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<blockquote data-quote="Gorg" data-source="post: 8222134" data-attributes="member: 7029501">A little of both, I suppose.&nbsp;&nbsp; There's always the possibility that a party could bite off more than they could chew, and/or be confronted with the reality that they are NOT, in fact, the biggest dawgs on the block, lol.&nbsp; &nbsp; The old Gygaxian way of each succeeding dungeon level being more difficult than the last is a perfect example of the Sandbox philosophy.&nbsp; Push too far, and you're liable to get your butt handed to you.&nbsp; Also, in a fantasy world like most we adventure in,&nbsp; the fact that seriously nasty nasties exist means that there is always the possibility that you could encounter one- no matter where you go.&nbsp; Especially true of the BBEG's, and/or their tougher minions.&nbsp; &nbsp; If nothing else, it teaches the players the value of&nbsp; negotiation,&nbsp; hiding,&nbsp; or the concept of &quot;Oh HELL no!!!&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; It also makes for good plot points, world at large events,&nbsp; or fodder for revenge fantasies or long term grudges.&nbsp; The perfect example of this, is Fewmaster Teode from the Dragonlance Classics.&nbsp;&nbsp; You aren't supposed to be able to crush him until much later in the saga- HE is supposed to make your life more difficult.&nbsp;&nbsp; Getting captured,&nbsp; taunted, and rolled along in cages made for a powerful motivator, once we escaped.&nbsp;&nbsp; We HATED that guy!!&nbsp;&nbsp; And, boy was it satisfying when the tables turned!&nbsp;&nbsp; This, by the way, is why you should NEVER tell my namesake that he's under arrest...&nbsp; The occasional dragon sighting,&nbsp; Highlord encounter,&nbsp; etc&nbsp; that you had no chance of defeating at the time were important plot devices, and gave players the sense of being truly involved in something monumental and world shaking.&nbsp; And then there was Fizban.OTOH,&nbsp; adventures and planned encounters are tailored to the average ability of the group, more or less.&nbsp;&nbsp; Inc wandering encounters.&nbsp;&nbsp; You want to challenge them, keep them on their toes, and give them a chance at a fun time- not arbitrarily smush them like bugs.&nbsp; Choices should have consequences- and players need to believe that.&nbsp;&nbsp; But&nbsp; a bit of common sense on the DM's part is also in order- if you don't want a super gritty game where players need a stack of backup characters rolled up and ready to go at a moment's notice, lol.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Gorg, post: 8222134, member: 7029501"] A little of both, I suppose. There's always the possibility that a party could bite off more than they could chew, and/or be confronted with the reality that they are NOT, in fact, the biggest dawgs on the block, lol. The old Gygaxian way of each succeeding dungeon level being more difficult than the last is a perfect example of the Sandbox philosophy. Push too far, and you're liable to get your butt handed to you. Also, in a fantasy world like most we adventure in, the fact that seriously nasty nasties exist means that there is always the possibility that you could encounter one- no matter where you go. Especially true of the BBEG's, and/or their tougher minions. If nothing else, it teaches the players the value of negotiation, hiding, or the concept of "Oh HELL no!!!" It also makes for good plot points, world at large events, or fodder for revenge fantasies or long term grudges. The perfect example of this, is Fewmaster Teode from the Dragonlance Classics. You aren't supposed to be able to crush him until much later in the saga- HE is supposed to make your life more difficult. Getting captured, taunted, and rolled along in cages made for a powerful motivator, once we escaped. We HATED that guy!! And, boy was it satisfying when the tables turned! This, by the way, is why you should NEVER tell my namesake that he's under arrest... The occasional dragon sighting, Highlord encounter, etc that you had no chance of defeating at the time were important plot devices, and gave players the sense of being truly involved in something monumental and world shaking. And then there was Fizban. OTOH, adventures and planned encounters are tailored to the average ability of the group, more or less. Inc wandering encounters. You want to challenge them, keep them on their toes, and give them a chance at a fun time- not arbitrarily smush them like bugs. Choices should have consequences- and players need to believe that. But a bit of common sense on the DM's part is also in order- if you don't want a super gritty game where players need a stack of backup characters rolled up and ready to go at a moment's notice, lol. [/QUOTE]

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