History Main / RocksFallEveryoneDies

* ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the Farasian Shores arc, there's a flashback where Zecora tried to play [[AlliterationAndAdventurers Ogres & Oubliettes]] with her friends, but they wouldn't stop arguing, so she ended the game by saying that their characters all died in the desert.

Referenced on 1d4chan, the wiki for 4chan's /tg/ board [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Rocks_fall,_everyone_dies on this page]].

[[caption-width-right:244:Honestly, by the time he's done explaining it to you, you'd probably ''prefer'' getting eaten by the dragon.]]

[[caption-width-right:244:Honestly, by the time he's done explaining it to you, you'd probably ''prefer'' getting eaten by the dragon.]]]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Inscryption}}'', Leshy has a very particular story in mind for your playthrough, which includes you dying at certain points so he can reset the map and introduce a new mechanic. If you manage to progress further than expected by beating the first phase of the Angler on your first run, Leshy will declare "TOO FAST, TOO SOON" and glitch the game. This replaces the Angler's second phase with a nearly-unbeatable wall of Grizzly Bears, forcing the player to die.

*** While it's fairly difficult to trigger, the TrueFinalBoss of ''Royal'' will cast a Megidolaon doing around 1300 damage (Which almost always equates to instant death) if you take too much turns trying to kill them.

* When you're at Zee in ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' and your Troubled Waters menace reaches 8, but you don't have a more plausible cause for your unfortunate demise, this is what the game picks for you. Glim falls, everyone dies. It even comes with a hefty stack of Glim as a consolation prize. And in case you start thinking this [[{{Unishment}} might be a viable way to grind Glim,]] the developers later added another failure state after the first seven Glim-falls where your character gets sent to [[FateWorseThanDeath the State of Some Confusion]] (i.e. goes insane with paranoia trying to predict the next Glim-fall) instead.

* At the end of ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[spoiler:the major villain ends up with rocks falling on her.]]

* One story that gained some fame tells about a campaign focusing on a group of heroes trying to find and defeat a [[OurLichesAreDifferent Lich]] before he can raise an undead army. They arrive at a kingdom and decide to prode on anything they can, including their stance on homosexuality. The DM says that, while homosexuality isn't forbidden, gay marriage isn't allowed. The group suddenly decides they want to change the direction of the story into overthrowing the ruler of the kingdom and establishing a democracy. The DM ends up allowing it at first. When the group finally overthrows the goverment, [[SomethingWeForgot the Lich arrives with his now massive undead army]] and [[YankTheDogsChain proceeds to destroy the kingdom and everyone in it]]. [[TheBadGuyWins The end]].

* One story that gained some fame tells about a campaign focusing on a group of heroes trying to find and defeat a Lich before he could raise an undead army. They arrive at a kingdom and decide to prode on anything they can, including their stance on homosexuality. The DM says that, while homosexuality isn't forbidden, gay marriage isn't allowed. The group suddenly decides they want to change the direction of the story into overthrowing the ruler of the kingdom and establishing a democracy. The DM ends up allowing it at first. When the group finally overthrow the goverment, [[SomethingWeForgot the Lich arrives with his now massive undead army]] and [[YankTheDogsChain proceeds to destroy the kingdom and everyone in it]]. [[TheBadGuyWins The end]].

* One story that gained some fame tells about a campaign focusing on a group of heroes trying to find and defeat a Lich before he could raise an undead army. They arrive at a kingdom and decide to prode on anything they can, including their stance on homosexuality. The DM says that, while homosexuality isn't forbidden, gay marriage isn't allowed. The group suddenly decides they want to change the direction of the story into overthrowing the ruler of the kingdom and establishing a democracy. The DM ends up allowing it at first. When the group finally overthrow the goverment, the Lich arrives with his now massive undead army and proceeds to destroy the kingdom and everyone in it. The end.

* ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the Farasian Shores arc, there's a flashback where Zecora tried to play [[MagicAmpersand Ogres & Oubliettes]] with her friends, but they wouldn't stop arguing, so she ended the game by saying that their characters all died in the desert.

* Happens in ''[[Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules]]'', where Susan forces Greg to play ''[[MagicAmpersand Magicik and Monsters]]'' with Rodrick. [[ItMakesSenseInContext (Long story.)]] Greg is prepared for the worst game-session of all time, when Rodrick, 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. Greg is relieved.

