Would you leave your life behind?

[Tsyr]

Wicht, I'm 21, and with a (probably) bright future ahead of me. Going for a doctorate in college, got a girl I love, my family and I are very close (Thats the part that would hurt about leaving), no major health and or social problems, and I love this world, even if it does have it's flaws.

My logic is more along the lines of:

"This will never happen again, and if I don't take it, for the rest of my life I will kick myself. At least if I go, and it proves to suck, I will know that, hey... I screwed up. I shouldn't have done it. But it's better than for the rest of my live being haunted by what could have been."

 

[Hikaru]

Re: clarifications

yes your new body is fit to your liking. abilities-18, 16, 12, 12, 12, 10 or something similar. You wanna be buff, your buff. You wanna be hot, Spears ain't got nothin on you.

Its a FANTASY world of your choosing. That means cool outfits, underwear and items you won't find in the dark ages of Europe. No black plague and crap like that. You only catch diseases when the story calls for it (and you fail your save). As long as you adventure your subject to all the perks of a PC and all the pain that goes with it...

Adventuring? Who cares about adventuring, all the filth and exhaustion and risks of dying? If you can be whatever you want, with whatever stats you want, then better choose some other profession!

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I'm 23, just to start this off.

At the moment I'm an actor up at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, doing a very low-budget play. I had to pay £400 english money for accomodation and flights up here, on the basis that I would be on a profit share scheme if the show made any money. I had to borrow money off my parents to do this.

Having stayed in Edinburgh for nearly three weeks, spending more money on food and beer, and sightseeing and seeing other shows, I've realised that the chances of me even making back the £200 I got off my parents are minimal - unless the show gets picked up by someone and I end up in a touring production of it.

What's the point of all this? Well the previous two paragraphs seem a little bleak. But I have to say - I'm having a blast. I'm enjoying every minute of this. I've managed to escape all the usual worries for a month of doing what I love.

I only got into the show on a split second decision. I was phoned up - do you want to audition? I said yes. I only went to drama school because I was phoned up - we have a space for this year, instead of next year, do you want to come? I said yes again. Heck, I only got into amateur dramatics because my mum found something in the local paper about a local amateur society auditioning. My life sometimes feels like a selection of split second decisions that could have been horrendous mistakes, but weren't.

So would I go? Yes. My family and friends would miss me terribly, my girlfriend would be affected in ways that might never leave her (some people will understand this), and it'd be the biggest decision I could ever make.

But like at other times of my life - I take the risk. The rewards could be more than you imagine. Think about it. If you saved a village by fireballing a bunch of trolls, they'd be grateful forever. You'd see that every time you were there. Multiply that up by the number of times characters do heroic things - seeing at first hand the effects of your heroism would be incredible.

You are being told that you can have the power to change the world, in real, tangible, genuine ways. Isn't that worth chancing?

PS: Plus of course, eventually you get to shapechange into a dragon...oh boy.

 

[Wicht]

Thanks Tallarn and Tsyr for giving your ages.

I am 29 and my answer is no - not unless the said wizard could convince me that it was the right thing to do for ethical reasons. The niftiness of it all is not enough to convince me that I should leave behind wife, children and a good life.

I think my life view (not necessarily world view) shifted somewhere around 23-25. Before that I would have said yes to the question with hardly a thought.

 

[Ace]

Just for the record I am staying away from everyone of you adventure junkies out there.

When I arrive in Phantasy Land or whatever its called I want to be a mostly immortal and contemplative type.

I am not going all home invasion on a bunch of humanoids thank you very much,

much too risky...

OK so I only advance in magic slowly like I care--- I have forever.

Once I gain mastery of a certain spells life will be about equal

My two buddies both of them have real life adventures of different sorts and liked them so I can easily see those fools out Orc bashing....

You know to think about it if I could grab a couple or three of long lost friends of mine I would have a pretty good adventuring company

The Gang of 9
HMMM

 

[Corinth]

For some reason I find it really disturbing that you don't mind posting on a message board about your plans on killing a woman (and ruining her life in the process) and getting another pregnant just to please your grandmother.

I intend to marry the latter, and the former condemned herself because those are the consequences of her actions. Neither is nearly so cruel as you believe them to be. As I now stare 30 in the face, I must see that my life is more-or-less set for me; I'm doing what good that I can with the (lame) hand dealt to me, and that is all that I can ask of any man. If I outlive my father, then I will consider it a victory.

 

[pseudo_hero]

jeez a lot of contempt on this post. I was just asking a simple question that I thought would stir a lot of creative thinking. I was expecting people to start talking about what they class they would pursue and what goals they would go after. And some have But jeez "anti-adventure" people, chill. Just gave me yet ANOTHER reason not to settle down and have kids. Its seems to cause massive damage to the adventuring spirit. I can totaly understand some one not going because they love their wife and kids. But why the contempt for those who aren't tied down? When my friends are going to concert and I have to stay home with my woman cause I promised her, I don't tell my friends "And your stupid for going!" Sheesh. Touching some nerves in here.

And Wicht, yes fear of death by something known and something unknown is gonna be different. Think about it.

 

[Celtavian]

Re

I still think most of the people who say they would go would be in shock once faced with some real D and D or other monstrous entity.

I for one never want to see a real army of zombies, possibly made from people I know and once cared about. As far as fireballing a troll and saving a village, you better be one high level wizard to take down a troll in one shot. I certainly wouldn't want to be chased by a troll. I am willing to bet that your wizard would get torn up without fighter backup.

First thing I suggest any person do before they start off adventuring, find friends. You will have none to begin with except maybe that wizard. At least you hope he is your friend and not some madman like Halaster who wanted to bring some idiot from another world to his world to watch you die in fear for his amusement.

 

[Garmorn]

jeez a lot of contempt on this post. I was just asking a simple question that I thought would stir a lot of creative thinking. I was expecting people to start talking about what they class they would pursue and what goals they would go after. And some have But jeez "anti-adventure" people, chill. Just gave me yet ANOTHER reason not to settle down and have kids. Its seems to cause massive damage to the adventuring spirit. I can totaly understand some one not going because they love their wife and kids. But why the contempt for those who aren't tied down? When my friends are going to concert and I have to stay home with my woman cause I promised her, I don't tell my friends "And your stupid for going!" Sheesh. Touching some nerves in here.

And Wicht, yes fear of death by something known and something unknown is gonna be different. Think about it.

Pseudo_hero, I don't think that it having settled down and have kids crowd that is slaming the adventures type so much. I not sure why or which group (if any) they belong to. I am 44 have a wife and almost 18 year daughter. I think all three of us would love to go. My wife and I are just the adventuring type. Need to stop someone evil and we can help, then we will be there. That is just us.

I am wondering how Shark would ansewer this question.

 

[pseudo_hero]

Well that's damn nice to hear Garmorn, I salute you!