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<blockquote data-quote="brak1" data-source="post: 373910" data-attributes="member: 5390">When we started playing 3rd ed. our group had some trouble with Sunless Citadel module.&nbsp; (some possible SPOILERS coming up) Having come off some relatively high-level 2nd ed. adventures we were, perhaps, too eager to continue on despite injuries and depleted spell arsenals.&nbsp; Our first try ended in a TPK. We were stunned.&nbsp; This, unfortunately, was with the skeletons near the very beginning.&nbsp; (Damn rats had gotten some good licks in first.)&nbsp; We moaned, we cried, we shouted. (&quot;This edition sucks!&quot; Was a frequent utterance.)Then we tried again.&nbsp; Got as far as the goblin encampment this time, before another TPK.&nbsp; (Watch your back.)&nbsp; So we tried again.&nbsp; &nbsp; By this time we all had made the damn thing mythic in our minds.&nbsp; It was impossible.&nbsp; The Sunless Death Trap became our bane.&nbsp; This third try left one survivor - the character fled the scene and the player said he wouldn't ever come back.So the next game our DM decided on a different game.&nbsp; We played a few sessions with our 4th try at characters.&nbsp; We leveled up, we started to think 3rd ed. was not so bad.&nbsp; And then we stumbled across the Sunless Citadel.As players we dreaded it.&nbsp; Once we realized what was going on we had our DM pause and pleaded with him not to do it.&nbsp; He insisted and we played on.And it was great.&nbsp; He had the SC become this epic thing in the game as well.&nbsp; For miles around everyone knew: adventurers check in and they don't check out.&nbsp; Because we treated it that way as players it made it easier for our characters to do so as well.&nbsp; That time we did well and (barely!) made it through.&nbsp; &nbsp; All of the obstacles/monsters were now bigger than life and it made getting past them/killing them a big thrill.&nbsp; (And finding the bodies of our previous characters added a bit of fun.)So what's the point, you ask?&nbsp; I guess it's that a TPK doesn't have to ruin your game.&nbsp; Letting the new characters come back to the same point and succeed can even help alleviate any interpersonal problems that cropped up because of the TPK.Just my two bits.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="brak1, post: 373910, member: 5390"] When we started playing 3rd ed. our group had some trouble with Sunless Citadel module. (some possible SPOILERS coming up) Having come off some relatively high-level 2nd ed. adventures we were, perhaps, too eager to continue on despite injuries and depleted spell arsenals. Our first try ended in a TPK. We were stunned. This, unfortunately, was with the skeletons near the very beginning. (Damn rats had gotten some good licks in first.) We moaned, we cried, we shouted. ("This edition sucks!" Was a frequent utterance.) Then we tried again. Got as far as the goblin encampment this time, before another TPK. (Watch your back.) So we tried again. By this time we all had made the damn thing mythic in our minds. It was impossible. The Sunless Death Trap became our bane. This third try left one survivor - the character fled the scene and the player said he wouldn't ever come back. So the next game our DM decided on a different game. We played a few sessions with our 4th try at characters. We leveled up, we started to think 3rd ed. was not so bad. And then we stumbled across the Sunless Citadel. As players we dreaded it. Once we realized what was going on we had our DM pause and pleaded with him not to do it. He insisted and we played on. And it was great. He had the SC become this epic thing in the game as well. For miles around everyone knew: adventurers check in and they don't check out. Because we treated it that way as players it made it easier for our characters to do so as well. That time we did well and (barely!) made it through. All of the obstacles/monsters were now bigger than life and it made getting past them/killing them a big thrill. (And finding the bodies of our previous characters added a bit of fun.) So what's the point, you ask? I guess it's that a TPK doesn't have to ruin your game. Letting the new characters come back to the same point and succeed can even help alleviate any interpersonal problems that cropped up because of the TPK. Just my two bits. [/QUOTE]

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