Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
215,340
edits
Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies: Difference between revisions
m
{{endingtrope}}, other copyedits
({{deathtrope}}) |
m ({{endingtrope}}, other copyedits) |
||
Line 12:
A lesser form of this trope can target just one particularly annoying player, [[Bolt of Divine Retribution|often with a bolt of lightning]]. Since the GM is the local god, this works even if the target character is underground, in a Faraday cage and wearing a static discharge bracelet. Merely threatening players with lightning can also be effective in controlling players. The first edition Advanced [[Dungeons & Dragons]] Dungeon Masters' Guide even suggested using "blue bolts from the heavens" and "ethereal mummies" on [[PC]]s to keep their players in line.
The webcomic [[Something*Positive]] is generally credited with bringing the phrase to the public conciousness in [http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05032002.shtml this strip]. The underlying concept is rather [[Older Than They Think|older]], having been seen in the extremely deadly AD&D adventure ''[[Tomb
Usually the direct inverse of "Dice fall, everyone rocks." Not to be confused with [[Big Rock Ending]]. Or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMaCq-ocCGc this] [[YouTube Poop]].
Line 19:
{{deathtrope}}
{{endingtrope}}
{{examples}}
Line 27 ⟶ 30:
** Averted when Weird Pete gets into a battle of wills with Sara over whether he can manage to kill off her player-character. After he arbitrarily declares the entire dungeon falls on her PC, Sara simply invokes a magical debt to survive it and then uses class level skills to begin digging her way out. When Bob asks Brian, "So who's losing?", Brian answers, "The architecture."
* In the ''[[My Little Pony:
▲== [[Fan Fiction]] ==
▲* In the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' fic [http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/02/story-ponies-play-d.html Ponies Play D&D], Spike gets fed up with the group's constant arguing over every decision they come across. When [[The Real Man|Rainbow Dash]] [[Leeroy Jenkins|attempts to slaughter the archangel NPC]] [[Railroading|about to spell out the party's next objective]], his patience snaps and he traps the party in a cave with a massively overpowered Stone Ogre. {{spoiler|[[Naive Newcomer|Applejack]] unwittingly averts a [[Total Party Kill]] by rolling a timely nat 20 and decapitating the Ogre in one blow.}}
* A deliciously silly ''[[Dragon Age]]'' fic on the [[BioWare]] boards [http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/97/index/1132093/1#1147841 here]{{Dead link}} has Alistair as DM resort to this after a staggering amount of player stupidity from Morrigan, Sten, Wynne, and Oghren. "Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies" is actually the title.
== Film ==
* Towards the end of ''[[The Fall (film)|The Fall]]'', after {{spoiler|Alexandria fell trying to steal pills, Roy killed off all of the characters of the story in brutal ways. Fortunately, Alexandria stepped in and took over the story.}}
== [[Folk Lore]] ==
* A [https://web.archive.org/web/20120923174943/http://www.duke.edu/web/DRAGO/humor/gazebo.html story passed around the Internet] for about two decades now about a GM who killed a player character because of his player's architectural ignorance: Not knowing what a "gazebo" was, the player decided to ''attack'' it rather than, say, ''ask'' what it was. After numerous attacks with no effect, the player decided to leave, at which point the GM announced, "It's too late. You have awakened the gazebo. It catches you and eats you."
** This story was widely popularized in the gaming community by the comic ''[[Knights of the Dinner Table]].''
** Referenced in the [[Steve Jackson Games|Steve Jackson]] card game ''[[Munchkin (game)|Munchkin]]'', where a Gazebo really is an enemy monster that players may encounter. A rather scary one, too. And if you try to run away from it and fail, it really will pounce and kill you.
{{quote|"You must face the Gazebo -- ALONE."}}
** Also referenced in ''[[Nodwick]]'' at one point; in one of the last few issues, a gazebo was the location of a fault in space-time which an evil god planned to exploit.
Line 46:
** As well as in the ''[[Order of the Stick]]'' board game, where you can accidentally land on the Gazebo and wake it up, if you're not careful.
