D&D General TPK or Imprison

[Reynard]

Neither is a great option but given some choices my players have made recently, it looks like it has to be one or the other.

So -- should I have the PCs captured and have an opportunity to escape and also finish their mission (they would be imprisoned in the BBEG fortress) even though there is no real reason for the bad guys to spare them? Or you the dice fall where they may and if it turns into a TPK, so be it? TPKs are a bummer, though,a nd the campaign almost always ends on a down note. Of course, it could also be both, as they TPK while trying to escape.

 

[Magister Ludorum]

Imprison, let get TPKed on the way out if they blow it.

PC actions must have consequences. I personally don't like to soft-balled as a player.

 

[iserith]

The bad guys can always have a reason to spare the PCs since it's a game of imagination and the DM can make something up that works. Ideally, this reason is telegraphed ahead of time so that it is not unexpected. "Keep at least one of them alive for questioning!" says the villain's lieutenant as combat breaks out.

I don't think TPKs are a bummer personally. They're just another turn in the emergent story and a potential outcome of the players' choices. I have no particular preference for how a story turns out. Sometimes it ends in death for the heroes and new heroes picking up where they left off.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Neither is a great option but given some choices my players have made recently, it looks like it has to be one or the other.

So -- should I have the PCs captured and have an opportunity to escape and also finish their mission (they would be imprisoned in the BBEG fortress) even though there is no real reason for the bad guys to spare them? Or you the dice fall where they may and if it turns into a TPK, so be it? TPKs are a bummer, though,a nd the campaign almost always ends on a down note. Of course, it could also be both, as they TPK while trying to escape.

Depends on the situation. If the villains have the party outnumbered, and think they'll win, go for imprison. But if it looks like it can go one way or the other, then the villains should be desperate and trying to kill. Other factors, like who the villains are and their motivations, are also important.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I think there's almost always a reason to keep the heroes alive. Not sure if you're looking for advice, but I would not allow the players to finish their mission. They lost. They got beat. The villains now possess their magic items. The villains know who they are and might even know who their allies, friends, and loved ones are...and will no doubt be exacting retribution. If you're a PC, none of that feels good. Now have the PCs sold off to some slavers or monsters or another foe from their past. PCs have to fight their way free, save their allies, recover their gear, and finally confront the villain...who is now stronger than ever because they completed their original scheme. Worst DM ever? No way. Best DM ever!

 

[Thunder Brother]

I think TPKs are simply a part of the game, and if it's a logical outcome then you should go for. TPKs can be a valuable learning experience for players, as it reminds them that they can't just waltz into every situation expecting it to somehow go their way. Losing should always be a possibility, no matter how invested they are in their characters or the campaign.

 

[Yora]

Imprison, let get TPKed on the way out if they blow it.

PC actions must have consequences. I personally don't like to soft-balled as a player.

I like that approach. Throw them one lifeline, but only one.

 

[Umbran]

I'd also want to know why it is likely to be a TPK.

If the players are apt to die due to things that they could not have reasonably foreseen, then they get captured instead.

 

[Quickleaf]

When I see two great flavors, I have to ask myself: Why not both?

Kill them, then seal their remains in Roman concrete, inside booby-trapped coffins, and drop them into the deep ocean.

Next adventure: The rescue party has 10 days to locate their bodies, retrieve them from whatever is down there, and resurrect the PCs.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Ask you're players, and see what they'd rather do.