D&D 5E When Failure Isn't an Option in 5e

[OptionalRule]

Just made a new post about failure in 5e DnD inspired by a number of recent discussions I've seen on twitter recently about it.

When Failure Isn't an Option in 5e

 

[Stalker0]

Your opening notes about "Failing to Fail" are spot on, and I think its a common mistake for new and veteran DMs alike. Its easy to want to throw a check in there, but sometimes you just start the scene with "and you all see X, person Y tells you Z, and you keep going".

The other option is the "failure advances an alternate plot". If the party doesn't get the clue, the adventure isn't over, but it might change radically. Its a cool way to go but generally a lot more work on the DMs part.

 

[OptionalRule]

Your opening notes about "Failing to Fail" are spot on, and I think its a common mistake for new and veteran DMs alike. Its easy to want to throw a check in there, but sometimes you just start the scene with "and you all see X, person Y tells you Z, and you keep going".

The other option is the "failure advances an alternate plot". If the party doesn't get the clue, the adventure isn't over, but it might change radically. Its a cool way to go but generally a lot more work on the DMs part.

Very true about the work on the part of the DM. I personally do the best I can but realize that many times I don't have a great idea and I try to move on until I do. It's always a balance between tools and opportunities.

 

[prabe]

An approach I've had some success with is giving the PCs multiple opportunities to, e.g., acquire necessary information. You can complicate this some by having the PCs under some sort of time pressure, so the longer it takes them to find the information, the less good it does them (but it still helps).

 

[toucanbuzz]

Good stuff, though I will always keep "failure is an end" in my repertoire. Sometimes, it makes no sense for any story to go on based on the nature of the failure.

 

[DemoMonkey]

But if the story DOESN'T go on, do you end that nights session and send the players home?

 

[OptionalRule]

Good stuff, though I will always keep "failure is an end" in my repertoire. Sometimes, it makes no sense for any story to go on based on the nature of the failure.

I'm not really sure what that means. I doubt you mean the campaign ends but maybe? Failure can be an end to that strategy, but there has to be come place to go with the game.

 

[DemoMonkey]

I tend to find the problem isn't "The players fail, and now they have nowhere to go."

It's "The players fail, and there are potential other ways to go, but they assume failure means it's pointless to continue and go do something else entirely."

Example: The Rogue fails to pick the lock, but there are high windows that the party could - at greater risk! - climb to.

But the players assume "Huh. I guess we aren't supposed to get into the tower. We bail on rescuing the princess, lets go kill some kobolds."

 

[jgsugden]

But if the story DOESN'T go on, do you end that nights session and send the players home?

This is a problem in pure railroad games. If the PCs get off the tracks, the DM has to get them back on or there is no place to go.

Having enough of a sandbox around the railroad allows the DM to keep the PCs moving towards something and then figure out how to get them back on track to their railroad before next session.

My games usually start with a railroad storyline that sets the stage to get the PCs to a sandbox experience for them to explore between levels 5 and 16. Then, it closes out with a big storyline that has been building behind the scenes since the beginning that is usually more of a railroad (or, actually, a funnel, with many ways to get moving towards the end but the options narrowing until the major campaign concluding event). In those railroad sections, I have a few 'independent' storylines worked out that I can use to bring the PCs back to either the main storyline, or a parallel version of it that gets them where they need to go. In terms of prep for those, I have the idea worked out, and a few encounters / events roughly ready to go, but I rely more upon improvisation to keep us moving when there is an unexpected change. That is tougher in an online game as you need to have maps ready to go usually, so I usually end up having a few multipurpose maps reads and then rely more upon theater of the mind.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Just made a new post about failure in 5e DnD inspired by a number of recent discussions I've seen on twitter recently about it.

When Failure Isn't an Option in 5e

If failure isn't an option in 5e, then why does the game allow players to select Bard as a class?