How do you get your PCs to run away?

[Victim]

One very good reason not to run is that escape isn't often feasible. Most monsters have high speeds, magical abilities, or effective ranged attacks. The ones that don't are generally super specialized and are lower CR than their ability in a narrow range might indicate - for example, giant vermin. Even melee bruisers like giants can throw boulders at long range to fair effect. Running from a dragon?! Good luck without tight terrain or teleport. Yay for the fastest flight speeds in the game, Blindsight, magic, and a high damage ranged power. If you need to run, and the dragon would rather you didn't, then it sucks to be you.

 

[Hypersmurf]

3. Do not use a creature that will kill a PC in a single blow. Again - PCs hate leaving someone behind, even if they're a corpse.

Especially if they're a corpse. Wealth-by-level guidelines, and it's all up for grabs!

-Hyp.

 

[Falkus]

When I wanted my PCs in my d20 Modern game to run, I hit 'em hard and fast with the descriptions, made it obvious that they were over matched. Here's how it went, they were infiltrating Carlton Ashe's compound where he ran the Fraternal Order of Vigilance in order to take him out. Unknown to them, the FOV was being backed by the Elite Security Forces as part of their mission to exterminate all creatures of the shadow. After a prolonged session involving stealth ambushes, disguises, and some close calls, they finally manage to take out Carlton in his office. That's when the ESF arrived to clean house, as the FOV had outlived its usefullness, and the PCs were target number one.

Here's how it went, the ESF black helicopter blazed onto the scene, exterminating the external FOV patrols with its minigun, then disgorged sixteen ESF commandos with OICWs to finish off the rest of them. The players had been having difficulty taking out the patrols earlier on, and I just had the ESF commandos eliminate them like they were shooting fish in a barrel. The first and only thoughts they had was how to get out of there.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have trained many players over the years, so as long as I have one of my veterans in the campaign, its usually not a problem- they know when to run, and generally let the rest of the party know it. High-level campaigns, however, sometimes lead even those players astray...

How did I train them? I don't pull punches or fudge die rolls, and I get PC deaths without TPK's.

In every campaign I run these days, use the 2Ed DarkSun "Character Tree" concept. I gently suggest that everyone create multiple PCs for the campaign, but I don't require it.

At some point, a PC's existence will be threatened, and if the player doesn't recognize the danger or doesn't get help, that PC will die or be mortally wounded.

By the next time such an encounter shows up, the players are a little bit more aware. If not, the lesson gets taught again, with a couple of casualties instead of one.

2 lessons is usually all it takes.

The method has been so successful that one of my players used it on me in HIS campaign...and yes, my PC died!

 

[Bihor]

I like what Warehouse23 said.
You need to show the player that ther powerfull and they will flee.

When you show a spell that they know is higher than they can cast they will flee.
A lot of dead bodies around a monster not even scratch, it get them to think.
If you hit the tank of the group and you almost kill him in one shot they will be planing a escape for the next round.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I've got a "run away" scene planned for my next session. Caravan of 1st level warriors (and the 1st level PCs) will be attacked by some puny humanoid goatmen, who will then be assisted by a trio of trolls who arrive after combat's been going for a while. The caravan master will tell his people to run, abandoning the wagons. The trolls, who are there for the wagons, will tear apart any stragglers, but won't bother pursuing because they're lazy and just want the loot anyway. The PCs, if they're not complete idiots, will probably figure this out and run when the guards do.

Overwhelming odds, and a good reason why the bad guys won't give chase and hunt down the PCs. Both are probably important.