The ripping of character sheets

Chimera · Jun 11, 2006

No need for me to quote Sejs response now that everyone else has.

My sheet. My property.
You rip it up, I take offense.
I make it clear that you do not do that again.

Response to those instructions determines whether or not I remain at your table.

offcenterideas · Jun 11, 2006

In my old group we had a "ritual" per se. When a character died, we would photocopy it if the player/DM desired a personal copy of the sheet. Then we would go out back and burn the original and have a moment of silence. Naturally the longer living characters would warrant a bigger "ritual" than say the one-shotters. Sometimes we'd be laughing and joking about how funny the death was, but sometimes it was a bit somber. I don't remember anyone crying over their character, but some gave some really good moving eulogies. It was all just having fun.

One night we went out back 5 times (four of them from one player).

Now tearing up the sheet is just demeaning and cruel, but I believe it's up to the group.

Steel_Wind · Jun 12, 2006

There is an old gaming lore story in our group. 24 years ago, one player got so upset with his character's death that he crumpled his character sheet into a ball, throwing it at the DM (me) shouting "You killed it - you keep it!!".

From time to time over the years (twice that I can recall), this incidentwas aped in jest by the dead character's player.

Dut doing this to a player? No and hell no unless there was some history to it that made it acceptable within that group.

CharginCrusader · Jun 12, 2006

How immensly over dramatic. I would pour soda over his DM screen, but oh well. I am cheap as well and have a big eraser to get rid of those old stats and possessions

jokamachi · Jun 12, 2006

It's a juvenile power trip, nothing more, though this game does bring that out in some DMs. I have never even thought to do it; I only ask for the stats (not the sheet) if the character has a chance of coming back as an NPC in the world I'm running.

Tinker Gnome · Jun 12, 2006

Wow, I was just talking to one of the other players and the DM and I told them that if we ever had to deal with anyone else new, that we should tell them beforehand, and they said no, only the original group shuld know(that being the original five who began playing together). The guy who got his sheet ripped the other day did not know it was going to happen, and one of the other players told me had looked quite displeased when it happened, but said nothing, then said player was laughing over it. I am seriously considering finding some new friends. They have all sort of become jerks to other people lately. :\

TheAuldGrump · Jun 17, 2006

Hell, if the player doesn't want to keep the character then I will. I have a notebook full of them. Two belong to a player that died about eight years ago, but I think of him whenever I run across the sheets.

Those sheets have memories attached to them. I will always remember the character trying to take on a shuggoth in hand to hand, realizing just how stupid that was and running away from it. (Not what killed the character, he survived that one.)

If the DM wanted to rip up my sheet for any game except Paranoia I would not let him have it.

The Auld Grump

Wik · Jun 17, 2006

This was something I used to do as a GM, and I did it for one big reason - to put the fear of death into the players. For some reason, the ripping of a character sheet (especially if the GM has a fiendish grin on his face when he does it) provokes this visceral reaction. It says "your character is DEAD, GONE, and he's not coming back". As a group, we loved this. It really made character death something to be avoided.

That being said, if I were to do that to a player and he became offended, I'd definately apologize and admit I had made a mistake. But, really, I never thought it would be considered a big deal until this post. My players certainly had no problems with it.

Of course, I haven't done this in years.

Terwox · Jun 17, 2006

I'd probably stop gaming with a DM if they did that, unless it was a one-shot, and it was understood that it was a fun gesture. (This would make plenty of sense in Paranoia, etc.) A long standing character? Naw, I get emotionally attached, and I'd get pretty angry if this happened.

jmucchiello · Jun 17, 2006

Hate to Derail (But then the thread is over a week old)

Some of the responses in this thread make me want to make a poll but I don't think I have enough sample data to properly create the choices....

What does your character sheet look like? I don't me how is it arranged or what sort of information is in what boxes, I mean when I say "your character sheet", do you think of a) a specific piece of paper, b) the "current" print out, c) a file on a computer, or d) something else? I have used Word to create every character sheet I've made in the last 15 years or so and thus the computer file is the master copy and whatever printout I'm working with at the table, if you want to rip it up I'll just print another copy. No sweat. This practice of having the computer file being the master copy is fully integrated into my play group and thus I'd forgotten all about printing out blank forms and filling them in with pencil. That having such a penciled in copy means there is only one copy of the sheet.

So if you are still reading this thread, could you describe your character sheet. Is it a singular entity, a computer file or something else?