Troll Lord Games

Total Party Kill, yep its harsh, but has anyone ever considered the TPC, total party capture? They give up or awaken from near death to find their valuables gone, or in chains to the slave market or some such. Makes for great motivation to get even or get out with you skin and be happy for it.

Slavelords arc starts that way. I've had a couple dungeons I've written start that way.

Been in a situation like that inside of Castle Misbegotten and Wolf Mountain...

I did that once. The party was exploring an outpost in TLG's A1 and were all knocked below zero by some sort of worm insect things (I think). I didn't want to wipe the party (it was our 2nd or 3rd play session of the campaign and some of the players were newbies). I ruled the PCs were only knocked out and the insect worm things shoved the bodies into a giant larval sac so their nasty little grub offspring could feed on them. The PCs woke up and were able to pull themselves out. They left the NPC cleric behind because the insect worm things were coming back at them. The PCs got into the next room and then I said they could hear the screams of the NPC cleric coming from behind them. The PCs decided to get heroic and went back for the cleric. Big mistake. It quickly turned into a TPK. I felt a little guilty afterward for provoking them into returning for the cleric, but them's the breaks in a harsh fantasy world.

I've had fun starting new PCs all as captives or all as galley slaves or all as "we have nothing" 1st lvl PCs.. but I've never taken a 3rd to 9th lvl group and had them loose big.. had them have to ransom their lives. I've been in two PC games where the Cavalier went down and my PC dropped to his knees and begged for their lives from a "little old man" who turned into a dragon after we discovered his hoard and would not let us take it.... but its so unrealistic that PCs, win and win and win always at a fair fight, close but always win...

I'm toying with an idea re: a TPK.

The party members start out with pre-gens defending a stronghold that is attacked. It should be a TPK but can accommodate for that if not as pre-gens will be captured or used later on in part of the adventure.

After the combat, the adventure begins. "Your daydream ends as Lord Byron coughs, "And I know you've been to that fort before so you can just imagine the carnage that must of happened so I don't need to say more. We must win back that stronghold to stop the invasion..."

The party has an idea of what happened at the fort, and what to expect there having lived it.

I only use it when we have split parties so the second group can save the first. Or, when the 2nd group is responsible for the capture of the 1st. I get pretty bored of the trope, honestly, but there are conditions of acceptance. In general I find my players would prefer to be killed... or I might surprise them with catch-and-release like when a hunter just wanted his trophies.

I have found "realism" be damned.. its is a paper "man" so death is normally preferred to captured. Something about controlling ones own fate even if its to die rather than surrender seem typical for most PCs. I don't mind forcing their hands sometimes, but you can't make a habit of it. This isn't cops.