Recent TPK... would you have?

[Philotomy Jurament]

Yep. That sounds right. What I was trying to articulate is that considering death as the only consequence is just as stale, unimaginative, and capable of fostering undesireable player perceptions as never considering it as a consquence.

I agree; the consequence should fit the actions that precipitated it, but it certainly doesn't always need to be "you die!"

 

[Kolvin]

IMO the situation was caused by both parties. The DM is responsible because he put in the adventure a situation that could cause some players to believe there WAS a potential reward in exploring the tunnel. Risk is often equivalent to reward in D&D.

Making the tunnel eventually get too small for man-sized creatures to navigate would have been a simple way to avoid the problem.

That being said the players willfully ignored your warnings. So in a way they deserved the fate that was handed to them.

 

[Creamsteak]

At this point I told the two players, "You've found no air pockets and the tunnel is still going down. You can tell that you've reached a point of no return - if you go back now you could probably make it back to the chamber you came from and live. ... or you can try to keep going.

Seems like a genuine opportunity to make something 'there' to me. Now, that something doesn't have to be a whole adventure, or even something with a risk vs. reward, but 'something' would have been fun. A big eel or crocodile would be a whole lot more fun.

 

[GlaziusF]

I don't think anybody ever believes they'll be offered a literal "Die. Y/N?" choice. The assumption is that you'll be giving them meaningful choices, and "die or don't die" is not meaningful.

 

[The Thayan Menace]

D&D for Visual Learners

Just curious how other DM's would have handled this...

I would slowly reveal a sequence of thematic flash cards to the players ...

... then I would kill them.


​

 

[Delta]

I don't think anybody ever believes they'll be offered a literal "Die. Y/N?" choice. The assumption is that you'll be giving them meaningful choices, and "die or don't die" is not meaningful.

Sometimes that just happens when you have a non-metagamey game. Personally, some of the most entertaining times for me and my players are when I describe something _really_ horrible and they practically start pounding the table and screaming "I run like hell!" and laughing in unison. 'Cuz they know we're all playing for keeps. I'd hate to give that up.

Example: Scene "Complex of Portals": Delta's D&D Hotspot: Tomb of Horrors!

 

[Treebore]

... and "die or don't die" is not meaningful.

I can't believe this was even said.

 

[GlaziusF]

I can't believe this was even said.

It's like wandering around offering people cake or death. Is anybody really going to say "death", other than to make sure they've heard you right?

 

[HelloChristian]

I may not have killed them off initially, but your players were doing something that I don't like: They were taking an unnecessary risk and assumed you would bail them out. I think your warnings were pretty clear. They had to expect something bad to happen. Your ultimate solution was fair, since they were being rather reckless.

 

[Arnwyn]

Just curious how other DM's would have handled this...

Exactly the same way you would have. Nothing any different that I can tell from the information given.

But then, my players generally know what can occur and understand the risks involved in our particular games, so such a situation wouldn't be out of the ordinary... but my players also know how to read my clues, too. Works for us.