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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 7453529" data-attributes="member: 97077">So, death for some, but not for all. Or at least not all at one time. That seems pretty hard to guarantee if stakes are set up front.Setting aside what may be viewed as bad-faith play on the players' part for a moment, consider this: The DM will take out one or more PCs, but a TPK is effectively off the table. So wouldn't the smart move for the players when one PC goes down to all opt into going down, knowing that the DM won't TPK them? This is a philosophical question more than anything. But if that is indeed the smart play logically (bad faith claims aside), what does that say about the approach? Especially in light of your statement that your players are probably unaware of your viewpoint as it relates to TPKs? That's interesting to think about in my view.I bolded the part that jumps out at me, as it relates in part to your statements about the DM having responsibility for his or her choices. There is no "would" in my view, only "might" or "could." The DM is choosing to keep the stakes vague here. Among the reasons for that may well be, as I already asserted, to have the flexibility to ease up on them due to holding to the desire to avoid TPKs (even if some PC deaths are okay).As for the DM who is okay with TPKs, I think it's perfectly valid to be gunning for the PCs when the agreed-upon stakes are life-or-death. The fire giants are coming and they mean to do you in. Are you opting into that fight to get that sweet XP and gold or will you flee, parlay, or something else? Then we can set up stakes for that challenge instead, as appropriate to the scene. But if you opt into a life-or-death fight, you're going to pay if you fail. You made a reasonably informed choice to put your life on the line for some kind of reward. I'm not going to save you by killing one or more of your characters, then deciding the rest can be captured. I'd rather not put forward life-or-death stakes at all if I can't accept a TPK. (And that's not to say my game is only life-or-death stakes, far from it.)</blockquote>

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