|
So, a couple of weeks back I joined the killer GM club, and quite frankly I hate it. I only hope I didn't drive away players. At least one was fairly ticked seeing as scenario completion would have meant a level up.
I am only a mildly experienced GM in general and the TPK was on my 3rd PFS session. I kind of wished I had backed off and done more to insure a party win.
I was running #29 The Devil You Know part 1 and was told afterward that the scenario was fairly notorious for killing players, but I still feel pretty bad for my players.
|
So, a couple of weeks back I joined the killer GM club, and quite frankly I hate it. I only hope I didn't drive away players. At least one was fairly ticked seeing as scenario completion would have meant a level up.
I am only a mildly experienced GM in general and the TPK was on my 3rd PFS session. I kind of wished I had backed off and done more to insure a party win.
I was running #29 The Devil You Know part 1 and was told afterward that the scenario was fairly notorious for killing players, but I still feel pretty bad for my players.
To be honest, it isn't your responsibility to "insure a party win." Your responsibility is to insure that everyone at the table, including yourself, has a good time.
Some of the things you can do to insure that is:
1) Prepare, prepare, prepare. Read the module, preferably at least twice, and highlight anything important that doesn't stand out on its own (search DCs, odd items, etc.).
2) If you know ahead of time, come to the GM area of the Society boards, and look for Gm comments on that scenario. Usually, it will include notes about things that tend to lead to TPKs, or that can smooth out the play experience, along with potential pitfalls.
3) If the PC still completed 3 encounters during the scenario, AND got raised, he should still level up. Even at fairly low levels it is possible, with party agreement, to raise a character if needed. Just happened for a group I was playing with the other day, with a 3rd or 4th level PC who got killed during the scenario.
4) If you, as GM, roll in the open, be prepared for an occasional PC death, when your dice get hot. If you don't roll in the open, you can fudge, but, if too obvious, it can reduce the fun level at the table.
5) If the play group is either badly balanced, or uses really bad tactics, expect PC death. There is only so much the GM can do to deal with PCs that don't do something in the right neighborhood.
I am sure that you have heard the old adage, "Never split the party!" If the party splits up anyway, do NOT expect good things to happen. An encounter that is well balanced for a party of 4-6 PCs will tend to wind up as a PC killer when only one or two PCs face it.
|
|
I've been to two Gencon events as a Tier-1 judge and have the dubious distinction of no characters ever dying at my table. On the one hand, I don't try to kill players(I've been on the receiving end and haven't enjoyed it), but on the other it always made me feel sort of inadequate. There were other DMs, people I knew, who had ridiculously high casualty rates and it did seem a point of pride for some. There were even some players that looked for such games and considered it a challenge to overcome.
I'm coming in at the end of a very long thread, but I wanted to chime in because I both understand the frustration of the OP and have seen players disappointed when they weren't challenged enough. There's a very hard line to walk, especially in con games.
|
So, a couple of weeks back I joined the killer GM club, and quite frankly I hate it. I only hope I didn't drive away players. At least one was fairly ticked seeing as scenario completion would have meant a level up.
I am only a mildly experienced GM in general and the TPK was on my 3rd PFS session. I kind of wished I had backed off and done more to insure a party win.
I was running #29 The Devil You Know part 1 and was told afterward that the scenario was fairly notorious for killing players, but I still feel pretty bad for my players.
|
I think Shipyard Rats gets a bit of an unfair rap. A lot of the TPKs at its premiere were due to GM errors or misunderstanding of the brand new PF rules.
And there are still some errata.
The BBEG is still listed as having Aura of Madness, which is an 8th-level domain power.
Not denying it's tough, I just don't think it's as bad as some portray.
Of course, I did kill 2 characters with it once....
|
I think Shipyard Rats gets a bit of an unfair rap. A lot of the TPKs at its premiere were due to GM errors or misunderstanding of the brand new PF rules.
And there are still some errata.
** spoiler omitted **
Not denying it's tough, I just don't think it's as bad as some portray.
Of course, I did kill 2 characters with it once....
Did they ever fix
|
|
Who do I send my resume to, to apply to be one of Doug's subordinates?First you have to survive Rebel's Ransom...Kyle's the GM...good luck
Wait, the player or the character?
Also, I think Ive been reading a different version of Shipyard Rats if the version you guys are looking at is so notorious. Im gonna have to look that thing over again when I get home.
I think Shipyard Rats gets a bit of an unfair rap. A lot of the TPKs at its premiere were due to GM errors or misunderstanding of the brand new PF rules.
And there are still some errata.
** spoiler omitted **
Not denying it's tough, I just don't think it's as bad as some portray.
Of course, I did kill 2 characters with it once....
Luckily a brave and ferocious yak came to our rescue!
|
So, a couple of weeks back I joined the killer GM club, and quite frankly I hate it. I only hope I didn't drive away players. At least one was fairly ticked seeing as scenario completion would have meant a level up.
I am only a mildly experienced GM in general and the TPK was on my 3rd PFS session. I kind of wished I had backed off and done more to insure a party win.
I was running #29 The Devil You Know part 1 and was told afterward that the scenario was fairly notorious for killing players, but I still feel pretty bad for my players.
Bigsmooth you ran the module rather well for a being a 3rd time PFS GM. I saw no fault in your actions or choices as GM. We as the players always had the choice of "running" but we elected to push on.
I thought it was a great death myself. I even liked that bard (Lando Garibaldi may he rest in peace)....If anything, in the future, roll behind a screen to allow yourself to GM fudge a tad here and there. Open rolling can lead to the death to hot GM dice. It was a 5 man all level one party so it can happen.
|
|
Managed to get through 5 sessions, and only had 1 "death", I ended up scrubbing the death because another player can't add, and the combat would have been over 5 rounds earlier if she could. I conferred with Bob and he agreed another player shouldn't be punished because another one can't do the math in a T1-2 session. Later events only further justified our decision to give the L2 wizard a reprieve.
|
|
Everytime this thread is bumped, it makes me a little sad that I'm not a killer DM. Maybe I can kill one of Kyle's characters to make it up. :)
Maybe killer GM energy can be absorbed, like Highlanders, after you kill them. There can be only one!
I killed him over the weekend. As far as I can tell, it doesn't work that way. Though, I didn't kill Kyle himself...
|
|
I killed him over the weekend. As far as I can tell, it doesn't work that way. Though, I didn't kill Kyle himself...Everytime this thread is bumped, it makes me a little sad that I'm not a killer DM. Maybe I can kill one of Kyle's characters to make it up. :)
Maybe killer GM energy can be absorbed, like Highlanders, after you kill them. There can be only one!
Nor did you kill any of my characters...