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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 6776506" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>Failure is failure.</p><p></p><p>Now, depending on what they do next the PCs can turn a failure into a fail-forward, a fail-sideways, or a fail-backward...but it's down to them. The lock example, while not great, gives each option: fail-forward may be to remove the hinges (or demolish the door, whatever) and get through; fail-sideways may be to search for another access so as to get to what's behind the door from another direction, and fail-backward may be to abandon the door entirely and go elsewhere. All I need to do as DM is react, in this case; and I've seen all three outcomes many times each.</p><p></p><p>A better example is the missed secret door with the BBEG behind it. Here the failure is on both a greater scale and a less-obvious scale - the door above is an obvious fail-or-succeed situation, the missing boss is not - and the party may not even realize it has failed at all. A very plausible outcome is the PCs clean out the parts of the dungeon they can find then go back to town and report the BBEG isn't there and the information saying he was is in error; a big win for the BBEG. It's not down to me as DM to lead them by the nose to the secret door; again, all I have to do is react to the PCs, and maybe change my plot line slightly to account for the BBEG lasting a bit longer than I'd expected. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Lan-"a pleasant side effect of a missed BBEG is that I'll be able to squeeze at least one more adventure out of him later"-efan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 6776506, member: 29398"] Failure is failure. Now, depending on what they do next the PCs can turn a failure into a fail-forward, a fail-sideways, or a fail-backward...but it's down to them. The lock example, while not great, gives each option: fail-forward may be to remove the hinges (or demolish the door, whatever) and get through; fail-sideways may be to search for another access so as to get to what's behind the door from another direction, and fail-backward may be to abandon the door entirely and go elsewhere. All I need to do as DM is react, in this case; and I've seen all three outcomes many times each. A better example is the missed secret door with the BBEG behind it. Here the failure is on both a greater scale and a less-obvious scale - the door above is an obvious fail-or-succeed situation, the missing boss is not - and the party may not even realize it has failed at all. A very plausible outcome is the PCs clean out the parts of the dungeon they can find then go back to town and report the BBEG isn't there and the information saying he was is in error; a big win for the BBEG. It's not down to me as DM to lead them by the nose to the secret door; again, all I have to do is react to the PCs, and maybe change my plot line slightly to account for the BBEG lasting a bit longer than I'd expected. :) Lan-"a pleasant side effect of a missed BBEG is that I'll be able to squeeze at least one more adventure out of him later"-efan [/QUOTE]
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