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Famous Last Words: Character Death and You


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I've killed off characters in other MMOs. In GW2, my asuran assassin got what was coming to her. In WoW, I wanted to race change my mage into a new character so she started meddling with forces beyond her control and met an untimely end. That said, I avoid permanent death unless I'm 100% sure I'll never play that particular character again. My unplayed characters more often get an ending where it's feasible that they might come back some day, like settling down with family or disappearing to investigate a new land.

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Yes, I have. I have both planned my character's death and have had an occasion where it wasn't planned.

 

The Menelwen back on GW2 died back in October 2013 in a very...gruesome matter. After gathering information on the one who had one of her allies held prisoner, she sought them out. Of course a fight ensued, and originally the assailant was going to escape. Thing is, we had a third party member with us who forgot to mention the tiny detail in the corner that was dressed as a bomb.

 

You see where I'm going with this?

 

Now I could have pulled her out, saying that she would leave the fight for another day. Thing is, that wasn't her character, and with the bomb so close to Divinity's Reach, (The main human city for those who are not affiliated with GW2,) she took her chances.

 

Menelwen attempted to drive the bomb down and into the earth to absorb the blast, but it was a vain attempt. It went off and just obliterated her. I think a bone fragment or two survived.

 

Her last words were spoken over her company's MMT, ie radio. Don't have a screenie of the guild chat, as the server had just gone down, but I think I remember it.

 

"Blackclaw, I'm to be murdered. My killer goes by the call name 'Hellmane'. Large Charr, black fur. Necromatic abilities. I--" And that's when the explosion occurred, giving them about a half second scream as she was torn apart before the line went dead.

 

Now that so much time has passed, I've had regrets killing her. However, that is only because the two I was roleplaying with quit the game the following week, so there was no chance of follow up rp for my guild mates.

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RPing in any game is just telling a story (or a series of them) and all stories have an end. I'm not a fan of random chances of death, though I can understand why that's tempting to get a reaction out of readers. If anyone's read my forum stuff lately you can see I've got no qualms introducing characters to serve a purpose and then murdering them, though.

 

I don't know where Warren's story will end right now. I'm enjoying telling it too much to wonder how it closes.

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I have no issue killing off characters. I've done it before and I'll likely do it again. I generally don't plan it, but if it comes around in RP and I don't always fight it.

 

The more interesting issue is how it effects OOC relationships. I had never RPed in an MMO before this, so a lot of these things are new to me. After my previous main character died (Natalie Mcbeef), it tore apart my OOC situation in game. One forgets how many OOC ties are predicated off of IC ones.

 

Killing her destroyed my FC and my relationship with almost everyone I associated with in game. It even effected things IRL, as many people I know play the game, and I can no longer participate in those conversations about what is going on in in game stories.

 

I don't regret the decision, I now have a new web of relationships, both IC and OOC, but it was a huge change, especially one to me, who was ignorant of the fact it would happen.

 

If you're going to kill your main character, I can only suggest you either clear it with the people who are OOCly most important to you, or you prepare yourself for a similar rocky road of rebuilding your social base in the game.

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I personally haven't decided in whether I want Anelia to die or not. But I probably might consider that after maybe 2nd or 3rd expansion pack after A Realm Reborn/Heavensward. I feel that there is still a plot potential to move on for her, but I want her to at least see the possibility of Garlemald falling apart (Even though that may be really for a long time).

 

I am perfectly okay with killing off my other characters. Perhaps I want Mizuho to stay alive until the end too. But this hasn't been really a good subject to talk about for me, because I am always the type of "Kill em all Tomino" style of writer when I make a plot.

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As mean as I can be to my characters at times in my stories, straight up killing them is rarely a card I'll play. If there's going to be a death of a primary character, I'd like it to have some sort of meaning. I want it to affect the plot or the characters that survive them in some sort of fashion.

 

In RP, though, I try to always keep in mind that characters can and will die. I've had enough crits by Orcs in DnD to know that your character can be laid low whether you'd like them to or not. Of course, there's significantly less chance of it here since it's more joint storytelling RP than pen-and-paper luck-of-the-dice RP, but I do try to make sure to never out and out dismiss that a character might die.

 

Truth be told, though, I'd be pretty bummed if Chachan died. He's such a lovable goofball and I enjoy playing as him. Enough so that it would be... I dunno, weird not being able to "play" as him anymore. I really hope I don't end up in a situation where I have to decide whether or not he dies. :(

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Truth be told, though, I'd be pretty bummed if Chachan died. He's such a lovable goofball and I enjoy playing as him. Enough so that it would be... I dunno, weird not being able to "play" as him anymore. I really hope I don't end up in a situation where I have to decide whether or not he dies. :(

 

This is precisely why I don't consider IC death as a random element. What's the point of deciding to have anti-fun? We play the game for the exact opposite reason of that. Dying as a part of an arc, to fulfill a dramatic device? That's one thing. But flippantly making the decision to throw off my own fun and the fun of those who have fun with me? No sir, can't do it.

