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What are the “boring bits” to you?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 9278506" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>At a practical level, the character just rides off into the sunset. It's still out there, and could be scried or even chatted with, but anything more than that e.g. adventuring, killing it off, etc., can't happen without the player's OK. The history of what the character did while in play remains unchanged, including off-screen activities that may hold later relevance. (the clone question is a bridge I'll blow up if and when I ever get to it; the only cloned PC I can think of where the clone lasted longer than a single combat immediately following the cloning is one of mine-as-player, and that story's been going for 40 years now...)</p><p></p><p>In part this is to preserve the character(s) in case that player someday returns to the game, which happens now and then (and in fact happens for me, in theory, this Sunday).</p><p></p><p>In my current setting I've got loads of such characters.</p><p></p><p>What it means in practice is that if I-as-DM find I suddenly need an NPC Fighter for some reason then I'm going to roll up a new one (or use a pre-existing NPC) rather than recycle Falstaffe*, who was John*'s PC before he left the game.</p><p></p><p>And IME getting that permission is usually fairly easy if I'm still in touch with the player.</p><p></p><p>The one exception I'll make, as they can't affect the "real" character, are dream sequences.</p><p></p><p>* - names changed to protect the guilty.</p><p></p><p>What I don't know won't hurt me; but if I were ever to find out, there'd be some harsh and unpleasant words said.</p><p></p><p>Well, I ain't likely to care after I'm dead. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> Other than that, all you gotta do is ask permission - is that really so hard?</p><p></p><p>That's all fine and reasonable, and I too wouldn't have any issue with it. Where it would cross the line for me is if the DM allowed the party to successfully recruit my old character to go adventuring again, or were they to loot his castle while visiting, or kill him in his sleep, etc.</p><p></p><p>Also, I only DM for people I know, thus just because someone's left the game usually doesn't mean I've lost all contact with them. In your example here (but I'll flip the players around), if I-as-DM had any warning the PCs were about to visit your old character for an important conversation, during the week I might call you up, briefly explain the situation, and get some basic feedback from you as to what your character might do or say. And if during that call you told me something like "I don't care, do what you will with him" then you've given me permission to play the character as seems fitting, and that permission is all I'm asking for.</p><p></p><p>Here I disagree. As it's my character, my imagination of that character (as best as I can express it during play) trumps everyone else's imagination of that character. They don't get to re-imagine my character in any major way just because I'm no longer there.</p><p></p><p>If you approach it from the perspective that the player might at any point return and take up playing that character again and that all you're doing in the meantime is in effect holding the charcter in escrow until that happens, my views might make more sense. <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="Lanefan, post: 9278506, member: 29398"] At a practical level, the character just rides off into the sunset. It's still out there, and could be scried or even chatted with, but anything more than that e.g. adventuring, killing it off, etc., can't happen without the player's OK. The history of what the character did while in play remains unchanged, including off-screen activities that may hold later relevance. (the clone question is a bridge I'll blow up if and when I ever get to it; the only cloned PC I can think of where the clone lasted longer than a single combat immediately following the cloning is one of mine-as-player, and that story's been going for 40 years now...) In part this is to preserve the character(s) in case that player someday returns to the game, which happens now and then (and in fact happens for me, in theory, this Sunday). In my current setting I've got loads of such characters. What it means in practice is that if I-as-DM find I suddenly need an NPC Fighter for some reason then I'm going to roll up a new one (or use a pre-existing NPC) rather than recycle Falstaffe*, who was John*'s PC before he left the game. And IME getting that permission is usually fairly easy if I'm still in touch with the player. The one exception I'll make, as they can't affect the "real" character, are dream sequences. * - names changed to protect the guilty. What I don't know won't hurt me; but if I were ever to find out, there'd be some harsh and unpleasant words said. Well, I ain't likely to care after I'm dead. :) Other than that, all you gotta do is ask permission - is that really so hard? That's all fine and reasonable, and I too wouldn't have any issue with it. Where it would cross the line for me is if the DM allowed the party to successfully recruit my old character to go adventuring again, or were they to loot his castle while visiting, or kill him in his sleep, etc. Also, I only DM for people I know, thus just because someone's left the game usually doesn't mean I've lost all contact with them. In your example here (but I'll flip the players around), if I-as-DM had any warning the PCs were about to visit your old character for an important conversation, during the week I might call you up, briefly explain the situation, and get some basic feedback from you as to what your character might do or say. And if during that call you told me something like "I don't care, do what you will with him" then you've given me permission to play the character as seems fitting, and that permission is all I'm asking for. Here I disagree. As it's my character, my imagination of that character (as best as I can express it during play) trumps everyone else's imagination of that character. They don't get to re-imagine my character in any major way just because I'm no longer there. If you approach it from the perspective that the player might at any point return and take up playing that character again and that all you're doing in the meantime is in effect holding the charcter in escrow until that happens, my views might make more sense. :) [/QUOTE]
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