Victory *and* death: Would you enjoy this?

[Mercule]

Depends on whether there was every any other possible alternative. If it was completely scripted than I wouldn't enjoy it as much. If it was the natural consequences of player actions and how things just played out, I'd think it was pretty awesome.

Ditto. I've often thought that'd be a fine way to end. But, not at the expense of free will.

 

[Merkuri]

You know, a fun alternative to this would be that the characters are led through prophesy/oracles/time travel/etc to believe that in order to save the world they have to die, but once they accept this fact, they start learning that there may be a way around it due to a loophole in the prophesy or something. But do they risk it? What if in their efforts to avoid the dying part they also prevent the saving-the-world part?

 

[Umbran]

Would you find this sort of ending to a campaign dramatic and fun to play? Or frustrating and unfair? Would you enjoy this, assuming it was a change from the norm and not something that happens all the time? Or would it bother you that your character died, even though it was the last game of the campaign anyway and he accomplished something grand in the process?

It is a farily standard trope in the fantasy genre, so I'd not see it as a change of pace.

Whether or not I'd like it would depend upon what sort of character I was playing. Some folks are the type to sacrifice themselves, others are not.

It is very easy to have this look like railroading the PCs into suicide, and that's not a good feeling.

 

[Crothian]

Ya, I can have fun with this.

 

[babomb]

As others have said, if the players are obviously railroaded into it, probably not. On the other hand, if I set off a fireball that kills me but takes the BBEG down with me, or I die heroically fending off the BBEG just long enough for the other PCs to use the McGuffin to save the world, that's awesome.

 

[Snotlord]

Defeat and death

A friend of mine ran an oriental campaign once. He betted the characters eventually would betray their daimoy to save their own skins. They all chose duty, and thus death. The DM was shocked, the campaign ended, but they still all talk about it with big smiles, now years after.

I wish I was part of that game, but I was not

 

[Qvintus]

I would like it if i had a choice, like i know the campain is over after this sesion and i got the option to help the prinsess using the plot devise to save the world (make a good new begining) and try to hold of the demons long anouth or i can escape the plan and live a life but have sold out the plan, for me its imortant that i have a choice when to scarfice my char and i that way it have a mening, if i cant escape the plan save my ass on wussing out i would feel realy anoid that i did'nt have a say in the end of my char's life that just my 2 cents

 

[wayne62682]

If it was appropriate to my character (e.g. paladin) then I would love to go out in a blaze of glory like that. If it's forced regardless, then I would have an issue with it.

 

[Sanackranib]

I have in tha past

 

[GwydapLlew]

As a player, it depends on the character. Some of my characters would sacrifice themselves in a heartbeat, others would not. My current PC very much would not do it (NE Vecna cultist).

As a DM, there's nothing I love more than when a player 'steps up' to dramatic moments, whether it's a death scene, a long-awaited confrontation, or simply a personal moment. I've seen players announce their character's action and then give me That Look - and I know that they've decided it's what their character would do. I'm more than willing to give them that moment - it's part of the 'heroic' in 'heroic fantasy.'