Never do a scene where the players are supposed to lose. They either won't lose, or they'll be mad. (Exception: If you tell them ahead of time and get their buy-in)
this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
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I would avoid running any combat where the party is forced to lose. That would make any time spent on it feel like a waste. A short narrated vision would be fine, but if you want to make this a bigger encounter, you should give the party a goal that they can actually accomplish. I can think of a few ways you could do this:
- The party could locate survivors among the dead to gain information about what happened.
- Survey the wreckage, the party could use investigation skills to look at debris and piece together what happened. Think, crime scene investigation on a grand scale.
- The BBEG may be showing a true vision of the future, but not a complete vision. Perhaps there is something that the BBEG is trying to hide, such as a clue to how to defeat them. For example, the party could use some kind of magic detection to see through an illususory water fountain and reveal a magic MacGuffin or a person who knows the BBEG's weakness.
I agree - player agency is important. If you do have them play through it; then even if the vision didn't happen or hasn't happened yet, let them get something from it - learn something they shouldn't, try things they couldn't (particularly if they realize it's a vision), etc. Heck, if they're enterprising enough, it might become a counter espionage opportunity! (Especially after the first time).
What's going to go over best is definitely going to depend on what your players like. If they get into your narrations, then 1 will work great. I'd avoid 2 and 3 just because they may just feel bad in practice, again depending on your group. I think 5 is my favorite, it can give the other players the chance to really hang it up if they're into that!
4.5 is the best imo. Let them know it's a vision, so they won't get legitimately mad, but don't tell them they're going to die until it happens.