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<blockquote data-quote="Ancalagon" data-source="post: 6859763" data-attributes="member: 23">On the running away:&nbsp; The scenario was during an ambush, not 2/3 into a fight that has gone horribly wrong. Ambushes are bad.&nbsp; You are fighting at a time and a place of the enemy's choosing.&nbsp;&nbsp; Clearly the enemy thinks it has a good chance of winning, otherwise they would have left the party pass - 3 grubby goblins aren't going to attack a group of 6 heavily armed and *dangerous looking* travelers.&nbsp; The enemy has chosen this position for the ability to strike by surprise but also because the position is advantageous - it has features which protect the ambushers or hinder the party.&nbsp; The enemy is ready with all their gear and magic at hand.Unless this is one of those particularly dastardly ambush where the escape route has been cut off, sheer common sense demands a fighting withdrawal.&nbsp; The enemy has you *where it wants you* and thinks it will win.&nbsp; Why on earth would you want to play that game?!?&nbsp; Get out, now.&nbsp; Don't wait to see.&nbsp; Even if all you do is back off a bit - and hoping the enemy will foolishly pursue (right into your fireball) - you might at leas get even grounds vs the murder gauntlet.So... Why do PCs often *not* run from this situation?&nbsp; Well...1:&nbsp; The players are dumb.&nbsp; Maybe, but probably not.2:&nbsp; The DM plays the ambushers stupidly - as in they are launching attacks on people they really shouldn't, they don't ask themselves &quot;can we win?&quot; - AND the players know this.3:&nbsp; The players are metagaming.&nbsp; &quot;Surely the DM wouldn't set a deadly ambush on our way to the great dungeon of doom?&nbsp; This is just a &quot;warm up fight&quot;, we can take this&quot;.So it's not an edition problem, it's a bad gaming problem.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ancalagon, post: 6859763, member: 23"] On the running away: The scenario was during an ambush, not 2/3 into a fight that has gone horribly wrong. Ambushes are bad. You are fighting at a time and a place of the enemy's choosing. Clearly the enemy thinks it has a good chance of winning, otherwise they would have left the party pass - 3 grubby goblins aren't going to attack a group of 6 heavily armed and *dangerous looking* travelers. The enemy has chosen this position for the ability to strike by surprise but also because the position is advantageous - it has features which protect the ambushers or hinder the party. The enemy is ready with all their gear and magic at hand. Unless this is one of those particularly dastardly ambush where the escape route has been cut off, sheer common sense demands a fighting withdrawal. The enemy has you *where it wants you* and thinks it will win. Why on earth would you want to play that game?!? Get out, now. Don't wait to see. Even if all you do is back off a bit - and hoping the enemy will foolishly pursue (right into your fireball) - you might at leas get even grounds vs the murder gauntlet. So... Why do PCs often *not* run from this situation? Well... 1: The players are dumb. Maybe, but probably not. 2: The DM plays the ambushers stupidly - as in they are launching attacks on people they really shouldn't, they don't ask themselves "can we win?" - AND the players know this. 3: The players are metagaming. "Surely the DM wouldn't set a deadly ambush on our way to the great dungeon of doom? This is just a "warm up fight", we can take this". So it's not an edition problem, it's a bad gaming problem. [/QUOTE]

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