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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilbranteloth" data-source="post: 7163150" data-attributes="member: 6778044">I'm unclear on the original situation - Is this the first TPK, and they didn't like it, or is it one of many TPKs and the first time they thought it was unfair?So I can be brutal to my players. And from what little you're described, it sounds logical enough. But, is it consistent with what you've done in the past? Have you had other encounters or scenarios that would have prepared them for the possibility.Like it or not, players will often meta-game based on your style and approach. Many times without even realizing it. When you change your approach, then it can cause problems like this.As to what you should have done - you and your players need to have a talk about what your expectations are and theirs, and if you're shifting to a different approach, then they need to be aware of that.I'm not a fan of the idea that you design multiple ways to escape a situation like this. Of course, my players expect that, but they also know that I'm willing to go with whatever crazy and creative ideas they come up with (but grounded within the physics and feel of our campaign world).The last campaign ended up being much less brutal than my normal ones. This was a combination of using the (much more forgiving) 5e rules, even with some modifications, and the nature of the players themselves. They weren't a group that took a lot of initiative on their own, preferring a more defined story line to latch onto. That's fine, and I can work with that, but it also tends to have the effect of making any single PC more important to the campaign than I would normally consider. And I needed to adjust lethality as a result of that. Of course, I try to be very consistent, and early in any group, the first few sessions are learning each other's play styles, and that's when I use encounters (and especially combat) to set expectations, so they know how to address challenges and threats in the future.</blockquote>

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