Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

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Skald Haldi
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Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Skald Haldi » Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:32 pm

I have a problem and I've been trying to find a solution. I'm probably about to annoy a bunch of you. If so, please just ignore me and steer clear. I don't need more people telling me that I'm "RPing wrong".

I like to RP all the way. One effect of this - If I can't justify how my character comes back to life, then I'm dead. In other words, unless somebody (even an NPC) rezzes me, I delete the character. No, I don't count glitches, "5 minutes to reset", or murder-hobos. I would play Mark Of Destiny, because I've never hit 10 deaths before deletion, but I'd hate even more to get deleted someday against my will due to the above.

I've lost a LOT of characters. I've lost count how many. The furthest I got was with Peruruo who made it to level 21.

So what's the problem? That's my choice right?

Not exactly, because I've found I can't party with other players. I'm a loner, but I don't want to be. I have almost NEVER died except when grouped with other players who take death too lightly. They push and they push past all safety and sanity. To them, dying is just an inconvenience. My RP hampers their fun and I don't want to be a drag and beg out. I guess I should.

In fact, I'm probably shooting myself in the foot with this post. Now, those of you who connect the dots will say - oh, that new character is playing permadeath. It's like a "Mark of Anathema". You might as well avoid me, b/c long-term, RPing with me is hopeless b/c I will disappear someday. Argh... see the problem? Because I RP, it discourages good RP.

>>>

Things I've tried:

1) Non-combatant. I stay in town and RP only characters that never take risks. That's fine, but I want to play the full game too, ehh?

2) Build REALLY tanky characters. You can only be so tanky... and if your party realizes how tough you are, they just push harder. I spend the whole combat throwing healing kits at people, and they seem to think that's my role. Probably it is, because when you're that tanky, that's about all you can do. it's hard to build super-tanky while also effective.

3) Tell my party to be careful. Unfortunately, I don't think anybody understands if you say that in character. They're like, "Oh wow, are you RPing this danger? Sure, I can do that too." They say a few words, and then keep pressing on to their death.

4) Tell them OOC that I play permadeath. I tried it several times, but I think it pisses people off. They don't want to take responsibility for my character's death. My choice, my problem - not theirs. I understand that - and I don't blame any of you! It's not how you like to play, so I understand when I'm cramping your style. It's hard not to come across as "Holier RP than thou". The worst is when we end up in the Fugue Plane together - and you try to explain where to meet up and what to try next. At that point, it's better if I just say "I'm going to take a break", and don't come back. I don't want to give anybody a guilt trip.

5) Only play with players that seem more level-headed. Yes, but they are HARD to find. Worse, if we don't have the same schedule, eventually I suddenly disappear without any word. That's just mean! By the way, thanks for all the fun sessions to Grivef and Willem and friends. You were rare gems. I hope you get the word why Peruruo is suddenly gone.

6) Try to hire folks to watch over me. "If this party doesn't come back will you come looking for us?" Yeah, that's more focus than most players can do - and it's really hard to keep track of other players. Plus, I have to explain OOC, or they think it's just more RP without any real meaning behind it.

7) Play solo. There's a reason my last three characters have been Pale Masters. It's the only combination I've found that can safely solo any level-appropriate content. I don't want to play the darkside, but that's what the mechanics/RP combo forces me into. I think I've got some ideas for some other solo-builds, but we'll see if it works. But then I ask... why am I playing a multi-player game if I'm afraid to play with the other players?

>>>

Things I haven't tried:

1) Try to find groups of like-minded players. Are there any? My guess is not... or they keep hidden because it's too dangerous to play with randoms.

2) RP paying the local priest to cast a "death protection" or "word of recall" contingency on me each time I head out. Is that reasonable RP? Is that a thing? If so, how much would it cost, and how would I RP it? Donate 10% of the take each time I'm in town? Personally, this sounds pretty dumb... and I wouldn't have any reason to fear death any more. I wouldn't need to RP that I "die" because I've got a "Gold Trauma Team Contract" ala Cyberpunk.

