How to TPK

[popuman]

Nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[GMMichael]

Yeesh, I dont like running stuff like this. If there is gonna be some "everybody died but the story continues..." contrivance id make that the beginning of the campaign and known. This isnt the type of surprise I like sprung on me. YMMV.

Me neither. But if the reason is really interesting or fun, I'd be okay with it. I guess there's a compromise: if the GM says in session zero that there's "always a chance" that the whole party dies, that would be fair warning without ruining a surprise.

A campaign titled "Raging to Valhalla"? Expect your fallen heros to be rewarded with feasting and recreational violence in their afterlife.

This is fun: rewards for TPK. The bigger you go out, the better your reward.

Having a PC 'ghost' that sticks around and can possess others can be fun. The player can leap from body to body and try to do things.

Cool idea. I guess there are a lot of possibilities, and like @payn said, there's also "enjoy the show." It's probably important just to have options, because enjoying the show depends a lot on the game. For example, I would not want to just watch a D&D battle while PCs slowly died off. It's hard enough watching a D&D battle while I'm still alive. Let me start rolling another character . . . that would keep me busy for a while.

I guess my GM concern is finding the line between "watch the show, it's going to be good" and "here's something to do, so you can keep having fun (while everyone else dies too)."

 

[SkidAce]

...
Not all surprises are good.
Some people hate negative "surprises" like this.

In my opinion: a plotted TPK shouldn't be a surprise to the players. If there was no in game foreshadowing, I'm of the opinion that the plot is faulty. If there are no exit points for the characters along the way, it's a railroad to oblivion. If that's the genre, and the players like it, enjoy the ride.
...

Agreed...its different for every group and every campaign.

When I was in the military, a tpk was just a failed scenario, roll up a new character, carry on.

My current group? If there was a single death, 3 of the 5 would get anxious and distraught*. A TPK would horrify them (at first).




*don't judge my current group, they are good people.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Investigative horror games in particular have risk but they don't tend to assume a particularly high level of PC mortality.