A lesser form of this trope can target just one particularly annoying player, [[BoltOfDivineRetribution 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, wearing a static discharge bracelet. Merely threatening players with lightning can also be effective in controlling players. The first edition ''Advanced TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 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 ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' provides the TropeNamer in [[https://somethingpositive.net/comic/peejee-dragons-pt-6/ this strip]]. The underlying concept stretches back to the beginning of {{Tabletop RPG}}s, having been seen in the extremely deadly AD&D adventure ''TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors'' in 1975 (and quite likely used by individual [=DMs=] even before that). This ending is a TabletopGames form of ShootTheShaggyDog, or EverybodyDiesEnding when premeditated. A subtrope of TotalPartyKill. When the players decide to detonate the game instead of the GM, it's OffTheRails. A nigh-unbeatable BeefGate used this way is sometimes referred to as a "Grudge Monster" or "Grudge NPC." Comparate DroppedABridgeOnHim for generally abrupt, unceremonious deaths.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' took this trope to new heights in the days leading up to the original servers shutting down, with the game's events centering around the commencement of the Seventh Umbral Era and the heroes trying to stop [[ColonyDrop the moon of Dalamud from falling onto Eorzea]]. The emerging of Bahamut from Dalamud, and the subsequent apocalypse of Eorzea, paved the way for the future release of a remade version of the game, ''A Realm Reborn''. Interestingly, despite Bahamut tearing Eorzea a new one, only a bunch of {{Red Shirt}}s and {{Mook}}s were killed with only one major character actually biting the bullet - Louisoux Leveilleur, the BigGood of the 1.x era.

* ''VideoGame/TearRingSaga'': If you fail to defeat the FinalBoss within 20 turns, they will cast Black Rain, killing ''everyone'' on the battlefield (ally and enemy alike) save for the heroine, who suffers a HeroicBSOD, [[NonstandardGameOver ending the battle in failure]].
* ''VideoGame/HalfMinuteHero'' is built around this. In each land (level), a wizard or other boss is casting a spell which will destroy the world. You have thirty seconds to stop them. Fortunately, you have the Goddess of Time who can rewind time for you, but she demands more and more money each time she does this, so you must furiously grind levels and money as efficiently as possible.

* Wiki/TrollpastaWiki has a full-fledged category named after this very trope.

A lesser form of this trope can target just one particularly annoying player, [[BoltOfDivineRetribution 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 TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeon Masters' Guide'' even suggested using "blue bolts from the heavens" and "ethereal mummies" on {{PC}}s to keep their players in line.

* A [[https://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/98/Jul/gazebo.html story passed around]] since the 1980s 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."

** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'''s BonusBoss has some very specific (if unwritten) rules about the kinds of Persona and attacks you can and can't use. If any of these rules are broken, the boss will heal themselves back to maximum, then use Megidolaon to hit you for 9999 damage, [[OneHitKO killing you instantly]].

The webcomic ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' provides the TropeNamer in [[https://somethingpositive.net/comic/peejee-dragons-pt-6/ this strip]]. The underlying concept stretches back to the beginning of {{Tabletop RPG}}s, having been seen in the extremely deadly AD&D adventure ''TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors'' in 1975 (and quite likely used by individual [=DMs=] even before that). This ending is a TabletopGames form of ShootTheShaggyDog, or EverybodyDiesEnding when premeditated. A subtrope of TotalPartyKill. When the players decide to detonate the game instead of the GM, it's OffTheRails. A nigh-unbeatable BeefGate used this way is sometimes referred to as a "Grudge Monster" or "Grudge NPC."

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' DM Creator/MattMercer jokingly threatened this by name when the group spent too long making jokes about NPC Captain Santy of the Shore Shanty in Episode 107 - "Does he sell sea shells by the sea shore?" It would have been an impressive end considering they were in the middle of the ocean at the time.

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' DM Matt Mercer jokingly threatened this by name when the group spent too long making jokes about NPC Captain Santy of the Shore Shanty in Episode 107 - "Does he sell sea shells by the sea shore?" It would have been an impressive end considering they were in the middle of the ocean at the time.

-->-- '''Rodrick''', ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid''