All the Death Saves are failed, and the characters are all lying at the boss’ feet.

How does the GM recover after doing the vile deed of wiping the Player Characters out to the last elf? The moment at the table can get pretty tense. I’ve been there as a player. Losing a character that has had hours poured into it kinda sucks. Some people don’t take it well. Others figure good times were had and now it might be time to have fun with a new character.

Character death aside, which will be a whole different article, it’s time to take a break for a few minutes after the party has gone down. Give the players and Game Master a few minutes to breathe, grab a snack, and process what happened before coming back to discuss what happened and what’s going to happen next. It’s not the end of the game necessarily. These things happen.

Coming back to the table after break, there are some important things for the GM to establish:

  • It’s about the situation, not the people involved.
  • Please do not assign blame to anyone, including the Game Master.
  • Figure out how to proceed going forward.
  • Retain everyone’s character sheet in the event Resurrection or Reincarnation is available.
  • Try to maintain group cohesion out of character. We’re all still friends. It’s a game after all.

Where DO we go from here?

Phones are put away. We’re back from break. What are we going to do next as a group? Group cohesion out of character is important. Hopefully, we’re all mature enough to stay friends and be cool after everyone’s character gets unalived. It’s important to remember these things can happen in any game and if there was no chance of characters dying, why are we playing a game?

Is there a way to bring the characters back via spell, ritual, or trip to the Ethereal Plane? Can the group continue the same campaign, timeline, etc through taking over NPCs or making new characters to pick up where the deceased party left off? Does this have to be the end of the campaign?

Then it’s time to ask if we’re making new characters at starting level or new characters advanced to whatever level the previous party had. Are we going to try to recover the previous party’s magical gear? (Sometimes there are renowned artifacts involved.) It’s important that the GM present options and not definite solutions to the players. In other words, the GM should try to stay as neutral as possible.

The GM may have to excuse themselves from the conversation.

That dirty rotten GM that killed all the characters may have to step out of the room for a few minutes while the players decide where to go next. I think the best thing a GM can do is be as neutral as possible and prepare for whatever the group decides they want to go next.

They might want to make new characters, and that’s cool. They might want to start a new campaign, and that’s okay. The players might want the GM to step down and appoint a new GM from among their ranks, and that’s a tough one. They might want to play a new game altogether, and that’s okay too. Heck, the players might decide to take a week or two off and then decide if they want to come back to the table. It’s sad, but if that’s what they want to do, it’s okay.

All kidding aside, there’s only about so much a GM can do. As a neutral arbiter of the rules and referee for the various monster encounters, the GM can only do so much to prevent the party from perishing horribly. Some would say the GM should step in and prevent the situation from devolving into a TPK.

Should the GM pull a Deus Ex Machina?

What would Matt Mercer do? What would any other GM do in the same situation? It looks like the dice are landing poorly for the group. The odds are overwhelmingly in favor of the GM’s bad guys. A random encounter has gone horribly astray. Should the GM intervene?

Some people find GM intervention unthinkable. Some say the GM should never fudge die rolls to keep the group alive. If the GM is fudging rolls in favor of the group, have they cheated with the monsters in other encounters? If the GM is found to be fudging rolls behind the screen, it might erode the players’ trust. It’s a tough call.

Modern theory of fantasy GMing would suggest that perhaps something should swoop in and save the party. The GM should literally pull a Deus Ex Machina (God in the Machine) and have the party be captured instead of killed or saved by NPCS. Again, I think some players might think less of a GM who does this. If the characters can’t ever die, what’s the point of risking their lives.

If the PCs think they’re going to win every fight or at least not die as a result of their decisions, what’s the point in rolling dice? That could spiral out of hand very quickly in some games I’ve been in. Suddenly the characters are all going the Errol Flynn route knowing they can die from their crazy stunts.

The New School “Fail Forward” style of GMs kinda miss the point here.

If there’s never a remote chance of a dreaded TPK, why are we here? I hear Renegade Game Studios makes a My Little Pony RPG. Maybe we should switch to that next? There is a time and place for the “Yes and,” style of gaming. When death is on the table, as it probably should be, it’s a time for “Nope, sorry.”

I don’t think GMs should necessarily go out of their way to kill characters. Personally, I don’t dig the whole “Killer GM” thing unless we’re doing a slapstick Paranoia style game. Killer breakfast at Gen Con is hilarious, but that’s an exception and not what we’re discussing here. In general, the GM should not be planning to kill all of the characters in the most adversarial way possible.

The main concept I’m trying to drive home here is that the GM should be as neutral as humanly possible when it comes to adjudicating combat. Yes, the bad guys should want to win or at least survive the fight. How evil are the NPCs in the fight? Maybe they do take prisoners. Maybe they won’t fight to the last man before trying to negotiate.

Think in terms of the NPCs motivations. Is it a bloodthirsty slobbering hulk with its mind on its next meal? It’s probably not going to stop at killing one PC. Is it a dragon that has lived hundreds of years and has a really high IQ? It might stoop so low as to negotiate with the group.

The optimal solution after a TPK is for everyone to walk away relatively happy.

Sometimes it’s hard for the adults to walk away from the TPK in a good mood. Kids tend to go both ways- sometimes sad; sometimes okay. The big thing is for everyone to at least stay friends. Again, I remind everyone to leave the blamethrowers locked up.

I think if people are going to make new characters, it might be a good time to do so with the group still there. If they’re going to co-opt the NPCs, it’s a good time for the GM to help them flesh out those statistics. If the goal is to somehow rez the old group, then it’s a good time for the GM to discuss how that might be possible. (GMs take lots of notes here.)  

Otherwise, the GM can have an impromptu Session Zero in preparation for the next game. (Obviously the Safety Tools, etc can carry over, so it’s more an S-0 discussion of setting and possibly new game rules.) If the group wants to switch games entirely, then it’s a good time to figure out which game or setting they want to play next.

The important thing is not to let the game session end early on a sour note. Positivity can triumph with a little effort and understanding. Yes, we all feel bad about the TPK. But it’s recoverable in most cases however the players wish to proceed. The best thing, in my opinion, is to make sure the emphasis is on moving forward and not what got flubbed up. Every situation is a little different, especially in fantasy TTPRG combat.

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you joy. See you tomorrow.