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I usually worry I might gmod a story so several times i took 'deathblows' because i felt ((ok this is a good run now i need to stop.)) right now i have 57 deaths from other rps i been in some for sacrfice,for honor, and some because i was the final boss.

 

As for Zach? Well He almsot died once before the calmity during the war I'm 'hoping' he's smart enough not to be so risky.....'Hopefully'

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Truth be told, though, I'd be pretty bummed if Chachan died. He's such a lovable goofball and I enjoy playing as him. Enough so that it would be... I dunno, weird not being able to "play" as him anymore. I really hope I don't end up in a situation where I have to decide whether or not he dies. :(

 

Is that applied the same for Judge too? I did take a look at Judge's RP before and it was pretty interesting imo.

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Truth be told, though, I'd be pretty bummed if Chachan died. He's such a lovable goofball and I enjoy playing as him. Enough so that it would be... I dunno, weird not being able to "play" as him anymore. I really hope I don't end up in a situation where I have to decide whether or not he dies. :(

 

Is that applied the same for Judge too? I did take a look at Judge's RP before and it was pretty interesting imo.

 

I haven't really RPed Judge that much (still trying to level him up and gear him up for his "proper" look), but my "death should have meaning" rule would still apply to him. I haven't quite built the attachment to him as I have to Chachan just due to less RP as him, so I don't know if I'd be as upset if he kicked the bucket, but I still wouldn't want him to just up and die randomly. If he has to die (which hopefully won't be a situation any time soon), I would like to ensure that something comes from it.

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I honestly think if a) it makes sense and b) it helps make for a good story then yeah, any of my characters are free game. They aren't adventurers and they aren't really battle hardened to a degree that they wouldn't be at a disadvantage in most situations that might be dangerous, anyway. Heck, I was trying to kill off a dude for some stuff in the Legacy of Blood storyline but that was subverted. HASN'T STOPPED ME TRYING THOUGH, HA HA HA.

 

Delial's had a few attempts on her but she's been helped out each time. I would like for her to stick around until after Ala Mhigo comes into play at least because one way or another that might be where her story ends, for better or for worse.

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-explosions-

 

I always felt that it was unlikely that all charr would have been able to forget what happened over 250 years ago. I never encountered any RP like this in my time on GW2. Hearing stories like this makes me glad something other than the usual circle jerk sessions I always witnessed happened.

 

It has me curious though, were you ever avenged? On that note, does a character death mean blood for blood? I suppose it really depends on the situation.

 

 

I don't feel so alien to a lot of posters now, about not wanting to lose a character. I don't think I would consider my characters invincible, but I'd like to enjoy them at my own set of rules. Maybe it's selfish but I'll be mindful of their situations and continue to be clear about my intents with RP.

 

@Kismet

 

That's an interesting perspective for an MMO character to me. I felt if I took that stance with my own characters I'd be detached from them. Maybe it's an issue with bleed or projection or something? I try to keep certain aspect of myself from shining through. As often, I am almost nothing like my characters.

 

@Natalie McBeef:

 

Ah-hah! I wondered what had happened to that character. The OOC portion does have me worried. I'm not exactly well known in these parts but the people I have interacted with are lovely people. I'm fearful that I'd lost trust if I suddenly just murdered one of my characters out of no where.

 

@Warren:

 

I think I'm in the same boat as you about story telling. I'm not one for death just to get a rise out of people. I think it's... tacky. For lack of a better description. But if it comes with purpose and proper consequence then I apply where necessary.

 

To be clear, I still plan to convert my main to an Au Ra. Unless something grand comes of my current one. I'm open minded, but it mostly stems from lack of wanting to do work over again. Currently I'm leveling other Jobs in preparation of Heavensward. I change my mind often when it comes to things I play, because I like options. I want to be able to fit roles I'm comfortable with if need be.

 

I'm aware it's a little 'dangerous' to want to throw all my chips in for a race we know nothing about for the time being, but... I'm somewhat confident. Worse comes to worse, I'll be able to do the RP thing and figure it out. Right?

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That's an interesting perspective for an MMO character to me. I felt if I took that stance with my own characters I'd be detached from them. Maybe it's an issue with bleed or projection or something? I try to keep certain aspect of myself from shining through. As often, I am almost nothing like my characters.

 

In the circles I've found myself RPing in, having the line between you and your character be too thin is something typically avoided. Having OOC feelings/justifications bleed into RP, in the many cases I've experienced (but certainly not all), often came from the player being too close and/or too attached their character(s). I think it is this mentality that has driven me to constantly remind myself that my characters are mere tools for entertainment.

