this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2023
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Dungeons & Dragons

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Sometimes you should JUST RETREAT™. Winning takes many shapes and forms, retreating from a dire situation in your campaign might create entirely new opportun...

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Being able to GTFO is easily the most undervalued skillset in TTRPGs. To use 5e as a common example, stuff like Spike Growth or Fog Cloud are essential TPK prevention solely for covering a hasty escape.

Still, it's easy to understand why retreat is so undervalued. Lots of systems actively aim for really swingy combat, where one side or another ends up dead before retreat can really even be considered.

One of the reasons I'm not fond of "snappy" 2-4 turn combats.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I agree. Chases tappen rarely unless the encounter starts like that. And there are so manu abilities lending themselves to retreating.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Still, it's easy to understand why retreat is so undervalued. Lots of systems actively aim for really swingy combat, where one side or another ends up dead before retreat can really even be considered.

Nah, I'd say it's usually on the players' egos more than anything else. A decent player can tell when a battle is not going well within a round of two, even in something fairly brutal. But many players don't think about running away, viewing a combat as something to beat and "win".