D&D 4E death and 4E

[Korgoth]

**ALERT: YMMV. This is all just my opinon.

What do you hard nosed "players should die and suffer" people do with players who don't care if their PCs die? The kind of player who just doesn't get too attached to their character, who to them is a few pages of crunchy data and maybe a few notes. Do you force them to feel bad when they "die"?

I think that question is formulated from an alien frame of mind, as far as I'm concerned. I expect my players not to be emotionally attached to their characters. I don't think people should be emotionally attached to their characters. I consider the character a "playing piece". Sure, you want your character to thrive because that means you're doing well in the game and you've got a certain investment of time and memories associated with the character. You've developed a persona for the character and so you've got some plans as to what he's going to be like, etc. But at the end of the day, it's just an imaginary construct through which you interact with the game world.

So I don't in any way desire that people get hurt feelings when their character dies. Entirely the opposite! I hope it doesn't phase them in the slightest! There's the momentary disappointment of having 'lost the game' but it's fleeting. I expect the player to be back up on the horse in no time... a starting level horse, of course.

That's the real penalty of character death: you have to start over.

This concludes a broadcast of purely my opinion. YMMV**

 

[The Human Target]

**ALERT: YMMV. This is all just my opinon.

I think that question is formulated from an alien frame of mind, as far as I'm concerned. I expect my players not to be emotionally attached to their characters. I don't think people should be emotionally attached to their characters. I consider the character a "playing piece". Sure, you want your character to thrive because that means you're doing well in the game and you've got a certain investment of time and memories associated with the character. You've developed a persona for the character and so you've got some plans as to what he's going to be like, etc. But at the end of the day, it's just an imaginary construct through which you interact with the game world.

So I don't in any way desire that people get hurt feelings when their character dies. Entirely the opposite! I hope it doesn't phase them in the slightest! There's the momentary disappointment of having 'lost the game' but it's fleeting. I expect the player to be back up on the horse in no time... a starting level horse, of course.

That's the real penalty of character death: you have to start over.

This concludes a broadcast of purely my opinion. YMMV**

I think we're kinda talking about two seperate but related things.

So you're in favor of the real threat of permanenet death in the game?

 

[Korgoth]

I think we're kinda talking about two seperate but related things.

So you're in favor of the real threat of permanenet death in the game?

Player death? No. Character death? Yes.

 

[psionotic]

"Hello, my name is Magellan. I noticed you party does not have a wizard..."

You seem trustworthy!

Seriously, though, I agree with Human Target here. Make it harder for PCs to die, but make death more permanent/final.

 

[koxler]

Death might not be fun, but awareness that you cannot die is even less fun. Therefore, death's in.

Exactly!!!

 

[Branduil]

I'm on the side of making death rarer, but also making resurrection impossible or extremely difficult. I don't think it's fun when characters die unless they're doing something either incredibly stupid or incredibly dramatic. And I don't think you should just be able to wheel Bob the Fighter into the ol' Temple for a quick res. The only time I might allow resurrection is if the whole party went on a quest for it or something.

 

[Treebore]

If the designers of 4E decided that death was no fun and therefore removed the threat or possiblilty of death from the new edition would you be ok with it?

No, I wouldn't be OK with it. I would go play real D&D.

 

[The Human Target]

Player death? No. Character death? Yes.

I'm old old school.

If a player doesn't bleed in real life once per session, I'm not happy.

 

[The Human Target]

No, I wouldn't be OK with it. I would go play real D&D.

What are the actual chances you'd play 4E anyway?

 

[Brennin Magalus]

Player death? No. Character death? Yes.

LOL. That would be a way of keeping players in line, though. "I declare you dead, Blackleaf. Now you must commit ritual suicide while Elfstar fights the Zombie (TM)!"