Unfair Character Death?

[diaglo]

This player claims that I screwed him over by not providing enough information and he demands an apology.

What should I do?

adventuring is not easy. and it wasn't "Unfair". if he had died in his sleep in the inn that might have been unfair. but inside a dangerous place with traps. he should suck it up and roll a new character.

 

[reveal]

Ok. I tried reading the entire thread but it was completely circular so, here's the way I look at it.

1. In most cases (because I hate generalities), if the players are not having fun, it is the DM's fault. End of story.

2. This is not a case of someone questioning the DMs integrity. This is a situation where the player feels their character was killed unfairly. I suggest talking to the other players in your group and ask them if they feel it was unfair. Yes, the DM has the last word, but both you and your friend feel seem to be at an impass and are not willing to see the other persons side of the situation.

3. See point 1 because it's the most important.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Traps, Rogues, and Searching every *&%$&* 5' square in the entier friggin' dungeon.

Veteran gamers usually realize that a trap laden dungeon can cause an adventure to come crashing to a snail's pace, as the Rouge has to roll a Search check for every 5 (or is it 10) ft square the party wants to traverse.

In my games, (once the party suspects traps) the rogue is passively making Search checks as he goes along. I only have him roll when he the sucess/failure matters (ie trap present) of when they encounter a distinctive feature (Statue, Tiled floor, etc). This speeds things up.

In your case. they should have figured out what was going on after the 2nd trap (Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice....) However, as a DM you should have said something to the effect, "So after bob's encounter with those Evan's Grasping Invasive Tentacles (Thanks OotS), what precautions are you taking?"

This is the party's time to say things like "I cast Detect Traps". "I drink my Potion of Spell Resistance" "I start looking for traps".

I mean, really, at some point, the rogue should have told you he was searching as he went along (not just for traps, but hidden foes, false doors, etc).

From what I can tell, this seems to be a case of both sides assuming the other Knew what the other was talking about, and coming to completly different conclusions.

In other words, it takes 2 to miscommunicate.

Tell him you're sorry, but WE just didn't communicate effectively, what can WE do to make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[BlackMoria]

Apologize for the possible misunderstanding and possible miscommunication. Offer to roll back events to the point just before he triggered the trap resulting in his death. Resume from that point onwards.

Doing all of the above shows you are open minded, willing to concede that misunderstanding and miscommunication may have contributed to the situation and that you will fix the situation....to a point.

After this, if he wants more than that....like a full blown apology to trying to kill his character, simply tell him the apology and offer is what it is and he is not going to get anything more than what is offered. You are prepared to move on from this point...with him or without him. His choice.

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Holding a PC's Hand is a Mistake

Anything that goes wrong is your responsibility.

Agreed; unless a player makes a mistake ....

And really, you did mess up. Never assume that all players will remember their character's abilities. Some players will remember everything, some players will not.

I play with veteran games who should know better. Assuming that they understand the capabilities of their chosen character class (i.e., a rogue knows what a magical trap is) is not unreasonable.

Besides, what should I have done? I guess I could have said:

"You have set off a magical trap. There might be more of them. You may want be on guard."

Then again, my player is over the age of 9 ... and I figure he can think for himself.

As a GM, you should feel free to toss out hints that the players can search for traps, etc. Or even go so far as to include their abilities in your boxed text descriptions, saying, "you find a door and the rogue searches for traps."

I provide atmosphere; I detail the setting; I provide interesting scenarios and opponents. I do not consider it my job to tell my PCs how to do theirs or to run their characters for them.

 

[The Thayan Menace]

DM's Fault?

In most cases (because I hate generalities), if the players are not having fun, it is the DM's fault. End of story.

Agreed, but not this time.

I suggest talking to the other players in your group and ask them if they feel it was unfair. Yes, the DM has the last word, but both you and your friend feel seem to be at an impass and are not willing to see the other persons side of the situation.

I have offered to do this (read thread below).

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Resolution

I have managed to work things out with the offending player.

I decided to take the high road and acknowledge that my lack of rich detail could have indirectly contributed to his character's death (at least from his point of view). He was satisfied with this explanation.

I still feel that blame rests with this player's inability to comprehend the rules and bad luck on the PC's part.

I also still feel that, although my description was not flawless, it was adequate.

I will not admit to causing the death of his character (i.e., making a mistake I did not make) and I am glad that I did not have to.

And, yes, his character is still DEAD.

Anyway, I am still eager to hear everyone's opinion on this matter ... so, keep 'em coming.

 

[Crothian]

So, what's the purpose of this thread? You don't want advice on how to handle the situation. You don't want any opinions or ideas that contradict what you think has happened. Are you just looking for support that you are right and the player is wrong? You keep saying his your best friend but you are treating him like a friend and willing to consider that you may have made a mistake.

edit: and there is the resolution.....

 

[The Thayan Menace]

???

edit: and there is the resolution.....

What of it?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I don't just hand the information out when a player makes a bad choice or misses a roll.If the player says, "My character moves to X," and I describe some effect, then that's all the warning s/he gets unless s/he gives me something more to work with, like, "Was it when I reached the statue, or before that?"

In other words, you give out crappy descriptions, too.

I'm sorry, but my character is actually in the frakin' world. It's painfully obvious to him that he got hit with a crossbow bolt halfway across the floor vs. all the way across the floor.

PCs shouldn't need to pull their DMs' teeth in order to get basic information about the gameworld.