 

This doesn't mean I'm entirely detached from my characters, though! Every character someone RPs as will be influenced by that player. My feelings just don't go beyond... let's say what an actor's level of attachment would be for a character they've portrayed. You may love the character and you can immerse yourself in the role, but that's where it ends and you have no problem letting them go at the end of the day. This includes death, for me.

 

My final two cents is that I agree with what some others have said, in that death for the sake of death (or the sake of drama) is not something I support. All rhyme has reason, and if you possess none of the latter, the former will not come.

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Now that it's relatively easy to pull a rename/Fantasia combo, yay dying, blank slate without needing to reroll, all that jazz!

 

In theory, I'm all for a reasonably achieved character death. In practice, however, I've never really been able to accomplish it. I've disappeared (rumors of my death, yadda yadda) or abandoned many without ever flat out killing one. I guess I like to reserve the right to go back without needing to pull a Lazarus, even if I have no intention of ever using that right.

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-explosions-

 

I always felt that it was unlikely that all charr would have been able to forget what happened over 250 years ago. I never encountered any RP like this in my time on GW2. Hearing stories like this makes me glad something other than the usual circle jerk sessions I always witnessed happened.

 

It has me curious though, were you ever avenged? On that note, does a character death mean blood for blood? I suppose it really depends on the situation.

 

Nope, she wasn't. Though that was in due part to her killer ditching the game within a week after the event. I have had some interesting roleplay in the Mists though, who knew playing a blood-lusted elementalist could be so much fun?

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I'm not going to kill something I've invested over a year of my life into for the sake of dramatic effect. Roleplay is not entirely the same as just writing.

 

I am impressed by people who do, though.

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OP, this is a really good discussion, thanks for posting it up!

 

That said...

 

At the moment, I have 2 characters. One, Renata Lynn, over on the Jenova server, is my "experience the game" toon. She is the one I leveled, ground, and now am farming with. 

 

The other is, of course, Eorla Brynn. She is my "live the game, breathe the game" toon. She is the one I RP as. When I get tired of farming stones and the like, I hop off of Jenova and log onto Balmung. I've got Eorla as a lvl 30 cnj/whm, but I'm really not all that concerned with getting her through all the game content. I do that with Renata. If Jenova had a flourishing rp community, I might never have made Eorla on Balmung. But I find that I like having the two separate. 

 

I'm sorry, but I don't know that I'll ever permakill Eorla, except maybe at the end of it all when the community is fading (from what I've read, it happens to all MMOs, whether it takes years or decades), and then as a part of her saga.

 

Should Jenova ever get a respectably-sized rp community, I might find myself developing a backstory for her...but Renata is already developed. She's beaten Ultima Weapon, she's started running through the Crystal Tower. She's already working on her relic quests...they aren't really a part of her story, if that makes sense. With Eorla, each dungeon she runs through is more than just a farm or a leveling grounds, it is part of her story. She investigated Fallgourd Float, she entered Haukke Manor with her beloved and left the place a woman on the brink of a change. Within days, her beloved left her, and Eorla began her own dance with the darkness. It affected her

 

And that is something I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to quit watching unfold.

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Everyone in my roster except Nah almost died once, all due to my OOC frustration. I saw them as failed ventures and already had ideas on how to kill em off-screen.

 

Kurt's probably the biggest. I was absolutely discouraged with him. Here I was being 'oh hey, I wanna rp his growth from 1 to 50.' And even after he got to 50 there wasn't any marked increase in his rp opportunities. He was supposed to die in that off screen WP run, instead I pulled fantasia out of my ass and turned him into Katarina Steel, working that shit into his canon and giving birth to my altitis.

 

All my characters are expendable, though for Ramona's case if she dies, she just won't be IC anymore. For Kurt, I'll go ahead and turn him into a lala warrior because that's something I've wanted to try out. For Nah, I will cry a lot.

 

I shoulda known Kurt was going to be a dead end. Damn you. :(

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Everyone in my roster except Nah almost died once, all due to my OOC frustration. I saw them as failed ventures and already had ideas on how to kill em off-screen.

 

Kurt's probably the biggest. I was absolutely discouraged with him. Here I was being 'oh hey, I wanna rp his growth from 1 to 50.' And even after he got to 50 there wasn't any marked increase in his rp opportunities. He was supposed to die in that off screen WP run, instead I pulled fantasia out of my ass and turned him into Katarina Steel, working that shit into his canon and giving birth to my altitis.

 

All my characters are expendable, though for Ramona's case if she dies, she just won't be IC anymore. For Kurt, I'll go ahead and turn him into a lala warrior because that's something I've wanted to try out. For Nah, I will cry a lot.

 

I shoulda known Kurt was going to be a dead end. Damn you. :(

 

He's not dead and won't be any time soon unless someone kills him off.

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