Hey guys, I just recently started playing D&D and was hoping to start introducing it to my friends soon and join the ranks of other DM's. So I bought the 5E starter set with the "Lost Mine of Phandelver" ready made campaign.
I was wondering, if by some rare chance that my players characters die without finishing campaign, could I replay the campaign but maybe get my players to choose different ready made characters, or maybe have them to try making their own characters for a different experience?
Maybe I could also make small adjustments to how some of the battles or story bits started/ended from our last game?
Or should I scrap the campaign even though we didn't finish it?
CCS gives a very good answer. I would just add that what you're talking about, really, is a TPK. A total party kill. Meaning all players die in or around the same point in the campaign. Because if just one dies, you can have them meet or hire a new PC with little difficulty. I've not read the entire adventure, but what I've read so far generally avoids situations where that's very likely. More likely, however, is that a single player may die before people realize they are outmatched. This is assuming newbie players. Because experienced players should notice (and experienced DMs should make clear) the level of danger being faced. But as you say, you're new to the game so these are not umcommon oversights when running a campaign. Just keep in mind that character death in general and TPK in particular are very much in your control. If you're worried about this, you can run the monsters in a less that optimum fashion (which is probably natural for many of the low level monsters in this adventure). Bad guys may flee in hopes to regroup later, giving the characters a chance to regroup themselves. This is not necessarily a bad thing to do as a DM with a new group. Even as an experienced DM, I will generally go easier on new players so they can get a feel for the game. As I recall, LMoP actually does a pretty good job of that on its own. Just make sure your PCs always have a way out and make it clear if things are going badly so they get the hint to retreat if necessary. Also, I would tell them right from the get go that this is a different kind of game from video games. Retreat is often a good choice. Tell them to think ahead, be careful of ambushes and use any advantage they can get. I'm very excited for you. 
You do not need to scrap the whole campaign for a pc death. Usually when that happens the pcs bury the dead, a player makes a new pc and the campaign continues. Now the story has a tragic moment a pc (main character) of the story dies. Some think that is good role playing, other think that pc death is no fun and should be avoided. Unlike a book or movie, that character is replaced with a new one.
PC death is something you should discuss with the other players. Players can take things like that very personal. In fact everything that happens to the pcs can be taken personally by players. I DM a game where pc death is a real thing. Everyone at the table is aware that a pc can diie during any game session. My players are ready for that happening. They stil take it personal and get upset. But because they know it is a posability and I am not arbitrarily killing thier pc, we all get over it.
As a new Dm discuss pc death with your players. If you Dm like me, You let the dice lie were they may and Pcs die. Your players should know this before they get into the game.
sirkaikillah11 wrote:
@CCS : Wow that gives me a lot to think about on how to go about it if we do encounter a TPK. I'm still trying to grasp the concept that the DM can do almost anything for the story to keep going. So a DM will probably ask themselves very often "WHO, WHAT, WHEN WHERE, WHY" and "HOW". I admit I have an active imagination, just never been able to truly utilise it like this.
@mbeacom : Ya I'm also busy reading over the adventure book for LMoP and so far it seems that the way it's made, the creators were trying really hard not to get PCs killed, I was just worried if they just happened to get a bunch of natural 1s when they really need high rolls and such. I can also imagine how players might react because they underestimate their bond to the character, so will give them alil warning. Thanks I'm also very excited. I can see D&D as a good outlet for my active imagination and for my friends who have similar intrests as me.
@sirkaikillah11 : Yes I will have slightly serious conversations with my players before we start and give them a headsup of what could happen. Yes I also have the same ideal that what the dice gives, that's what you get. Even though I've only started playing recently, I see your point that players can take things personally as role playing really gets you to BE your character, like an alter ego haha. I see that it's also not just the DM that has a say as D&D is a group thing right? So we should always communicate to keep the story going and keep everyone happy in a way.
Thanks again guys for all the advice and happy gaming
PandaMaster619 wrote:
PandaMaster619 wrote:
Especially for new players, I'm not opposed the concept of 'restore to the previous version of the setting' until the players get the hang of the game.
They enter a room with some opponent in it... an experienced group would know that the opponent is beyond the group's ability to successfully combat.
But, because they players don't know any better, they attack and get everyone killed....
I'd just reset to the point just before the party entered the room, and ask the players "Can you guys think of any way to make the earlier encounter go a little better?".
Maybe they don't even know that they had the option of dropping back out the door and trying to jam it shut to prevent the opponent from following.
Maybe they didn't know they could listen at the door to determine if the room is occupied and what might be in the room(or look for tracks outside the door... or whatever).
Maybe they didn't know that might be able to converse with a intelligent opponent rather than just attack blindly.
The first few sessions of a game is a learning experience for both players and DM. It's proper to set some ground rules before the game starts, but you won't think of everything. Not everyone plays the game the same way.
Kazadvorn wrote:
Another option, which I have for my next campaign, is to prepare a couple of outcomes, if all the characters go down.
For example, the bandits or goblins might want to sell them into slavery, so the characters awake with some other npcs in a cave somewhere, or maybe you have a semi-villain who rescues them when only one character is standing, but in the 'Godfather-way' where they are now indebted to someone you really don't want to be indebted to...
RasmusNord wrote:
BRJN wrote: