EDSG Episode 191 - Player Character Death

* Player character death. * Reminder: Tastes and desires on what a player wants from a game can vary! * Most problems arise from a difference in expectations between the players and GM. * Story about Josh’s friend Doug and his approach to his characters. * Players who strongly identify with their characters can dislike having their story “cut short”. * A brief sidebar about gamemasters fudging dice results. * Leaving the “training wheels on” – how long before death becomes a legitimate stake? * “Sliders” – the degree to which PC death can come into play. * Setting a policy on handling player character death. * Is death permanent? How easy is it to come back? * Revisit the policy to see if it needs to change as the campaign progresses. * Table tale from Josh about Bearclaw the Journeyman and a player choosing death for their character. * Table tale from Dan about a character death and how it shaped the game. * Critical Role Campaign 2 and how a character death shaped character growth and future story. * In-game acknowledgement of the character death. * Does removing taking death off the table remove any tension or stakes to the game? * Finding other options to threaten characters without death; deus ex machina. * If a character can come back, what does it cost? How might it change them? * Another table tale from Dan about a fight against the “big bad”. * Earthdawn’s “lethality curve” and how that shifts as powers come online. * Email from Leamon (part 1): Petty GM on a power trip. * Game tone and setting conceit example: Paranoia. * Character as pawn or game-piece. “Character funnels”. * The Traveler RPG and characters dying before the game even started. * Email from Leamon (part 2): Connection to a character affecting feelings about the game. * Player grief and emotional bleed. * Bringing in a new character, how to create them, and other consequences. * Email from Leamon (part 3): Bringing a character/archetype back for more exploration. * Player introspection and self-discovery resulting from character death.   Find and Follow: Email: [email protected] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeoifzUuBjez9V6wnvzom3g Twitter: @EDSGPodcast Josh on Twitter: @LoreMerchant Get product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.com FASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesinc FASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9u Earthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW