About ten years ago, I was playing a cleric in a D&D 3.5E campaign – an adapted version of Greyhawk Ruins. I was the oldest player there, with most of the other players being 10-15 years younger than me and fairly new to the game. As we explored one of the passages, we came across a large party of hobgoblins wearing plate armour. The other players made some initial moves to engage. I took one look at the situation and began running, calling for my friends to follow me. After one or two of their attacks bounced off the armour, they got the idea and followed. We cast a few spells to hamper pursuit, and we escaped, avoiding the TPK on offer. (Total Party Kill).

About a year later, I was DMing a game where a low-level party encountered an ettin. One of the party moved forward to engage…