New DM questions

[surfarcher]

I guess the difference is how you are going to use it.

As a campaign starter you probably don't want to kill all the PCs.

As a one-shot on the other hand... Hey stretch your tactical wings and show the player's what the game can do!

 

[Saeviomagy]

If you're ever going to kill a PC, then on their first adventure, and by a classic mistake (overextension) is probably the best time and way to do it. It shows that you mean business, teaches you to pace yourself, and at the same time avoids killing off a character that a player (or you, the DM) has put a major investment into.

 

[surfarcher]

Cool! Next campaign start I'll run three +2 encounters with time pressure and then a +3 with front-line soldiers, terrain favouring the bad guys, a lot of atrillery minions and controllers focus-firing the PC controller, then striker, then ... Doesn't matter if they players are new to the game. TPK until they can survive.

I still maintain that final encounter, as it stands, is a poor choice for most new partys and new players.

But whatever does it for you, I guess.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Cool! Next campaign start I'll run three +2 encounters with time pressure and then a +3 with front-line soldiers, terrain favouring the bad guys, a lot of atrillery minions and controllers focus-firing the PC controller, then striker, then ... Doesn't matter if they players are new to the game. TPK until they can survive.

I still maintain that final encounter, as it stands, is a poor choice for most new partys and new players.

But whatever does it for you, I guess.

Nobody here is advocating going all diabolic killer DM on newbs. Kobold Hall isn't exactly tough going though. The 3rd encounter has a few tricks in it but its nothing too terrible. The dragon encounter is certainly potentially pretty deadly, but the PCs certainly have a pretty good chance of winning it. Beyond that it doesn't have to end in a TPK either. The players could retreat, negotiate with the dragon, set up an ambush somewhere else in the dungeon, or even surrender. There IS a chance of a TPK but as others said if you are going to have player death at all the first adventure is the better place for it than 3 months down the road when they have a lot of time invested in the characters.

I don't think toning down that last encounter or replacing it is a BAD idea, but I'd still make it fairly tough. For totally new players redesigning it could be cool. Maybe make it a couple of wyrmlings or something and then have a story arc where the PCs have to deal with "mom" gunning for them later on.

 

[surfarcher]

Don't get me wrong. The final encounter is tough but survivable for a new group of experienced players...

Then again I pull every trick in the bag out when playing dragons. In my campaigns they are the ultimate monster and not something to be messed with. So you rarely encounter a dragon that isn't +2 with tricked out terrain and lackys galore.

But as an intro to 4e and to D&D in general? Do you really think noob players who don't really understand their characters and the roles stand a great chance?

I'm just trying to let the OP know that his "4 players that are completely new to pen-and-paper RPGs" are walking into an encounter that can be pretty tough for a full party of 5 experienced players.

How about this - just ignore me. Instead we'll tutor the OP on how to play that final encounter to the hilt with his group of noobs and get him to tell us how they go.