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PC Death = Campaign Death?
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<blockquote data-quote="Skald" data-source="post: 44335" data-attributes="member: 1601"><p>I've played in several games where PCs have been killed (mine included). No one I've ever played with threw a fit over it, but there certainly was a sense of loss after many months or several years having grown attached to the characters.</p><p></p><p>What you may need to remind the players who throw fits over their characters' deaths are two key points.</p><p></p><p>1. Heroes are meant to die, ideally under circumstances where they are sacrificing their lives for the sake of others or for goals and ideals loftier than their own. Charging foolishly into situations that serve no purpose is not the path of heroes. For a character to die under foolish or disgraceful conditions would certainly be upsetting for the player, but hey... the player controls the character's actions. Perhaps your player was so upset because he <em>does</em> realize this fact, and can't stand blaming himself.</p><p></p><p>2. The road of violence ends in death, nothing more. That is the way it should be, for only when people truly realize this will they begin to take responsibility for their actions. For your player who was so traumatized over the death of his character, for him to childishly rant about it is akin to a soldier in war who complains to his commanding officer and fellow soldiers that the enemy is shooting at him, that they shouldn't be doing so, how dare they be good marksmen with their rifles, how dare they be good warriors themselves, how dare they have courage, he might die because of this, and could someone please make them stop. If your player understood this, he would have accepted the reality for what it was, which is not necessarily a good way to have one's life ended.</p><p></p><p>To avoid the possibility of players getting upset, try to start off the next adventure or campaign by letting the players know from the beginning that they will certainly be risking their lives. Maybe an NPC tells them seomething along the lines of "Some of you may not return from the task of which we ask of you, and for this I ask your forgiveness beforehand. We do, however, truly need your help..."</p><p></p><p>To illustrate a great example of "character deaths" measuring up to that of heroes, watch <em>The 13th Warrior</em>. I think about 8 of the 13 warriors died in the course of their adventure, including Bulwyf, the party's nominal leader and greatest warrior. They all knew what could happen to them, but still they continued...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Skald, post: 44335, member: 1601"] I've played in several games where PCs have been killed (mine included). No one I've ever played with threw a fit over it, but there certainly was a sense of loss after many months or several years having grown attached to the characters. What you may need to remind the players who throw fits over their characters' deaths are two key points. 1. Heroes are meant to die, ideally under circumstances where they are sacrificing their lives for the sake of others or for goals and ideals loftier than their own. Charging foolishly into situations that serve no purpose is not the path of heroes. For a character to die under foolish or disgraceful conditions would certainly be upsetting for the player, but hey... the player controls the character's actions. Perhaps your player was so upset because he [i]does[/i] realize this fact, and can't stand blaming himself. 2. The road of violence ends in death, nothing more. That is the way it should be, for only when people truly realize this will they begin to take responsibility for their actions. For your player who was so traumatized over the death of his character, for him to childishly rant about it is akin to a soldier in war who complains to his commanding officer and fellow soldiers that the enemy is shooting at him, that they shouldn't be doing so, how dare they be good marksmen with their rifles, how dare they be good warriors themselves, how dare they have courage, he might die because of this, and could someone please make them stop. If your player understood this, he would have accepted the reality for what it was, which is not necessarily a good way to have one's life ended. To avoid the possibility of players getting upset, try to start off the next adventure or campaign by letting the players know from the beginning that they will certainly be risking their lives. Maybe an NPC tells them seomething along the lines of "Some of you may not return from the task of which we ask of you, and for this I ask your forgiveness beforehand. We do, however, truly need your help..." To illustrate a great example of "character deaths" measuring up to that of heroes, watch [i]The 13th Warrior[/i]. I think about 8 of the 13 warriors died in the course of their adventure, including Bulwyf, the party's nominal leader and greatest warrior. They all knew what could happen to them, but still they continued... [/QUOTE]
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