How to avoid killing your player characters as GM

Outlaw · 07-31-2023, 02:52 PM

If you must stick to rules, cinematic rules, adaptive encounters, totally stupid opponents, and fudging the dice (because the rules don't say you can't do it) are the only way I've found. Players will always find a way to be stupid no matter how much you try to prevent it.

In real life (and RAW), it doesn't matter how tough, smart, good, sneaky, etc you are. If a mook's critical hit runs you through with a spear, hits you with a broad head through the heart, blind fires almost any firearm into your temple, drops a 155 round on your head, etc., you are going to be in a world of hurt. Without readily available modern medical attention (or magic), even if you don't die, you are unlikely to be able to continue an "action" type scenario.

By adaptive encounters I mean adapting the numbers and skill levels of opponents according to the current capabilities of the party. If the "book" says the players encounter an NVA rifle platoon but the easily seen and disabled grenade booby trap that they stupidly set off 5 hours before cut half of them down to half hit points, crippled the machine gunner's hand, and peppered the LTs face and eyes with shrapnel, it's going to be bad. Either pull them out and plan again or reduce it to just a rifle squad scouting ahead of the main NVA units making tons of noise and being morons so what's left of the party can plan an ambush and then bug out. By coincidence a Captain decided to accompany the NVA and he just happens to have the important order of battle papers that were going to found after out maneuvering and infiltrating the full platoon.

Or, when things go south, instead of waiting for a proper man hunt, have the local authorities go after the player(s) with only immediately available and piecemealed units that are spread too thin for mutual support and are very susceptible to rocks being chucked around (Rambo I'm looking at you).

If you're doing the single player James Bond spy/infiltration thing, forget anything but cinematic unless you pre-plan the "easy" path and can make sure the player finds it.

Note that stupid opponents is not really far from reality. How many high school fist fights are much more than haymakers and all out attacks? Some of those guys will grow up and be hired as security guards (or police) with minimal training. Expect either "call the boss and pull back to wait for reinforcement" or full auto all out attacks from the hip from those guys as they run to their cars and drive home. Orcs, ogres, hobgoblins, etc can be played as equally stupid. A few players harassing and distracting an ogre back and forth should easily be able to tire him out or frustrate him into doing something incredibly stupid.

If your goal is to tell a story as opposed to hack and slash and see what happens, just fudge the damn dice to keep the story going IF YOU HAVE TO. No writers ever gamed their World War II novel/screenplay as they wrote and then threw it away and started on their Sci-Fi novel when the main character(s) got killed due to unlucky dice rolls.

If you goal is to hack and slash and see what happens, scream, rage, and RAW (and have replacement characters ready to go)!!!!!

07-31-2023, 02:52 PM	#11
Outlaw Join Date: Dec 2022	Re: How to avoid killing your player characters as GM If you must stick to rules, cinematic rules, adaptive encounters, totally stupid opponents, and fudging the dice (because the rules don't say you can't do it) are the only way I've found. Players will always find a way to be stupid no matter how much you try to prevent it. In real life (and RAW), it doesn't matter how tough, smart, good, sneaky, etc you are. If a mook's critical hit runs you through with a spear, hits you with a broad head through the heart, blind fires almost any firearm into your temple, drops a 155 round on your head, etc., you are going to be in a world of hurt. Without readily available modern medical attention (or magic), even if you don't die, you are unlikely to be able to continue an "action" type scenario. By adaptive encounters I mean adapting the numbers and skill levels of opponents according to the current capabilities of the party. If the "book" says the players encounter an NVA rifle platoon but the easily seen and disabled grenade booby trap that they stupidly set off 5 hours before cut half of them down to half hit points, crippled the machine gunner's hand, and peppered the LTs face and eyes with shrapnel, it's going to be bad. Either pull them out and plan again or reduce it to just a rifle squad scouting ahead of the main NVA units making tons of noise and being morons so what's left of the party can plan an ambush and then bug out. By coincidence a Captain decided to accompany the NVA and he just happens to have the important order of battle papers that were going to found after out maneuvering and infiltrating the full platoon. Or, when things go south, instead of waiting for a proper man hunt, have the local authorities go after the player(s) with only immediately available and piecemealed units that are spread too thin for mutual support and are very susceptible to rocks being chucked around (Rambo I'm looking at you). If you're doing the single player James Bond spy/infiltration thing, forget anything but cinematic unless you pre-plan the "easy" path and can make sure the player finds it. Note that stupid opponents is not really far from reality. How many high school fist fights are much more than haymakers and all out attacks? Some of those guys will grow up and be hired as security guards (or police) with minimal training. Expect either "call the boss and pull back to wait for reinforcement" or full auto all out attacks from the hip from those guys as they run to their cars and drive home. Orcs, ogres, hobgoblins, etc can be played as equally stupid. A few players harassing and distracting an ogre back and forth should easily be able to tire him out or frustrate him into doing something incredibly stupid. If your goal is to tell a story as opposed to hack and slash and see what happens, just fudge the damn dice to keep the story going IF YOU HAVE TO. No writers ever gamed their World War II novel/screenplay as they wrote and then threw it away and started on their Sci-Fi novel when the main character(s) got killed due to unlucky dice rolls. If you goal is to hack and slash and see what happens, scream, rage, and RAW (and have replacement characters ready to go)!!!!!