Surrender or Die!

[Bullgrit]

I'm asking about the norm/average Players in your experience, not necessarily about your particular group right now.

Say the party of adventurers were surrounded by an overwhelming force. A force all the Players agree can probably kill them in a fight.

If the leader of the force calls for the party to surrender or die, would the Players/PCs choose to fight or surrender? (For this poll, there are no other alternatives.)

This is not a trick question. There is no illusion or trickery on the part of the overwhelming force, and the Players/PCs know this. The only reason I'm saying the force can "probably" kill them is because it is that possibility of survival, however slight, that makes the difference.

Bullgrit

 

[Blackbrrd]

Depending on the party all or none of the characters would fight.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I've gone for a middle of the road answer because over the years the gamers I've played with (and myself) have changed in outlook. In the early days surrender was rarely an option, capture was just as much "losing" as dead.

But nowadays I think most of the players I play with would see it as a plot point and go along.

 

[wedgeski]

Honestly, in my experience, it can go either way.

I guess it depends somewhat on the established relationship between the game and the PC's... do they have the expectation that even if they fight, the DM will ultimately be a "good guy" and subdue them, strip them of their gear, and drop them in an easily-escapable cell with all their equipment in a chest down the hall? Or do they think the DM will simply shrug and do what his NPC's promised?

The politics of player/DM will factor heavily into this decision, perhaps as much or more so than any in-game or role-playing factors.

 

[Woas]

Can the characters retreat?

 

[Abraxas]

I have yet to see anyone surrender in these situations - because someone always refuses, starts the fight, and at that point everyone else joins in.

 

[gilthan3]

My first instinct is to say my bull-headed players would just all die...but I went with some would surrender. At least they 'd try to convince the others. Whether that works or not...*shrug*

 

[steenan]

In my experience it depends on the game at least as much as on the player. Nearly nobody from my group would surrender in Exalted or D&D while most would in WoD - and I played these games with the same people.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I'll take the pie, please.

Mmmmm... delicious pie.

 

[Jack7]

Can I try to evade and escape, or at least cut my way through a weak spot in the line and then escape?

Well, if not, then personally I'd try and negotiate terms and then surrender. Even if it ended up being an unconditional surrender, but I thought I had a chance of setting things right later on, I would still probably surrender.

As far as most of the players I've even known, most of them would surrender too. Far as my playing party I know all would. They even talked a small town into surrender at a siege by Goths in order to avoid the town being annihilated. Course they negotiated a prisoner exchange before surrendering.

So I'd always try and negotiate something favorable if possible before surrendering. I know my players would try that too.

If I suspected it was a surrender merely to submit to torture, to entertain my captors, and later painful execution further on, I definitely wouldn't. I'd kill every man of em I could lay hands on before they killed me.

If I suspected they'd do the same to my companions I'd try and talk them into a last stand too.

I don't much care for torture and prolonged and painful execution.
I got no interest in enduring it or seeing others suffer it.

So it'd be situationally dependent on what I suspected about that possibility.