Too Much Effort to Make New Characters?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Rolling up a new character is one of the most fun things to do

While I generally agree, it’s not a universal sentiment.

And even though I’ve literally got files and files of PC concepts and fully realized characters for umpteen systems*, sometimes I really hate it when one I was really getting into dies, the campaign folds, or it’s just simply disallowed, and I have to start afresh.



* not exaggerating: there’s a binder on a bookshelf that contains nothing but PCs I’ve translated into multiple systems, just in case. I started it in 1992. Now, most of them are in word processing or Notes app files.

 

[grankless]

This isn't really that surprising. DnD and Pathfinder have some of the most complicated character creation among popular games. Having to look through a bunch of different books to make a new character, but it can't be the thing you were just enjoying playing!, kind of blows. Tons of games have way faster character creation, or at least less complicated.

Moreover, death is almost always the most boring consequence that a story can offer. There is almost always something way more interesting to have happen that lets the character continue.


I find it very rude and a little baffling that some posters in this thread think that just because someone is sad their character died and that they don't want to go to the effort of making a new unique character that they don't like the games at all. It's a very limited view, and certainly a DnD centric one.

 

[zarionofarabel]

If you were the GM, how would you respond to a group's attitude that if their characters die, you should just re-play the encounter or move on anyway - because it's too much work to make a new character and losing an evening's worth of game progress is "punishment enough?"
Like, I'm flabbergasted here. Maybe these people shouldn't be playing RPGs - or at least mainstream games like D&D or Pathfinder?

Have them wake up the next morning fresh as daisies but without any equipment or armor, just their clothes.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

This is baffling. Rolling up a new character is one of the most fun things to do in D&D, and it’s the consolation prize for getting your PC killed. I’ve always played that the new character has the same level/xp as the old guy, so there shouldn’t be any feelings about wasted progress.

Another angle on this may be story based, not mechanical. It’s possible that the idea of coming up with a new, compatible, character concept, and then integrating into the party again, is daunting.

 

[Jd Smith1]

i would end the game, then and there, and wish everyone the best before finding a group that actually wanted to play.

The best and only possible reply.

 

[aramis erak]

I feel like if people are hesitant to put in the amount of effort it takes to make a character, they’re likely not all that into the game.

I’d suggest either finding a game where character death/turnover is far less likely, or else a game where character creation is simple enough so that it’s not such an obstacle.

Same. But when I run games with too many choices, I offer pregens, too.

One of my best players is prone to analysis paralysis (Except in TTR games and Pandemic.) When confronted with 4 pages of 2 lines each species for Star Wars, she asked for the pregens pile. And has embodied that wookie quite well.

 

[Cadence]

In one of the first O-B/X/1e campaigns I was in characters died all the time and players always had a new 1st level apprear. Minimal background work and character making was quick.

In one 3e game we didn't have any deaths, the level wasn't too high so character making would be easy mechanically. The backgrounds were extensive though so that would have been painful.

In Phoenix Command I think it took forever to make a character.

For D&D, the level also seems to matter. Spitting out a new 1st-3rd level character with only a sentence of background feels pretty easy in aby editions if one doesn't get analysis paralysis. Making a 12th+ level character feels like it would be a lot more work, especially if spells need to be chosen.

 

[schneeland]

Just replaying the encounter doesn't sit right with me - if there are no consequences to failure, why do the thing at all?

If we are talking about D&D5, I can relate to the feeling of not being enthused about new character creation, though. I find the organization of information in the books to be rather terrible - it's probably a lot better if you have D&D Beyond (or any other character builder). In other systems, where character creation is lighter (e.g. DCC, Dungeon World or Broken Compass) then it's usually less of a problem.

 

[Li Shenron]

If you were the GM, how would you respond to a group's attitude that if their characters die, you should just re-play the encounter or move on anyway - because it's too much work to make a new character and losing an evening's worth of game progress is "punishment enough?"
Like, I'm flabbergasted here. Maybe these people shouldn't be playing RPGs - or at least mainstream games like D&D or Pathfinder?

Replay something is an absolute no for me.

On the other hand, as I always write to these forums, if a player doesn't want their PC to really die, then we agree together on a significant penalty or cost to replace death.

About being too much work to build a character, that should ring a bell to the DM's ears. Are you using a ruleset that is more complex than what your players want, are you making character creation more burdensome than it needs to be? (my most hated thing is a DM that "requires" everyone to write pages of background or character details, checking they've done their homework, and then completely ignore them for the rest of the campaign).

 

[Mezuka]

(my most hated thing is a DM that "requires" everyone to write pages of background or character details, checking they've done their homework, and then completely ignore them for the rest of the campaign).

This