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Death and Storytelling
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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 7451084" data-attributes="member: 177"><p>With respect, if you have to specifically design your metaphysics and embed options before play begins to not have death be an end to a story, that says to be that death is not particularly friendly to story. It weakens the "not an enemy" posit considerably. "You aren't my enemy, but I have to behave *just so* around you so as to not have you bite my butt." Maybe not an enemy, but it is an aggressive animal staring at you and growling <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /></p><p></p><p>For D&D at least, there's already elements design for this - this is what resurrection and raise dead are for. No further work needs to be done in the game to make it not the end of the story. If you really need the character in play, some benefactor can do it an exact a price.</p><p></p><p>But, as a general thing... being present after death is a game conceit that is a poor fit for many stories. My Ashen Stars game, for example - the game itself does not have a specific "come back from death" mechanical element. But it is Space Opera - there could be a clone, or someone from an alternate universe, an uploaded version on a computer, or some time travel shenanigans to bring the character back. But most of those would read as pretty forced, unless the PCs initiated them. It just doesn't quite fit.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 7451084, member: 177"] With respect, if you have to specifically design your metaphysics and embed options before play begins to not have death be an end to a story, that says to be that death is not particularly friendly to story. It weakens the "not an enemy" posit considerably. "You aren't my enemy, but I have to behave *just so* around you so as to not have you bite my butt." Maybe not an enemy, but it is an aggressive animal staring at you and growling :p For D&D at least, there's already elements design for this - this is what resurrection and raise dead are for. No further work needs to be done in the game to make it not the end of the story. If you really need the character in play, some benefactor can do it an exact a price. But, as a general thing... being present after death is a game conceit that is a poor fit for many stories. My Ashen Stars game, for example - the game itself does not have a specific "come back from death" mechanical element. But it is Space Opera - there could be a clone, or someone from an alternate universe, an uploaded version on a computer, or some time travel shenanigans to bring the character back. But most of those would read as pretty forced, unless the PCs initiated them. It just doesn't quite fit. [/QUOTE]
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