Traps and death!

[garhkal]

Ok. Say you are running a module which has a trap of the BBEG's design that will kill most anything in it (say from a 2nd ed perspective, its minimum damage is more than most of the players other than 1 or 2 high up fighters who have yet to suffer damage), when it goes off. BUT to set it off, several things have to be done in order.
Now even withy you dropping warnings, hints etc, the pcs STILL do the things needed to set it off, but this is after those who might have survived have taken enough damage to make it lethal to even them...

Do you have it go off, killing them? Do you just play the 'save them card' and say they don;t die? If so, why even have it?
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[hisham]

First of all:

I've had this happen to me before. It wasn't like was a out to kill them with a uber-lethal trap. It was just a room filling up with molten metal, there was a ledge upon which they could jump. Not even difficult, it was an easy task. But one PC botched the dice roll. I actually asked him to roll again. He botched it again. Then I told him the third time's the last time, if he botches it he dies. He accepted. He rolled. He botched. He had to roll up a new character. But he was okay with it... the dice failed him, and it wouldn't be fair to the other players to allow him to keep rolling until he succeeded the jump roll.

Second of all:

Happy birthday, Wolvie.
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The Enteague Sector | Cracken's Collection of Crackpots
In D6, of course.

[Boomer]

You already said they were warned. Death it is, than.

The players in my game have been willingly walking into deadly situations and coming out allright. I have come very close to killing two. Both have made their saves vs damage, but not by much. 3 more points on each of them and they would have made new characters.
One of them was the infamous Bana, who I later banned anyway.

The other was Jamfke, after receiving a complication during a skiff crash he almost died, and this was that character's debut session.
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My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[Chabit Rane]

Yeah, but that was not the same thing Boomer. I believe garhkal is talking about a complicated series of events. (If I'm reading your post right gar...)

What happened to Jamfke was just ....... bad. (I know, I saw, I was there, & and it was the worst run of bad luck I've seen in a long time. Needless to say, I was .)

[garhkal]

Thanks for the bday wishes...

And yes, Chabit is right, on the series of events.

Late friday night/sat morning (after doing my usual BSG/SG1-SGA fest), i was chatting with a long time friend on ICQ (goes by the name Ironwulffe) who was on about it. He ran an AD&D game at a weekend con near where he lives and had this big note about a tiered trap.
Only if step 1-5 happened in order, and only if they then went into the dark sanctum, did it happen.
He gave lots of warnings, hints etc, but when they still tripped it, he left it as is.
Half his 6 playes liked it, that he stuck to his guns. The other half went on a ranting spree.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Jedi Skyler]

Well, the ones who went on a rant? Send 'em here. We'll square 'em away for ya.

Bunch of sniveling pantywaists!

[Boomer]

The point is, I will kill a character if the dice come up that way. I have no preconceived notions that a campaign must go exactly how I planned, screwing the dice results. I plan around the dice. I know dice results are random and uncontrolled.

As for what happened to your players, knowing you are walking into a situation where death is possible, and than dying, is not something to complain about.
If you do not want to die, do something safer. You were warned or otherwise understand the situation, you must take it for what it is.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[garhkal]

[Chabit Rane]

[Boomer]

There is no death for death's sake. There is death where death occurs. Please do not shove words into my mouth.

No, seriously, to keep this on topic, they were warned, they saw it coming, so they should have no right to complain. If you put yourself in harms way, harm comes your way. That is 100% appropriate.

I also do not deprive players of something they should realistically have just because it is story appropriate. That goes for both negative and positive things they should have.
You shouldn't either.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[garhkal]

Well said Boomer. As for me, while i won't (or try not to) deliberatly enginner a situation to kill them all, if that is the eventual outcome of the battle (space or ground) so be it. I will not shy away from it.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[wolfe]

[Kehlin Yew]

Try not to forget to make your players think, if you have them pinned down and they know they will meet certain death to this group of Imp Officers... or whatever it be. The opposing groups leader could tell them not to advance.

(Based off of one of the events of WWII, Allies were trapped with ocean to their backs, and nazi's to their front, Hitler to them not to advance, no one knows why, Allies were able to evacuate france from the port of Dunkirk)

This would really get the players thinking, and when they got a big head you fix it!

[garhkal]

Interesting idea Kehlin, but that to me, seems almost as 'hammed' as fudging the dice, so the pcs live...
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!