time, if they are going to lose, because then I can re-use them later.

 

[Jhaelen]

I, as the DM, usually put one really tough encounter at the start of a Players time gaming with me, this shows them that they can possibly die in my campaigns and it usually sends them running away from the fight as fast as they can, and then worrying whenever they take a little damage.

Sounds familiar
IIRC, each of my campaign so far started with a tpk. It's not really intentional, it's mostly because the players are overconfident after having played high level chars in the previous campaign, and have forgotten how dangerous things are with low-level characters. And I won't hold back.

I also make it a point to include overwhelming encounters. There should always be a (small) chance to encounter something that is too tough for you. The 3e DMG advice is spot-on in that regard. Unfortunately, too many game designers have forgotten that.

And, yes, my campaigns always start from scratch.