3) RP having a phylactery as if I'm a full-on lich in that one respect. I could build an item and hide it somewhere and thus justify my continued existence. Is that reasonable RP? I'm worried about side-effects of me RPing that way... because eventually that sort of RP would come out and dance.

4) RP that the gods love me so much that I don't have any reason to fear death. That seems to be how things work for everybody else, so why not me too? Bleh! Bad RP...

5) Anybody have other ideas?

>>>

ALSO: As feedback, not getting RP XP while waiting in the Fugue Plane to be rezzed only hurts the people who ARE actually RPing. You want to encourage people to wait for the people carrying their bodies? Instead, it's even further temptation to jump off the RP train. Give us that RP XP, especially when we're suffering because we're RPing!

I realize this is a long post, so THANK YOU for those of you who read this far.

Played: Peruruo Longbean, Spring Cobb, Purple (disguised), Ke Rilyn'ervs, Tern Cooper
Playing: Az'alva Sh'yalva


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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by The Rambling Midget » Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:49 pm

I don't perm my character over random deaths, but I do play as if I don't want to die, and there are a lot of others who play that way, too. The like-minded players are out there, and yes it can be a little hard to find them sometimes, but it's worth the trouble.

As for playing with randoms, do what your character would do. If your companions are being too careless, yell at them for it. Tell them you're not ready to die. If they make a fuss, walk away.

But don't set your standards so impossibly high. Not everyone is experienced at RP, and most are also not so dedicated to it, as they did come here to play a game and have fun. Bend a little.
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Orian_666 » Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:51 pm

Okay, i'll try keep this short.

First of all RPing that death is a real and dangerous thing is heavily encouraged and I commend you for that. More people should RP that way, I know i've personally slipped up quite a bit but I do try my best to avoid risking death too much because, even on Arelith, it's supposed to have a level of finality to it. So there's nothing wrong with that.

Second, I gotta admit that RPing death as final "no matter what" (excluding a legit rez) isn't actually a great thing either. Sure our characters are meant to fear death and aren't meant to know that no matter what they can come back and therefore act immortal, that being said that /is/ the way things are on the server, technically speaking.
I've seen a lot of RP surrounding the reason people just come back to life all of a sudden and the main consensus seems to be that Arelith is the Gods plaything and for some reason they tend to favor keeping folk alive for the most part, though the reasoning for that is unknown and unexplained, none of these theories are official of course. Arelith being a plaything of the Gods is often a "go to" excuse for a lot of the strangeness that happens, it's an easy way to explain things without having to explain things!
What is official is that when your character dies they can in fact find the light source in the maze and be resurrected by the gods, that's why there's a debuff it's meant to emulate the fatigue one is supposed to feel after a "True Ressurection" (In Pen and Paper there's a big debuff that takes, iirc, a few IG weeks to recover from). So personally I think RPing it the way you are, considering the server and how it works, is "wrong", in a technical and mechanical sense of the word, but of course that's just my opinion.

Finally, as to your ideas on how to make it work to suit a level of RP you're happy with... I can personally confirm that number 3 is "fine". I have done, and am currently doing that. Granted what my character is doing isn't a phylactery but it is something that "explains" his resurrection if he is ever rezzed via the in game mechanic to do so. It's also a way to explain how he doesn't seem to age normally. If you want to know more then by all means send me a PM and i'll explain in more detail, maybe you can get some inspiration from it, but basically I have made something in game that my character uses as the reason for his continued survival.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Anime Sword Fighter » Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:18 pm

Skald Haldi wrote:
Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:32 pm
In fact, I'm probably shooting myself in the foot with this post. Now, those of you who connect the dots will say - oh, that new character is playing permadeath. It's like a "Mark of Anathema". You might as well avoid me, b/c long-term, RPing with me is hopeless b/c I will disappear someday. Argh... see the problem? Because I RP, it discourages good RP.
It's their fault if they won't RP with you over this. Sounds like they're missing playing with someone who enjoys a completely fulfilling experience .

