Total Party Kill; A DM's Perspective

“Do you realize what you’ve done!?” Being a DM isn’t always easy. Sometimes you really want to try out a new boss or tactic even though you know deep down that it’s too tall a mountain for your PC’s to climb. As always, though, there are positives and negatives to every decision we make as human beings. If your encounter was of an astronomically higher level than the characters, or your enemy was tailored simply to shut down the mechanics of the party entirely, then feel free to experience some guilt about your TPK (Then again, you probably won’t, as the only reasons to introduce either of these instances against PCs is because you ‘want’ them dead). If you honestly attempted to give them a fair challenge and, in spite of your subtle warnings concerning imminent defeat, violence, and ignominy, those dastardly PC’s chose to fight bravely into the sunset of deepest night… then you can rest assured that the result was simply happenstance.

Now, it should be noted that players don’t usually act rashly just because they feel like it. Most players who are enthralled with a campaign and enjoying themselves try their hardest to stay alive and achieve victory. If a common theme of tactical stupidity, harsh decisions, and disregard for the life of a created persona is discovered, the fault may, once again, lie with the DM. Perhaps the players have become bored with the story or simply need a break from the current campaign. That’s always a good cue to throw something amazing into the mix, veer drastically off track, if only for a little while, or put the whole thing on hold for a tad and break out some one shot adventures.

And remember… even if the TPK was in some way your fault; don’t let it get to you. Learn from it, move on, and never let the spirit of challenge die. Without the threat of death or something truly horrifying to face, what would be the point of overcoming it in the first place?