What is the least likely word to come out of an adventurer’s mouth?

[jasper]

What is the least likely word to come out of an adventurer’s mouth?

Retreat!

I been playing for over twenty years and it appears that word is being used less and less.
The modules from all editions always were balanced so the party could win. So fewer and fewer gamers came up against the no win situation or as I call it Extra! Because you now going down like the extra in Kirk’s beam down party.
The three D&D modules I ran were balanced and winnable for the party. (Sunless, Forge and Speaker) But unless the group got real stupid the party will survive.
I have a friend who does not like D&D since quote . . . I remember when I was scared of 1 orc or 3 dire rats unquote.
How can we as DMs place the fear back into the game?

The dead zone area.


That is right the dead zone. The dead zone kills adventurers dead dead dead.
One place in adventurer where the not the BBEG lives but the SBBT is. Super Big Bad Thing that is. Now the SBBT is not part of current adventure but maybe someday it will be demoted to BBEG.

A good example I am currently roll up the minions of ancient green dragon hit dice 34 CR 20. The party is only around 9 th. For now all the green is going to do is harass the group and maybe shake them down for loot and food.


Most adventurers I read have the monsters being stupid villains. Including Temple of Elemental Evil. It did include charts for restocking the dungeon after the players left to level or restock but the various factions did not care if the other groups got whacked.

Sunless is about the same in fact the warring tribes what the party to off their opponents.

Now I not saying the big bad black guard should be hunting the party when they second level. But if they start moving in on his operations a friendly non-fatal stabbing should get the point across.

Do you want your DM and module to be a challenge, a cakewalk, or on my god it ate Jack and its still hungry?

 

[Frostmarrow]

In my group retreat is very much part of the vocabulary (most often used in a high pitched shriek). Sure, in the end we usually win but when we need to run away we do - with fear stricken faces, I can assure you. The first three adventures were easier than the three last ones but I fondly remember how we "bravely turned our backs and fled" as the song goes even in TFoF.

 

[Crothian]

Re: What is the least likely word to come out of an adventurer’s mouth?

Do you want your DM and module to be a challenge, a cakewalk, or on my god it ate Jack and its still hungry?

Naked and on Fire. That is how I play PCs. I want it to be the most challenging and gut wrenc hingly hard thing. I want to get backstabed by my cohort, and disowned from my family. I want my god to curse the day I was created.

Okay, that might be a little overboard, but only when things are looking their worse does victory taste the best.

But if you want to teach your PCs how to run, play CoC. That always seems to help teach that lesson. Plus it's a blast, two birds with one stone sort of thing. But it has been brought up that PCs just thing that they will always win. They run toward the danger. THey have no survival instinct.

 

[Bragg Battleaxe]

There was that Roper encounter in Forge of Fury which was essentially designed to get the party to either run, or bypass it altogether. I think it is an interesting idea to have a few monsters here and there that the party shouldn't fight... it adds some verisimilitude, but one shouldn't over-do it. When I am a PC however, I will admit that I am VERY reluctant to flee from a fight. It just seems wrong somehow... even though it is often smart.

 

[Mahiro Satsu]

I try not to retreat, it does seem wrong. We're heroes after all. But it would be nice to be forced to retreat once in a while.

Words least likely...

"No, i dont want the thundering keen vorpal bastardsword +5, give it to that street urchin orver there..."

 

[333 Dave]

Well, least likely out of my players' mouths is "Here Dave, I wrote up a cool backstory for my character! I made sure it has plenty of plot twists for you to use!"

Out of their PCs mouths: "Lets try to talk this out peacibly..." well, and not be bluffing...

 

[Walter_J]

"We surrender!"

I've never had a problem with PC's retreating if need be (anyone who ever played through the original G's with even a half-decent DM should know what I mean) BUT I've never had a group surrender (and mean it) and I've never done so as a player. When a friend of mine used to DM, he'd always have this "big story" in mind and it always involved the PC's getting captured, which never worked, so his campaigns rarely lasted longer than the first session.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Make that two votes for "Surrender."

Retreat is viable, but God forbid your PC surrender to the enemy. You might as well throw the whole campaign out the window.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Send 'em through Rappan Athuk. they'll learn to retreat soon enough.

 

[Walter_J]

Make that two votes for "Surrender."

Retreat is viable, but God forbid your PC surrender to the enemy. You might as well throw the whole campaign out the window.

Ah, man, I never thought of it that way. Wouldn't that be a hilarious way to tick a DM off? Particularly a DM who plans WAY in advance and has encounters written up to take characters from 1st to 20th?

Very first adventure, the characters open their very first door and see four goblins ready to drop a load cause they know what's commin' next. As one the PC's drop their weapons, hold their hands up and say "We surrender."