Introducing Lethality

 

Lethality in games

Some games are harder than others. The difference between Call of Cthulhu and any level above 1 in D&D is quite the difference. D&D has up to 3 failed saving throws before someone dies, but one failed CON check in Cthulhu, or damage more than your max in one go, is death - no ifs, ands or buts.

So how do you introduce to the idea of lethality to players? Especially those who are familiar with the more 'lenient' systems.

There's a couple things I have tried recently to help introduce players to some of the more 'hardcore' games we play. This is some of the things I have tried so far:

1. Telling them before the game/ during a session 0 where we build characters that we may expect player character death.
2. Having NPCs take the first, ultimately lethal, hit.
3. Having the dangerous opponent built up to emphasis their dangerousness.
4. Telling players they feel it may be impossible to deal with the threat at hand.

Why is this important to me

So why do I bother telling people this stuff instead of surprising them? Well, especially where an instant death could happen, it's not any fun for players to have their lights turned off when they are expecting to be doing more with their characters. I don't think I've had a game where a light warning of a game's lethality negatively impacted it.

For me, players should be given an indication of what to expect in a game so they can make the most informed decisions. People play D&D for the power fantasy, and can take ridiculous risks in the strive for fun and adventure - especially as their character's can probably take it. Others play Cthulhu for the investigatory work that most games capitalise on, and wouldn't dare walk up to a group of 3 zombies without expecting to not make it through one round.

As a different example, you wouldn't have controversial content in your game without passing key themes by players. Failing to do this could result in offended players and upset feelings. While PC death might not be as offensive as a game with themes of abuse or extreme violence (such as many of the Kult: Divinity Lost games), a player having their character snatched from them because they took max damage from a seemingly simple enemy could still cause some upset. I feel that's a good enough reason to identify this early on for players so they know what they might be getting themselves in for.

On a separate note, building up the game as unforgiving may inject some tension into moments where players are aware of a looming threat. It's almost like dramatic irony in the theatre, where the audience knows what's going on but the characters don't. Having players be aware of how 'soft' their characters are in the grand scheme of things can build some tension without the GM needing to do all that much. If you wanted to put a little more effort in to build tension, using some of the examples I mentioned earlier like an NPC taking a lethal hit first before the players is a very direct and practical way to make this point as well. I've had games where players (maybe over cautious ones!) were negotiating with each other about who was going to open each door in a home first. This was before any threats or dangers were eluded to, but it shows how players aware of the games they are playing can build their own tension for you.

Getting to the punch

Now that we have mentioned eluding to dangers, and effectively warning them that a game may be lethal - you can't back down now. Give them as much reasonable challenges that are possible. If a player is in a spot where it seems impossible to get out, and they either give up, don't have any ideas to get them out, or fail all their checks, it may be time to drop the gavel on their fate.

Early on in my GM'ing career, I was very worried about killing players. This was a problem in Cthulhu as many people are acutely aware that you can die incredibly easily. If a player is in a spot where they are going to die, give them their last Hail Mary before letting them announce how their lights are switched off. Give them the grisly spotlight to show their character in their doomed glory. 

Death can be just as fun an RP moment as any other if done correctly, and in my experience often leaves people smiling and satisfied if they got a glorious death. This happened to one of my character's last night who got possessed by a demon, and them had my skull caved in by a fellow investigator. I wasn't upset or annoyed, but enjoyed every moment as we all got to role-play our descent into a King in Yellow themed bout of madness.

Unfortunately, if you shy away from killing - or at least make it obvious you are trying to avoid this for the players, they might feel led a bit too much. Also, consequences are really important, so it is important that if a player goes up against a Shoggoth alone even against all the warnings, it's likely they will be killed if they fail a couple of checks.

Getting to the punch and sticking to it can make your games feel like player choices have real weight and real consequences. Don't be afraid to use them. My only advice is make sure anything you deliver (if it could be negative to the players) makes narrative sense as to why it happened. If players don't see the threads, then they might feel cheated out of a character. You'll know where your players sit as you play, so this might not be something to worry about too much.

Fin

Well - you've read my thoughts on introducing lethality to your players! Have you got any other opinions? I mentioned some of the things I do to emphasise the lethality of a game - do you have anything different or disagree?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading, and good gaming, Keepers!

-KJ