* A [[media:Gongs.jpg|similar story]] was provided by a [[Fauxtivational Poster|demotivator]]: after a wizard forgot what a "gong" was and began hurling magic missiles at one (sample dialogue: "A sonic attack! Quick, everyone, cover your ears!"); the DM responds, "OK, while you're distracted the door sneaks up behind you and slits your throat."
== [[Literature]] ==
Line 53 ⟶ 52:
* In the children's-book series ''[[Diary of a Wimpy Kid]]'' the mother of the protagonist, Gregory, forces his big brother Roderick to play ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' with Gregory.(Long story) Gregory is prepared for the worst game-session of all time, when Roderick, who happens to be player AND GM in this session, just decides that all the adventurers fall into a hole filled with dynamite and die in the very first turn. Gregory is relieved.
▲== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* ''[[Frasier]]''. In a variation on this, Niles got so upset at Frasier's over-directing a radio play in ''Ham Radio'', he decided to take action.
{{quote|'''Niles:''' Okay, that's it. Never mind all that. I'm just going to take this gun off the table. ''(fake gunshot)'' Sorry about that, O'Toole; I guess we'll never hear your fascinating piece of the puzzle. ''(two fake gunshots)'' Or yours, Kragan and Peppo! Could the Mc Callister sisters stand back to back? I'm short on bullets. ''(fake gunshot)'' Thank you. ''(to Roz)'' What was your name again, dear?
'''Roz:''' Mithuth Thorndyke.
'''Niles:''' Thank you. ''(fake gunshot)'' Oh, and also Mr. Wing. ''(fake gunshot, and sound of muted bell on Mr. Wing's hat)'' And, of course, one final bullet for myself, so the mystery will die with me. ''(fake gunshot. Niles taunts Frasier)'' HA. }}
== [[New Media]] ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130603204410/http://albruno3.com/ Ab3]'s "[[Binder of Shame]]" includes an anecdote entitled "The Day I Killed The Entire Party Before The First Combat Encounter", involving an incident with a character's motorcycle.
== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
Line 69 ⟶ 65:
{{quote|'''Jason''': Your bodies will remain undiscovered for...*roll roll roll*...82 centuries!}}
** This could also be a reference to the classical adventure "[[Tomb of Horrors]]" where yes, the very first door in the beginning paragraph has a collapsing trap that can kill you.
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* [[Steve Jackson Games]]'s ''[[Toon (game)|Toon]]'' actually has a table of 'Apocalyptic Big Finishes' in the back of the ''Toon Ace Catalog'' sourcebook, for when the characters don't quite make it to the end and you need a quick way to end things. Of course, no-one dies, but the principle's the same.
** Steve Jackson Games's ''[[Munchkin (game)|Munchkin]]'' card game features a card that's actually called Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies. It can cause [[Total Party Kill|every player in the game to be killed]] if played at the right time.
* Years ago, TSR (then-owner of D&D) published ''The Apocalypse Stone'', a module ''deliberately designed for DMs that want to do this.'' In it, the players steal a [[MacGuffin]] that triggers the end of the world. They can undertake quests to prove they are worthy to [[Heroic Sacrifice|die heroically]], but in the canonical ending, can't really do anything to prevent the world from imploding. However, the book included several cop-out scenarios to save things at the last minute in case the DM gets cold feet (or is being threatened with death himself...)
Line 95 ⟶ 90:
* In the 550-point and 580-point versions of ''[[Colossal Cave]]'', you are warned not to use a particular magic word near water. If you ignore that warning, the most likely result is that you will turn into a jellyfish and die; but there's a small chance that the entire dungeon will collapse on you, your extra lives will be revoked, and you'll be summarily ejected from the game.
* The ''[[Star Wars]]''-based [[MUD]] ''Legends of the Jedi'' once used a Chiss invasion to kill off the galaxy during its annual timeline reset. In this case, though, the admins did it because they wanted to do something interesting instead of just having everyone's characters vanish into the night.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
| |||