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<blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 5016655" data-attributes="member: 18280">I wouldn't use the word &quot;can&quot;.&nbsp; I would use the &quot;does&quot;.So, if I understand it right, your question amounts to:&quot;If the DM does something totally inept during prep, should he fix it during play?&quot;My answer is &quot;No&quot;, with the following caveats:1.&nbsp; In an AP setting, the players are truly doomed, as the DM is pulling the strings leading them to this encounter.&nbsp; Poor, poor players.2.&nbsp; In a sandbox setting, the players have pulled the strings leading them to this encounter.3.&nbsp; Surely, for a good group of players, there is something other than &quot;We can take them!&quot; and &quot;TPK!&quot; to choose from.&nbsp; Please note that this is player choice I'm talking about here.4.&nbsp; Surely, for a good GM, there is something other than &quot;The PCs can take them!&quot; and &quot;TPK!&quot; to choose from.&nbsp; I don't know about your world.&nbsp; If it is already established that orcs take no prisoners, then I guess that's just too bad.&nbsp; Play your monsters as they would act.&nbsp; Do orcs always kill prisoners?&nbsp; Even ones they are in no danger from?&nbsp; Or do they capture them for ransom?&nbsp; For enslavement?5.&nbsp; Which edition are we talking about, where the DM sets this encounter up?&nbsp; The answer indicates just how inept our poor DM is!6.&nbsp; The sandbox GM is not so concerned with how the encounter plays out, in general.&nbsp; In the sandbox, at least, a TPK is an acceptable -- but not a desireable -- outcome.7.&nbsp; Taking away player agency will never compensate for shoddy GMing.&nbsp; Thinking that this is a solution is a mistake.&nbsp; One that will damage your game the more you do it.....and one that is harder to avoid doing again the more you do it.All IMHO and IME.&nbsp; All YMMV.RC</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Raven Crowking, post: 5016655, member: 18280"] I wouldn't use the word "can". I would use the "does". So, if I understand it right, your question amounts to: "If the DM does something totally inept during prep, should he fix it during play?" My answer is "No", with the following caveats: 1. In an AP setting, the players are truly doomed, as the DM is pulling the strings leading them to this encounter. Poor, poor players. 2. In a sandbox setting, the players have pulled the strings leading them to this encounter. 3. Surely, for a good group of players, there is something other than "We can take them!" and "TPK!" to choose from. Please note that this is player choice I'm talking about here. 4. Surely, for a good GM, there is something other than "The PCs can take them!" and "TPK!" to choose from. I don't know about your world. If it is already established that orcs take no prisoners, then I guess that's just too bad. Play your monsters as they would act. Do orcs always kill prisoners? Even ones they are in no danger from? Or do they capture them for ransom? For enslavement? 5. Which edition are we talking about, where the DM sets this encounter up? The answer indicates just how inept our poor DM is! 6. The sandbox GM is not so concerned with how the encounter plays out, in general. In the sandbox, at least, a TPK is an acceptable -- but not a desireable -- outcome. 7. Taking away player agency will never compensate for shoddy GMing. Thinking that this is a solution is a mistake. One that will damage your game the more you do it.....and one that is harder to avoid doing again the more you do it. All IMHO and IME. All YMMV. RC [/QUOTE]

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