I killed my entire group

[bolen]

It really depends on which state you live in

 

[DWARF]

Just my 2 cents-

We play D&D to have fun.

Total Party Kills are not fun.

And knowing your DM won't kill you if you make some boneheaded decisions and the dice roll badly against you isn't fun either.

 

[Wolfspider]

Just my 2 cents-

We play D&D to have fun.

Total Party Kills are not fun.

And knowing your DM won't kill you if you make some boneheaded decisions and the dice roll badly against you isn't fun either.

That's why I only fudge to keep characters alive if they've been playing wisely and their deaths are flukes.

Fudge, but intelligently, and in moderation.

 

[Nik_the_Pig]

TPK - I wish!!

The DM of my group has on more than one occasion let us live when a TPK could and IMO should of occurred. I like my PC's but when the party does something stupid (which I have done but more often witness) against huge odds they/we should suffer the consequences.

People learn form there mistakes - how does someone learn if they never realize they made one.

 

[Corinth]

Let The Dice Fall Where They May

Don't violate the 5th Rule of Dungeoncraft ("What's Done Is Done."); Let the TPK stand, or you'll cheat yourself and your players out of a valuable gaming experience. Start over at 1st level and begin again.

Oh, and take heed of the 7th Rule: Don't build a story; build a world and let the players tell the stories.

 

[Wolfspider]

Don't violate the 5th Rule of Dungeoncraft ("What's Done Is Done."); Let the TPK stand, or you'll cheat yourself and your players out of a valuable gaming experience. Start over at 1st level and begin again.

This seems like much too inflexible and cruel rule. What if the players have had these characters for years, lovingly developed them from 1st level to 20th, and they die due to simple rotten luck and not because they were bad or unwise players?

DM: "Ooops, sorry, you're all dead because the rogue rolled a 1 on his Search and didn't see the Doomsday Device in time before it obliterated all of you. But that's ok! You can start all over again at 1st level. After all, I don't want to cheat you out of valuable gaming expeience! Isn't this game FUN?"

Nope. Not if such a commandment is law.

Of course, at 20th level resurrection magics are commonly available, but your rigid guideline doesn't take that into effect: A TPK requires a complete restart.

And that's pure hooey.

 

[Darklone]

Re: Let The Dice Fall Where They May

Don't violate the 5th Rule of Dungeoncraft ("What's Done Is Done."); Let the TPK stand, or you'll cheat yourself and your players out of a valuable gaming experience. Start over at 1st level and begin again.

Oh, and take heed of the 7th Rule: Don't build a story; build a world and let the players tell the stories.

What about the other rules ?

I have a simple rule: I cheat once per player per evening tp avoid annoying mishaps. My players simply aren't intelligent enough to notice when I start rolling openly (all cheats spent).

Total player kill: Never had it. I always had at least one member in the group that was wise enough to run. The rest died, ok. Some of them don't talk to me since then, ok. But heck, what do you expect? You cannot let 2nd level chars without equipment walk back through the maingate into the jail where they just broke free to get their armour and weapons back. Those 200 jailguards who are searching the building and regrouping in the main yard to search the surrounding area WILL mind. If those stupid players think I am a bad DM, so be it.

 

[ninthcouncil]

I've never dealt out a TPK as GM, but then I don't believe in resurrection either... I can only remember playing in one, and that was a long time ago.

However, I think it's right to say that seeing a DM outrageously dodge killing a PC when they really should die, can be almost as disconcerting as dying when you don't reckon on it. Some years ago (not in D&D), I had a long-lived and well-loved character recklessly (but very typically) enter a blazing building - to try to save some animals - which was about to fall into a very deep hole. When it promptly did so he should have died, but by excessively obvious referee intervention he didn't - and playing him afterwards felt like a bit of a cheat. Individual player kills are a different kettle of fish to TPK - if it happens, it happens.