Prisoner Of Zenda Exit

Basic Information

The Prisoner of Zenda Exit is a narrative trope which occurs when the villain of a story, after being soundly defeated by the protagonists, is able to escape them somehow - by jumping through a window or from great height, using a secret trapdoor, and so forth. The heroes are either unable to pursue them or decide not to do so.

See Also

• Action Adventure Tropes

Sources

Bibliography

1. TV Tropes Wiki entry

Game and Story Use

• Sadly, player characters tend to be the bloodthirsty sort, and usually refuse to give their adversaries any sporting chance of escaping. Therefore, if the GM plans to use this trope, he needs to stage it really well, or else the PCs will figure out a way of stopping their foe anyway.
  • Alternatively, he can use the approach of Mutants & Masterminds and give them some game mechanical benefit (bonus XPs, "action points" and so forth) for being good sports and letting the villain escape.