Party goes after tough opponets with eyes wide open...

[Crothian]

If you happen to be in my game and read this, don't let it detour you from the way you are going. I support your choice.

So, what happens when as DM you place a few options for the party and they cxhoose to go after one that is going to be tough for their level. The monsters are a few CRs higher then they should be facing according to the book. Do you tone it down some so they have a better chance to survive? Run it as is but place a few good encounters before hand to boost their level? Try to persuade them with something else until they are ready? Or just run it as is relying on their ability and well they'll gain levels fast if they win?

 

[VirgilCaine]

Give them knowledge checks to possibly recognize it...maybe throw in some refugees, adventurers or corpses as "warning signs"...they can run away, and with Teleport it is easier...

 

[Threedub]

If it is only a few CRs then AS IS. If I think they are really going to get their hat handed to them, then I'll drop hints about how tough the opponents are. Usually the hints are through NPCs or by seeing the after-affects of where their prey has been.

 

[Umbran]

The players are allowed to make their own choices, but in some cases I make sure they are informed choices. Some players get the idea that all encounters can be bested through phyical conflict, and if they start heading to places where they are highly likely to get themselves killed, I do drop some in-game information that they can user to reconsider.

I had one GM (for White Wolf, not D&D), who had a habit of warning players of the threat level a given session presented. Given the game, it was realistic for the characters to have a bit fo a subconsious sense of such things. His esitimate of threat was based upon his knowledge of our usual behavior and playstyle - so if we went off and did something outrageously stupid, we could still get ourselves killed.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

If they're really going in with 'eyes wide open,' they should know enough about their opposition to beat something 4-8 CRs above their level. Prepared PCs almost can't lose unless their opponents are just unfathomably beyond their power level. I'd let them face it as it was.

If they didn't know what they were getting in to... that would be their own fault for not doing their research, and I'd let them face it (and fail, most likely).

 

[haakon1]

Death is Good, for Jedis and PC's

Dying isn't fun, but thinking you can't die 'cause it's just a game, designed around your always winning, that wrecks the whole thing.

What is best in life?
To crush your enemies, and almost get killed in the process, with no safety net, and some crazy idea that you could never do in a computer game -- "douse the backpack with oil, light it, and toss it at the fur monster's backside" -- barely saving you.

If you die at that every once in a while, the victories are that much sweeter.

What is worst in life?
Adventures that are holodeck trips -- consciously just a game with cute dress up -- with the safety protocols turned on. To quote Robert Frost talking about poetry without rhyme, that's like playing tennis with the net down.

The tree of liberty in the Shire (or where ever) must be watered with the blood of fallen PC's . . .

 

[LogicsFate]

most of my players die, I specificly don't rail road players but everytime they rush after a hint of tough oppeneat to come, I just can't help but TPK

 

[Herobizkit]

I would (and do) allow PCs to challenge opponents above their CR. It has been my experience that a prepared group can take on most adversaries unless said advesaries have a resistance or special ability that the PCs simply cannot overcome with their current resources.

I suffered an example of this while running through a well-known module. We had encountered a demon that had a high DR/+3, but only one of my PCs had a +3 weapon. We were taken by surprise as well, which pretty much wiped out two party members within the first few rounds. We managed to regroup, recoup and drive the demon away with a VERY LUCKY dismissal spell, but that was the ONLY thing that saved us.

 

[IronWolf]

If you happen to be in my game and read this, don't let it detour you from the way you are going. I support your choice.

As one of Crothian's players and one of the main instigators for charging in eyes wide open.... I voted for Do it as is, but throw in some encounters to gain a level.

I'll throw just a little more info in the pot, as I think only one other of our group regularly reads the boards here and I don't think he will care....

I play a dwarven cleric in Crothian's game and am sitting at 3rd level (as is most of the rest of the party I believe). We have a myriad of hooks to choose from, for those that don't know Crothian's games are the definition of a dynamic world where the player's really do choose where they want to go. My dwarven cleric, who took a the Dwarven Cleric racial sub level from Races of Stone at 1st level (i.e. traded out Turning - ssshhhh, don't tell the rest of the party!) for Smite Giants and a d10 hit die has just arrived with the others at a Dwarven stronghold that has been in battle with kobolds for quite some time. Some giants have taken advantage of these dwarve's situation (just one of at *least* three possible hooks) and taken some things from the dwarves still holding the stronghold.

My character, with obvious despise of giants, is already making words towards helping these dwarves at the stronghold by stirring up trouble with these giants. At this point my character has no idea what type of giants these are, but even with some metagaming I know they are at least 4 CRs over our party's current level. Despite that, my character will be trying to convince the rest of the party to help this dwarven stronghold by mounting some "guerilla" warfare on these giants.

I already have some plans to proceed very carefully, they are giants after all, but my character feels an allegiance to these dwarves at this stronghold. So he will be trying to convince the others to go after these giants in some manner.

From the pure meta-gaming standpoint I know Crothian is not afraid to let a party member or members die along the way. One character has died since the campaign's start. I used to DM this group and we had many deaths along the way, so the group is used to the chance of character death. So my character (and player) is not making this decision thinking that he will take it easy on us. (though, hopefully we could gain one level before he hit the bulk of that force... )

So in closing, my character should know how dangerous giants are and will encourage smart and careful planning should they agree to head this direction. This will hopefully help some, but I just think this is the decision my character would make if you drop the metagaming from the picture.

 

[X-Marks!]

Never enough choices

Well, I took 'tone it down' only in the sense that I say let them go up against the baddie, but allow them to get their tails kicked so hard the think twice about doing reckless/stupid/unprepared actions in the future. In the end, provide some sort of way out for at least most of the party. (Thus the toning down.) That said, I'm not doing my job if they aren't sufficiently forewarned of the power level of their opponent(s).