4) Tell them OOC that I play permadeath. I tried it several times, but I think it pisses people off. They don't want to take responsibility for my character's death. My choice, my problem - not theirs. I understand that - and I don't blame any of you! It's not how you like to play, so I understand when I'm cramping your style. It's hard not to come across as "Holier RP than thou". The worst is when we end up in the Fugue Plane together - and you try to explain where to meet up and what to try next. At that point, it's better if I just say "I'm going to take a break", and don't come back. I don't want to give anybody a guilt trip.
Again- I wouldn't say you're doing anything wrong on your part. It sounds like you've been giving your companions all the room to wiggle they can without breaking your own RP.

1) Try to find groups of like-minded players. Are there any? My guess is not... or they keep hidden because it's too dangerous to play with randoms.
Have you tried discord? Might be able to find people OOC that you can connect with. Nothing wrong with this imo for making those initial player contacts in order to play a story together.

2) RP paying the local priest to cast a "death protection" or "word of recall" contingency on me each time I head out. Is that reasonable RP? Is that a thing? If so, how much would it cost, and how would I RP it? Donate 10% of the take each time I'm in town? Personally, this sounds pretty dumb... and I wouldn't have any reason to fear death any more. I wouldn't need to RP that I "die" because I've got a "Gold Trauma Team Contract" ala Cyberpunk.
I love this idea. Maybe instead of a flat rate you have to do more drastic things for the local deities? A gold offering turns into making a holy weapon in their honor, or maybe finding another to sacrifice.

3) RP having a phylactery as if I'm a full-on lich in that one respect. I could build an item and hide it somewhere and thus justify my continued existence. Is that reasonable RP? I'm worried about side-effects of me RPing that way... because eventually that sort of RP would come out and dance.
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Sea Shanties » Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:19 pm

For a lot of us this isn't a hardcore survival simulation. It's a lighthearted game of Dungeons and Dragons, a creative outlet, what have you. We don't want to end characters we like and who still have viable stories to tell. For me it's just a game I play for (too many) hours a week. I don't have time to constantly level and kill off new characters nor do I have interest in doing so, so when one falls they are going to come back. Doesn't mean I don't role play my heart out when I can play but in the end it is just a game and I can only invest so much.

I think this tends to be an older playerbase than many games so a lot of us have adult responsibilities. Not being able to put as much energy and effort into our characters as would we like is a common problem. If I was 15 again you can bet I'd be a lot more hardcore myself and building super-PVP tanks who live or die by the sword but now I'm over twice that age and I'd rather have characters who are just fun to inhabit and hang out in the world. Their deaths will come when I'm bored with them or there's a great story reason not because of game mechanics.

I'm happy that you have standards and live up to them, but it doesn't really impress me and it's not something I want foisted on my own characters. I will absolutely back you up if we were in a party together and you want to perm your character because an ooze rolled a 20 and I don't treat death lightly but you'll never see me or many others playing that way. If you can learn to give a little and be realistic about what other players want to give and take from the game, and if you can be patient and tolerant of them not living up to your own ideals about what death means I really think you can find a comfortable balance.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Aodh Lazuli » Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:31 pm

Out of curiosity, are there any permadeath servers that are actually playable?
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by ASuicideMissionForSure » Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:13 pm

You could give characters 10 PvP lives and you'd still very rarely see any character being permakilled.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by WanderingPoet » Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:18 pm

Aodh Lazuli - Ravenloft is apparently quite a bit of fun!

To the OP - try other parts of the server too, a lot of factions play differently than the random folks walking around. Not to get into an underdark vs surface debate but there are notable playstyle differences and if you're playing palemasters (generally underdark characters) you may be missing out on players that align with your style more.

