Re: Killing off players... er... characters

From: rpgfool@aol.com (RPGFool)

Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 00:00:00 +0000

I have run RPG's on and off line.  Although players tend to get very
attached to their characters, I try to get them to keep the character
seperate from themselves.  I usually run a fairly safe game but have had
characters die, sometimes through no fault of their own.  In such cases I
try to be generous in the creation of their new character, allowing it be
of similar power/experience as their old.  This lessens the sting of their
character's death.

But my point is that running a game where players bank on the immortality
of their character warps the plot and the feel of the game.  Consider just
how fun any video game would be if you knew you could never loose.  I had
one session where only one of five players survived, but it was a battle
that the players still talk about, several years later.  In another
session, a character was the random target of Marrow Fiends (GURPS) a
nasty little critter that enters this diminsion through the bone marrow of
its victem, shredding the victem from the inside out.  Again, years later,
the story still gets told to new players with great relish (and
occassional embellishments.)

In PBeM games specifically (free or fee) I think that players should have
a really good chance of surviving, but not to the extent that a sense of
invulnerability developes.  Occassionally a foe should be powerful enough
to take out a character.  Occassionally a trap should be lethal.  Etc....
But the other side of the coin is that the PLAYER deserves a bit of
compassionate treatment in such a case, with generosity extended in
developing a new character.  Starting over from scratch verges on
punishing a player for a subjective event.

Of course all of this is just IMHO.     : )

Mark
RPGFool@aol.com

References

Killing off players... er... characters
silver@phoenyx.net (Karen J. Cravens)
Thu, 03 Jul 1997 00:00:00 +0000