This one applies to every RPG I know of.

If one Player is being a douchebag and does not care if the consequences of their actions endangers the whole party, kill that douchebag's character. Without a character, one douchebag Player cannot ruin the game for the rest of the party.

Use the environment to your advantage. EVERYTHING counts as "environment". A heavy table or cupboard can be used to barricade a doorway. Loose flagstones or debris can be thrown to create a distraction. A door removed from its hinges is a makeshift pavise.

Be patient. This issue is more poignant in an OOC context: the party spends 30 minutes or more of real time to discuss a plan, almost comes to an agreement, but then abandons it because one or two idiots (players, not PCs) refuse to have their character lie in wait for 12 hours of in-game time - even though in real time that would pass in approximately 10 seconds as the DM says "Okay, you wait for 12 hours, nothing happens, now its shortly before midnight". So instead, the party charges in half-cocked and somebody gets killed.

Eliminate as much randomness as you can. Again, OOC: if you roll poorly, you get killed. If you roll well, you live to roll again. Rolling the dice is a no-win proposition, so you should avoid rolling the dice as much as you can. Go the extra mile to get the equipment, help, circumstance or workaround where you can do something automatically, with no rolling involved. If that's impossible, go the extra mile to scrounge together all the bonuses you can.

Quote from: RPGPundit;648350"Never split the party" would be number one in my book.

RPGPundit

You beat me to it!

If healing potions are available in your campaign relatively easily, then get as many as you can afford.
DON'T give all the healing potions to the cleric to take care of.  Give one each to the tanks, ranged guys and mage if you can.

Have the Mage hang around the cleric at the back. Clerics are tougher than they look and can take care of themselves and the Mage.

If things get desperate and there's no escape, get the cleric to wade in as a tank.

Give the cleric and mage range weapons as well. OK the mage is crap at using weapons, but it's better than nothing when he's run out of spells.

When in a dungeon, draw monsters to the door if you can, that way you won't have all the monsters getting in attacks.

Hire men-at-arms. Treat them well, pay them well (throwing 20 GP at them would be like them hitting the freaking jackpot, like those Pakistanis getting paid huge amounts of money to go work in Afghanistan), and use them to increase your party's chances at survival (a hit going to one of your men-at-arms is a hit you're not taking yourself), with pikemen, archers, however you want to organize it. Don't let them behind all the time to go ahead like your party is on your own - it makes them liabilities, not assets (something I've seen in past games).

Have a link-boy, porters, etc. Organize the expedition. Plan for your incursion into the dungeon like your life depends on it, because it does. That torch you're not carrying makes room for your shield, that two-handed sword or halberd or flask of oil.

Low level magic-users: use some oil. Flasks of oil. Use them as explosive projectiles, pour oil on the ground between you and the enemy, light doors on fire, etc. It's both a weapon and an utility item. Which goes along with using your environment, and ties into...

Quote from: Premier;648379Use the environment to your advantage. EVERYTHING counts as "environment". A heavy table or cupboard can be used to barricade a doorway. Loose flagstones or debris can be thrown to create a distraction. A door removed from its hinges is a makeshift pavise.

Be patient. This issue is more poignant in an OOC context: the party spends 30 minutes or more of real time to discuss a plan, almost comes to an agreement, but then abandons it because one or two idiots (players, not PCs) refuse to have their character lie in wait for 12 hours of in-game time - even though in real time that would pass in approximately 10 seconds as the DM says "Okay, you wait for 12 hours, nothing happens, now its shortly before midnight". So instead, the party charges in half-cocked and somebody gets killed.

Eliminate as much randomness as you can. Again, OOC: if you roll poorly, you get killed. If you roll well, you live to roll again. Rolling the dice is a no-win proposition, so you should avoid rolling the dice as much as you can. Go the extra mile to get the equipment, help, circumstance or workaround where you can do something automatically, with no rolling involved. If that's impossible, go the extra mile to scrounge together all the bonuses you can.

This.

Also, really important, as mentioned before, observe, study the opposition, and choose when to fight, when to avoid, when to flee accordingly. Goes with being patient. This often makes the difference between dying, and living to fight another day. Against an organized opponent, consider hiring spies, assassinating key personnel if someone is obviously tying the opposition together and sustaining its coherence, etc.

Quote from: danskmacabre;648392When in a dungeon, draw monsters to the door if you can, that way you won't have all the monsters getting in attacks.

Amen.  Learn the importance of a foe funnel and how to use it. Fight on familliar known ground whenever possible. Engaging in combat while in a large open unexplored area is suicidal.

Quote from: Doom;648306Wow, I'm late to the game but still have a critical piece of advice:

Don't split the party.

But you usually have to split the party to scout. I've also played in games where it was the prerogative of the thief who was scouting to filch a bit off the top of any hidden treasures he uncovered. Of course, this also exposes the Thief/Scout to danger beyond the aid of the party.

One approach is to have the scout himself be within the edge of torchlight or infravision of the lead character in the main group. Or have a pair of scouts (a thief and an invisible character, for example).

Quote from: Haffrung;648467I've also played in games where it was the prerogative of the thief who was scouting to filch a bit off the top of any hidden treasures he uncovered. Of course, this also exposes the Thief/Scout to danger beyond the aid of the party.

Indeed. It was also the perrogative of the fighter to leave such thieves bleeding out on the dungeon floor if caught.

Quote from: Exploderwizard;648468Indeed. It was also the perrogative of the fighter to leave such thieves bleeding out on the dungeon floor if caught.

Or, depending on the fighter, even if they just look guilty (and what thief doesn't look guilty of something?)

Oh yeah, if your characters are doing a mission as they are hired by someone or organization or whatever, then try to get them to give you as much as possible in advance to improve your chances of survival. Try and get stuff like potions, scrolls etc off them.
If you're being hired by a church or something like that, they should have healing potions about for emergencies.
You might have to whine and wheedle (in character) for the NPCs to hand them over tho.  
Tell them "it's for the good of the mission" etc....
A good bit of roleplaying will soften up the GM and he might give you some freebies.

If everything in here weren't trying to kill you, someone else would have already made off with the treasure.

Buy the pack mule. Rent the hireling. Establish a secure base camp. Evening watches are good.

The idea is to get treasure and live to spend it.
It's not a fucking arena fight to the death.
Retreat IS an option.
Get in and out often. Get back to camp/town to heal, rest, and dive back in at full strength.

Chalk, rope, ten foot pole, and pitons are your best neglected friends.

Flaming oil, holy water, holy items: never leave home without them.

Short length of rope+pole+lantern=lantern on a stick.  Don't stick any limbs into cubbyholes, pits, niches, nooks, crannies, cracks, grooves, slots, niches or recesses.

Stick 'em with the pointy end.