Personally my characters take death seriously; they always walk and look for traps and if their allies want to run ahead and die that is their problem; at least they've scouted the dangers for me. I personally hate going to the fugue and rarely do so - to the point that my main had a MoD and didn't run out of lives over 2 years. When my characters do die, they're down for the count even if raised; broken bones and such. So there are players out there that share your desire to roleplay a heavier death!

Personally I've not found much issue finding 'level headed' players on the surface. Low levels a lot more people run grind but I can usually convince half the party to walk with me and then the runners end up dead or walk with us too. Later levels I run with the sentinels or kuldarn or frostblades etc and they practice together and tend to not bumrush ahead and get themselves killed.
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Skald Haldi » Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:38 am

Thanks all for the good advice. I'm surprised by all the mature responses - I wasn't expecting that.

Sounds like I need to try a bit of everything - RP to justify why I'm able to be rezzed under extreme circumstances AND finding groups that jive more with a "life is precious" playstyle.

The first is pretty easy - "paying for divine protection" RP should work - because my characters rarely end up dead anyway.

The second is harder, because I've already run with several different groups - and it's hard to know your party's true colors until you get in over your head.

Played: Peruruo Longbean, Spring Cobb, Purple (disguised), Ke Rilyn'ervs, Tern Cooper
Playing: Az'alva Sh'yalva


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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Durvayas » Mon Jan 07, 2019 6:16 am

A solid recommendation, I think, would be to play a cleric. If your party is being too impetuous, throw down a G-sanc and lense away. At higher levels, get UMD and timestop so you can escape. if your party wipes except for you, try and bring people to recover and raise the corpses. Sometimes the best lesson for a valiantly suicidal party is a hard lesson in mortality.

Another idea, and one that can even be used in tandem with the above, is to have your god exact a price for resurrection. A wound that is made permanent, like a missing eye, or now walking with a permanent limp, etc. Resurrection need not be free.

Another idea (one that I do, though it works because my character is in a position of authority) is to lead the excursion personally. If your character is a leader, authority figure, etc, try and lead your own parties.
If it gets too dangerous, give the withdrawal order. You'll be able to tell almost immediately how hard any given outing is going to be. If your party members/minions are disorganized, impetuous, and near suicidal, don't hesitate to call off the mission for their own good, and yours.
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by The Rambling Midget » Mon Jan 07, 2019 6:35 am

Skald Haldi wrote:
Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:38 am
The second is harder, because I've already run with several different groups - and it's hard to know your party's true colors until you get in over your head.
Do this.
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Terenfel » Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:56 am

Aodh Lazuli wrote:
Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:31 pm
Out of curiosity, are there any permadeath servers that are actually playable?
Arelith's FL server has 10 life perma death. for all characters.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by -Heavyline- » Mon Jan 07, 2019 10:01 am

I like your style to RP perma-death. I love RPing fear of death with my character and all my previous characters before that. I try to avoid death with my character as much as possible but I no longer have time/patience to RP perma-death and start with new character.

Skal is tough area to play with perma-death in mind with so many new players and especially those who are not good at Role-playing. However, there's one class I'd recommend to play if you think of surviving perma-death:

Rogue.

I might've been lucky or I just know how to survive as rogue in PVE. When my main character was in Skal, he never died in there. His first death was in mainland. (He actually met his first death at level 20+). He was rogue/fighter. Of course I RPed alot, worked with groups and barely did any soloing. High stealth, invisibility & darkness scrolls/wands and gonne-weapon will help you out from so many nasty situations. Also playing rogue is fun and in survivability it gives you alot of tools to deal with different situations. Obviously rogue's weakness are low HP and low will-saves which can get you into trouble. But if you work with impatient reckless group, you can always walk in stealth, see how the fight goes, if things go bad you can always escape. As rogue I've noticed how many times I've been the only one alive if the group gets wiped in dungeon or group PVP.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Emotionaloverload » Mon Jan 07, 2019 11:07 am

