Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Getting Attached
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="bekkilyn_rpg" data-source="post: 1111771" data-attributes="member: 13873"><p>Except that your now-dead character gets left out of the sequel when everyone else's characters go on to do even more heroic things. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Obligatory Disclaimer Note: Everything written below this note is not a direct response to mythago, but is just speaking generally on the issue at hand after having been inspired by mythago's book comparison.</p><p></p><p>It's one thing if your character dies at the very end of the campaign, but it really does kind of suck to be the "red shirt of D&D" who dies in the first couple chapters, or just one of the minor support characters who dies somewhere in the middle just to prove that the author isn't afraid to kill off characters in a book.</p><p></p><p>I don't think all endings have to be melodramatic and painful to be good endings. Not all heros have to die in order to be a positive inspiration to others.</p><p></p><p>One problem with comparing D&D to a book is that books (except in the case of Robert Jordan) actually *do* end whereas a D&D campaign theoretically never has to end. It can end when the DM and the players are ready for it to end. There need not be a main plot to a campaign, but instead a conglomeration of many, many plots which have beginnings and endings as there is need. </p><p></p><p>Some of those plots might include permanent character death, but I don't believe they absolutely need to be forced upon a player who doesn't enjoy such plots when there are many, many other enjoyable and character-enhancing plots which could also exist and be explored in a game.</p><p></p><p>Character attachment is a wonderful thing which truly can enhance the roleplaying experience. I think you have to be able to trust your DM and the other players to a certain extent in order to fully experience this effect though. If your playstyle doesn't match the DM's style, then problems can occur and sometimes even snuff out the desire for roleplaying and/or character attachment. (For me, killer DM's and high mortality campaigns create in me this "why bother?" factor, but the reasons can be different for different people.)</p><p></p><p>In answer to the original question though, the best way I've found of detaching oneself from a character is to treat it like nothing more than a miniature with a stat card (character sheet) which helps you determine where on the battlemat the figure must move. This figure isn't a real person, it's just a game piece to use in order to "win" (hopefully). Don't bother trying to roleplay and only put the bare minimum of background (if any) on your character sheet...basically no more than the DM requires. Whether or not you enjoy such characters is an entirely different matter, of course, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do if you want to keep playing in that particular game. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="bekkilyn_rpg, post: 1111771, member: 13873"] Except that your now-dead character gets left out of the sequel when everyone else's characters go on to do even more heroic things. :) Obligatory Disclaimer Note: Everything written below this note is not a direct response to mythago, but is just speaking generally on the issue at hand after having been inspired by mythago's book comparison. It's one thing if your character dies at the very end of the campaign, but it really does kind of suck to be the "red shirt of D&D" who dies in the first couple chapters, or just one of the minor support characters who dies somewhere in the middle just to prove that the author isn't afraid to kill off characters in a book. I don't think all endings have to be melodramatic and painful to be good endings. Not all heros have to die in order to be a positive inspiration to others. One problem with comparing D&D to a book is that books (except in the case of Robert Jordan) actually *do* end whereas a D&D campaign theoretically never has to end. It can end when the DM and the players are ready for it to end. There need not be a main plot to a campaign, but instead a conglomeration of many, many plots which have beginnings and endings as there is need. Some of those plots might include permanent character death, but I don't believe they absolutely need to be forced upon a player who doesn't enjoy such plots when there are many, many other enjoyable and character-enhancing plots which could also exist and be explored in a game. Character attachment is a wonderful thing which truly can enhance the roleplaying experience. I think you have to be able to trust your DM and the other players to a certain extent in order to fully experience this effect though. If your playstyle doesn't match the DM's style, then problems can occur and sometimes even snuff out the desire for roleplaying and/or character attachment. (For me, killer DM's and high mortality campaigns create in me this "why bother?" factor, but the reasons can be different for different people.) In answer to the original question though, the best way I've found of detaching oneself from a character is to treat it like nothing more than a miniature with a stat card (character sheet) which helps you determine where on the battlemat the figure must move. This figure isn't a real person, it's just a game piece to use in order to "win" (hopefully). Don't bother trying to roleplay and only put the bare minimum of background (if any) on your character sheet...basically no more than the DM requires. Whether or not you enjoy such characters is an entirely different matter, of course, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do if you want to keep playing in that particular game. :) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Getting Attached
Top