How often do PCs make an orderly retreat?

[Brimshack]

Oh, hi Ali!

 

[Kurotowa]

Even when we do manage to plan an organized withdrawal, we usually end up having one player who decides his character will be the martyr who has to watch our backs. Then everyone else will decide we can't possibly risk losing that PC, and the next thing you know we're all staying behind to cover each other.

I've run into that. While a lot of the gamers I've known are deathly allergic to anything resembling a chain of command, having a leader or at least a tactical squad lcommander can prevent this sort of thing. If it's understood that when that person calls for a group action we all do it, it heads off situations where everyone's hanging around trying to cover each other's retreat.

 

[Jubilee]

*wave*

Hi Dan!

Re: Kurotowa's Group Commander - Our group tends to have a serious aversion to any kind of party leader. Too many strong personalities amongst us, I suppose.. We have one game in particular where everyone seems to be some variety of extreme chaotic and a new character joined - he's very lawful - and keeps trying to bring some order to the chaos. So far he's not succeeding..

OTOH, so far the stubborn approach has not resulted in a TPK and rare character death, even in the game where half of us wish we'd die so we could make new characters, right sniffles?

 

[Brimshack]

Heh, my players are just the opposite; they will happily form a complex hierarchy, if for no other reason than so they know who to defy. It occurs to me that one of the problems they may be havinhg is a tendancy on the part of the player who always gets tactical leader to want to keep at it no matter what. Might be a one-player problem for us ...combined with an overconfidence in his decisions.

 

[Harmon]

For the Company of the Sparrow we seem to retreat via TP or DimDor at least once every other campaign, some times twice (we have three wizards).

For the Riders of the Axe- a few times. Most notable was was just after my cleric got a Helm of TP, and my archer went down from a misunderstood order, cast Sactuary on himself and dove through some baddies to grab two PCs that had dropped "see yo in town," and her was gone. The Sorc got the others out. Sense then a few more times.

We have a great GM that can apply pressure without having to singling out a single PC for an exampling.

 

[Moonstone Spider]

The problem with retreat in DnD is that the tactical elements of the game make retreat a losing proposition compared to trying to tough it out and crush the enemy.

At low levels many monsters outrun you, there are no teleport spells to save the door, and you frequently suck up tons of AoOs when you flee.

At high levels damage output can be so extreme that the battle only lasts one or two rounds either way, leaving no time to plan or execute a retreat.

Personally I've almost invariably died when my character (even as part of a group) attempted a retreat due to these factors.

 

[jdrakeh]

Honestly, it depends upon the DM.

If the DM is using the suggested rules in any edition of D&D/AD&D for balancing encounters (e.g., monster levels in older editions, Challenge Ratings in the current edition), rarely have aI seen a party make an organized retreat (though, in such campaigns, doing so isn't necessary unless the players have a flurry of really bad die rolls).

If the DM has thrown game balance to the wind (again, in any edition of D&D/AD&D), then organizaed retreats definitely become more frequent, if not necessary (that said IME, most DMs who go this route won't let organized retreats happen -- they'll do whatever they can to force a TPK, 'cause that's how they have fun).

 

[RFisher]

Orderly retreat? That's a oxymoron, right? As Murphy said, "No plan ever survives contact with the enemy."

Actually I have seen some retreats that were just about as orderly as possible. The last one that comes to mind...two of the PCs had fallen, so the cleric dragged the bodies out of the room while the fighter tried to keep the monster busy. (They were pretty sure this particular monster wouldn't pursue them out of the room.)

Unfortunately, it ended up in a TPK, but it was a good try. (^_^)

 

[Darklone]

The problem with retreat in DnD is that the tactical elements of the game make retreat a losing proposition compared to trying to tough it out and crush the enemy.

This one only means: "Leave the turtles in heavy armors behind"

You don't have to run faster than the enemy, only faster than your buddies.

At low levels many monsters outrun you, there are no teleport spells to save the door, and you frequently suck up tons of AoOs when you flee.

AoO? That's the thing other chars sometimes provoke ?

At high levels damage output can be so extreme that the battle only lasts one or two rounds either way, leaving no time to plan or execute a retreat.

Agreed

Personally I've almost invariably died when my character (even as part of a group) attempted a retreat due to these factors.

I usually retreated together with the archer. Then the rest followed and following monsters had to come through a hail of arrows. That worked.

That lvl 7 char died when he didn't retreat but thought he had to help out the poor outclasses 5th level monk against a 10th level fighter. Well... the fighter died. My char too.

 

[jdrakeh]

AoO? That's the thing other chars sometimes provoke ?

Fixed your typo