I absolutely agree with taking death very seriously but I also know that when people know you tend to roll often that they like to avoid you since you won't be here too long. How many deaths you give your character is up to you. I have rolled characters from epic death scenes to dying to random traps. Its whatever you deem appropriate to best tell your story (yes, death is part of a story). The trick is to stick to your character and to serious groups when adventuring. I have turned down multiple groups IG when they were clearly out of their depth (or going to the UD on a whim). Generally, if another character dies in a party of mine, my character opts to take that party home (this isn't always easy to do because the group may shrug a party members death off) because they failed and they obviously need to go back to prepare.

One piece of advice that I can give (for characters that you make that have the mental stats for it), is to play a character that is an absolute hardass about tactics and safety. There are a lot of gods in FR that allow for this rp. You can also take the time to learn the mobs and areas IG before venturing to them (this will take a lot of time out of your potential grind but it will help you rp with others while also showing the gravity of the situation before the actual need for the situation).

You are welcome to PM me to discuss more ^.^ Keep it up.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Tarkus the dog » Mon Jan 07, 2019 3:09 pm

Welcome to arelith my friend, see you in couple of years when your third eye opens and you waste away your days grinding ECL characters in order to play ogres and vampires and not-weaponmasters ( worst class in path of exile, not worth the skill investment so dont play it ).

When you come to a conclusion that finding one person on the server who actually realizes that when you die, you are Snuggle a Bugbear dead ( and maybe will even show a sign of care for the soon-to-be-not-so-alive-like-everybody-else-around-you ), takes longer than finding a girlfriend in real life. Twenty three and still going strong, friends. :noose:

But that's the real question, how the hell do you find any logical comprehension when spending your time playing a role that you enjoy alongside someone who eats egotism for breakfast and totally-under-pg-13-roleplay lines for the evening? Usually this is the part where a dumbass like me comes up with some game-changing advice but frankly I am as frustrated and outraged as you are ( and one could argue and they would be right to say that this is just another wave of venting ), but luckily, like you said yourself under the example number five, there are people who will in fact reply with anything else but "hmm interesting" when encountering a dark elf, and they are worth playing for ( at least that's what I've been telling myself for the past two years, take it or leave it ).

For like a some-random-stranger-that-I-was-about-to-call-a-friend once said: "Arelith is like a sack of dung with a 20$ somewhere in it, you just have to find it".

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Xarge VI » Mon Jan 07, 2019 3:47 pm

I think that is very cool. Nothing really is better for immersion that the sense of mortality and consequence a permanently dead character can bring. Even a character that stays dead for a while after dying can do the same, especially when people think they're permanently gone. Of course I'd advice you to give yourself more leniency in it, a character's death has more impact the deeper connection with their friends and enemies they've made.

I can't play in such hardcore mode personally as I enjoy testing my character's limits and tactics by wandering into way too dangerous areas. But I know your problem as I find myself adventuring alone more often than not.

Not because I'm against risky areas, but because It has become harder and harder to find people who want to take their time and rp through the dungeons. People generally slow down when I ask, but usually with a sense of fidgety impatience, like they'd really want to run ahead for the xps but don't quite dare and that makes me feel a little anxious.

I feel that there has been some sort of shift towards more lighthearted view towards character death among a lot of the good peoples of Arelith, which I really don't like. I like my adventures dark and messy.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Shadowy Reality » Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:13 pm

I can relate.

Up until fairly recently all of my characters had MoD, mostly because I found it to be a good way to keep myself in check, to actually ponder decisions in and more realistic fashion. In adventures it made me be cautious and often have an escape plan. In RP it made my actions s truly have consequences.

These days with MoD having to be requested I no longer bother but maintain most of what I learned while I had MoDs.

