Who "Owns" Old PC's?

[blackshirt5]

Hear hear, Lisa!

I refuse to hold up the game for a late player. Thankfully, though, most of my players are on time, and even if some aren't, we usually work on some backstory while waiting.

 

[Oaken25]

Some of these people scare me also. Makes me really want to DM. So the DM can never run your PC if you don't show up? What if you are in the middle of a dungeon or some thing. They leave your PC there? Gah that would drive me nuts as a DM or a PC.

 

[Numion]

Some of these people scare me also. Makes me really want to DM. So the DM can never run your PC if you don't show up? What if you are in the middle of a dungeon or some thing. They leave your PC there? Gah that would drive me nuts as a DM or a PC.

Nice way to save a character: when death is near, walk out of the room.

 

[Darrell]

My character is MY character.

Suuuuuuurrre. If you wanna believe that, then consider this...

Only the parts (primarily name and backstory) that exist prior to the first moment of the first game session can even marginally "belong" to you.

EVERYTHING that happens 'in-game' (including all creatures, characters, and situations encountered, treasure gained, equipment purchased, experience points awarded, and ALL linch-pins for character development) belong to the DM...he (or she) created them--not you. Yes, that's right...the _DM_ created it--you only reacted to what he gave you.

Therefore, ifyou leave the game trying to take "your" character with you, everything that has happened to your character since that first game session stays with the DM. Congratulations! You now have a 1st-level, 0 XP beginning character.

The goblins that attacked your character's home village in the second game session and slaughtered your parents, causing your character to develop a life-long hatred of goblins? Never happened. The goblins AND the attack 'belong' to the DM, so your character's hatred of goblins does not exist.

The +3 longsword you fought six wraiths to obtain in the old tomb in the mountains? Not yours. The sword, wraiths, fight, tomb, and mountains 'belong' to the DM...so you can't take that with ya, either.

In fact, I do not allow any one to play a character of mine at any time. If I am late or miss a session, my character takes no part in any events that occure during my absence.

You "...do not allow...," eh?

And if you were a player in a game I was running, how, precisely, would you intend to stop me from using your character if you were not to attend the session? Leave the game completely? Fine. Your character will continue from that point as an NPC, with or without your permission. I keep a current copy of ALL PC's character sheets to cover just such an eventuality. If you don't show up, I or some other player will run your character.

As far as RPGing as art... I never thought of it like that before, but yes it does make sense.

No, it doesn't. RPGs are a GAME. A pastime. A hobby. D&D is no more an 'art' than Chess, Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, or Hide and Seek. Sure, it's a helluva lot of fun, but anyone trying to tell themselves it's an 'art' is simply delusional.

Regards,
Darrell King

 

[Oaken25]

Nice way to save a character: when death is near, walk out of the room.

All I gotta say is:

 

[Skade]

IMNSHO, those that go off and proclaim the playing of a game as "art", are plainly full of themselves. Playing RPGs is great fun, and a wonderful hobby, but it's hardly more art than talking in a chat room.

Here's an idea: invite someone you know as a friend to a roleplaying session, and after it's all said and done, ask him/her whether they think you're an artist.

If someone with no invested interest considers what you do as "art", then you're an artist. If not, then you're just pretentious, as is anyone who makes self-proclimations of what they do is "art".

Well, actually, yes. I did not ask, it was not something that occurred to me at all a the time. It was in 1995, I was running 2E, and the game was occurring at a pivotal point in the novel I was trying to write. A good friend of mine came over during teh game because she and I were to go out later that night, and she just wanted to hang. She watched the game. I asked her at least twice if she was bored and she told me she was really enjoying herself. We all assumed she was silently mocking us. When we went out she asked about the game, and eventually confessed that she was impressed by it. She said it was more like ad lib acting than a board game, and she was surprised that my players had as much talent as they did.

I don't think every game session is art. just like I don't think every song written is art. I don't even claim that many of my sessions are more than good fun, but it does happen. More imprtantly, as someone with a keen interest in art, music, and literature, there is nothing wrong with striving for art each time you do it. When I play piano I do it to have fun, but when I write music, I want it to be art.

 

[Silver Moon]

My 2 cents worth

First of all, I agree with several earlier posts that think this thread is making a mountain out of molehill - it's only a game!

That being said, several former PC's are NPC's in our campaign which helps with the overall continuity. In all cases these characters belonged to former players who have stopped gaming and do not plan to game again for either medical, religious, or family reasons. In fact, two of these players even gave me all of their gaming materials to use as I see fit. Players who leave the game are free to use their characters elsewhere, and we usually write those characters out of our storyline once it is clear that the player may not be returning anytime soon.

 

[barsoomcore]

It's not a molehill... it's a DOGPILE!

Good grief! I just need to add my voice to the "WTF?" choir.

There's some serious narcotic action involved in this conversation, is all I can say. It's sort of fun, reading the thread, in a "I can't believe people are arguing about this," sort of way.

Let's recap. Player joins campaign, creates character. At some point player decides they will cease playing in this campaign.

All well and good. Now player says to DM, "You can't have my character doing things in your campaign after I leave." As the DM, I would be VERY curious as to WHY the player insists on this. Because the character is special to them? Well, um... what? What does he care? What?

But okay, fine, you don't want me to make things happen to your character, that's easy. Your character dies. Sudden heart attack, how tragic, so young, too. Now nobody will ever play your character. You may rest easy.

What is all this with "I own my character. It's MINE!"? What are you going to do with it? I mean, seriously, what are you going to do with this character once you're out of my campaign? And how does me doing things with this character after you've left my campaign interfere with your ability to do whatever it is that you're going to do with it?

I mean, if we're talking about how to handle late or absent players, well, that's one thing. You have to come to some agreement on that and I can understand a player not wanting a DM to be making decisions for a character they intend to play next session. Likewise with the whole publishing issue. I would be very leery writing anything professional-like using characters other people had created.

But a retired character? What?

Come on people, there's enough drivel on the Internet as it is.

 

[Oaken25]

Grin.

 

[pogre]

Nevermind

After reading the previous three pages of comments I can see this "issue" is to emotionally charged for me to comment in the way I did before.