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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DND_Reborn" data-source="post: 8599251" data-attributes="member: 6987520">This is their problem -- overconfidence.[ATTACH=full]155003[/ATTACH]As you say (and I agree in general) players go into just about any encounter expecting to win. That is a the major flaw in D&D. Only when they feel or know the boss-fight is coming do they typically begin to prep and play it cautious.Sadly, this means all the rest of the time they could easily be walking into a situation where running is the best idea but they can't because they were unprepared and are forced to duke it out.Which is the next part of the problem.Now, the behavior is reinforced because once again the party was "forced" to fight because they couldn't escape and yet them managed to win the day again.Worst yet, in such cases IME many DMs (at this point) begin to fudge (see other threads). They know the rules don't support fleeing, which might even be what was intended, but when they try to play it out it fails (for any number of reasons) and so the fight is forced upon the group and the DM might be inclined to let fortune fall the players way.Another big issue IME is players often neglect to fight defensively when forced into such situations. It is like they refuse to take the Dodge action until their HP are so low they feel they have no choice. Finding defensive positions in the middle of a fight is also hardly even done by other groups.Anyway, for myself, when I suggest running away is an option it is because I expect (and explain to new players) that they will assess situations and not walk into them blindly--expecting to win. In the above example, I don't know how they players advanced further into the cave, but every group I play with has someone scouting in some fashion so they have an idea of what they are getting into.Finally, sometimes you want to run but it just isn't an option. Encounters like those are fine, but IME a well-played group usually does have the option to "retreat" if not actually "run". But, that is because when I detect overconfidence rearing its ugly head, I make sure my group reins it in quickly--or pay the price if they don't and (hopefully) lesson learned.</blockquote>

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