Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Strago strago@***.com
Subject: DCPS (Dead Characters Per Second) (long)
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 17:21:05 -0400
Matt Wilshin wrote:

> Archimage4@***.com wrote:
>
> > >Do you think characters should die?
> >
> > Of course! Without the possibility of death, the players begin to believe
> > that nothing can kill them. After this, the game can quickly become
> > unrealistic.

<SNIP>

> <SNIP>
> True. I often give PCs deadly wounds, but let them have dramatic last moment
> recoveries.

You give them deadly wounds? Or they let themselves be wounded? I think we're
running into a role-playing-cultural divide (imagine, cultural differences in
roleplaying!). The Archimage and I are from the same area, the same group, and I
have a feeling our styles are the same (though I'd never put that FUCKING LITTLE
GIRL anywhere near the PCs *still very bitter* but ultimately my fault). From
what people are saying, and the above quote says, some ascribe events to the GM.
The Archimage and I put things on the player. Oh, you got shot? Well, you walked
into the facility. Your character died? You probably should have checked the
hallway before you walked into it.

As a for-instance, the PCs were in a van leaving a compound, being chased by a
helicopter. The GM scored a critical hit, which would have destroyed the van (I
think it was exploding ammo, but I forget). To save the players, a Great Dragon
just happened to fly into the line of fire and take the shot. We were all
grateful. But if the situation had been one PC rampaging through the middle of
the compound and generally being more of a danger than the other PCs, and five
guards shot him at once with full autofire, well, I don't think the GM would
pull a "Hand of God" and save the idiot. And no GM I've played with would allow
a miraculous recovery.

>
> Just my 2Y.
>
> Matt Wilshin
> http://members.xoom.com/wilshin

--
--Strago

All Hail Apathy! Or don't. Whatever. -abortion_engine

SRGC v0.2 !SR1 SR2+ SR3++ h b++ B- UB- IE+ RN+ SRFF W+ sa++ ma++ ad+ m+ (o++ d+)
gm+ M P
Message no. 2
From: Matt Wilshin m.wilshin@**********.com
Subject: DCPS (Dead Characters Per Second) (long)
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 23:37:14 +0100
Strago <strago@***.com> wrote:



><SNIP>
> > True. I often give PCs deadly wounds, but let them have dramatic last
moment
> > recoveries.
>
> You give them deadly wounds? Or they let themselves be wounded? I think
we're
> running into a role-playing-cultural divide (imagine, cultural differences
in
> roleplaying!). The Archimage and I are from the same area, the same group,
and I
> have a feeling our styles are the same (though I'd never put that FUCKING
LITTLE
> GIRL anywhere near the PCs *still very bitter* but ultimately my fault).
From
> what people are saying, and the above quote says, some ascribe events to
the GM.
> The Archimage and I put things on the player. Oh, you got shot? Well, you
walked
> into the facility. Your character died? You probably should have checked
the
> hallway before you walked into it.
>
> As a for-instance, the PCs were in a van leaving a compound, being chased
by a
> helicopter. The GM scored a critical hit, which would have destroyed the
van (I
> think it was exploding ammo, but I forget). To save the players, a Great
Dragon
> just happened to fly into the line of fire and take the shot. We were all
> grateful. But if the situation had been one PC rampaging through the
middle of
> the compound and generally being more of a danger than the other PCs, and
five
> guards shot him at once with full autofire, well, I don't think the GM
would
> pull a "Hand of God" and save the idiot. And no GM I've played with would
allow
> a miraculous recovery.

I should have clarified my statement, as usual I reread it after sending and
thought 'oops, forgot a bit'. I do use "Hand of God" style saves for PCs,
but only for unlucky (sometimes) or well-played (more often) characters, who
don't deserve to be killed off at that point in a campaign.
I think there's more of a style difference than a cultural difference
between your group and mine. I like to use a more gung-ho, John Woo
cinematic type of combat than a lot of GMs, which tend to mean that people
get hurt a lot more in my games, hence the "Hand of God" stuff.

But PCs doing stupid things deserve everything they get.

Matt Wilshin
http://members.xoom.com/wilshin

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about DCPS (Dead Characters Per Second) (long), you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!