My only advice, as others have offered, is to be a bit more flexible. Act as if a death could be your last, avoid it will all your might through IC actions that reflect this. But don't give up on a character you enjoy over it.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Wrips » Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:31 pm

Sad to know that Peruruo is gone. Willem will miss her. :(

Ultimately, I think you should make your own fun. Creating contingencies, making builds and playing alignments you particularly will not enjoy as much just because you might have a hard time finding companions and like-minded players is a self-defeating attitude. It was actually the fact Peruruo was Pale Master (a neutral one, god bless!) that put Willem in a conundrum about how manage their relationship, one that I particularly don't know if I could solve.

I also endorse Durvayas' suggestion. A cleric with conjuration foci can carry you to mid epics and once you are spending your resources (spells) to keep people alive they'll probably be more receptive to your words about being more cautious. I think you should do that, however, only if you really want to play a cleric.

My last advice is to not avoid to play with randoms. Peruruo was a random to my character before I partied with her so, the contrary must also be true. I've had no major problem meeting like-minded random players with Willem. The only time I had a problem meeting and keeping companions in the Surface was when I played an evil character (a honorable lawful evil, but still...) so, it's quite possible you faced the same problem with your Pale Masters.

Anyway, I'm tell friendly in the case you wish to meet my characters once you make a new one. :)

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by CosmicOrderV » Mon Jan 07, 2019 6:25 pm

Come to the underdark.
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Marsi » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:42 am

The problem is that Arelith's PvE experience is not suited or balanced for permadeath. For permadeath to be enjoyable, the game mechanics need to be highly replayable with a great emphasis on random/procedurally-generated content. No-one is playing the game the way you want because there's no motivation to. The sense of fulfilment or rationality you find in permadeath is satisfied for them elsewhere -- likewise, there's probably something you pay no attention to that to another player absolutely must be acted out in the most logical manner at all times.

Personally, I think RP purism is a dead end. Many of the great roleplayers on the server you will find "don't sweat the small stuff". They worry about the bigger picture. Sometimes effective storytelling means selectively ignoring the awkward limitations of a video games. I agree completely with Sea Shanties. You have to "give a little" and bend your roleplay and your standards sometimes to strike a balance. Like them, I'm not necessarily impressed with these kind of standards and I have to say there's quite a bit of judgement-laying and grandstanding going on in some of these posts. Whether or not a player values roleplaying mortality does not, after a point, make them a good or bad RPer.

On a side note, It's always an eye-roller realizing you've partied up with what I call a "gotcha!"-roleplayer -- a pedant who calls out the character because the player has chosen not to literally act out some element of realistic behaviour. Like, you've walked your character through the stream instead of over the bridge so your character is castigated for putting themselves at risk of hypothermia. It can be upsetting if your character's concept necessitates they are thought of, in character, as having good judgement or a sense of tactics, but that is undermined by another because you have chosen not to mime something of no mechanical consequence. Attention to detail can be great for adding contextual flavour, but when presented as a hook for more in-depth roleplay that the party can choose to opt into. I digress...

My advice to you is to re-evaluate your mentality and play off other players rather than off the mechanics. Arelith is about collaborative storytelling. The story is bigger than the contract between the individual and the game mechanics. When you realize your party doesn't seem to acknowledge danger IC, don't be frustrated, think of it as an excuse to generate roleplay and be memorable. You said you've tried "telling" them in the past, but it must be involving and given the highly austere nature of this type of roleplay, you've got to be patient. You need to ease someone out of their "video game brain", and get them to start thinking outside the box. People can surprise you with their creativity when that lightbulb flicks on. So, the thinking is no longer "how can I have fun?" but "how can I be the best ambassador for my type of fun?". If someone is just paying lip service to caution and mortality but not following through mechanically, address that IC. Ultimately, if the party has no interest in your RP hook of approaching adventuring in a more involved way, peace out. Don't regard that as a failure or a waste of time, it has still given the players something to think about even if they didn't get it.

Why should the great bell of Beaulieu toll when the shadows were neither short nor long?


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Aodh Lazuli
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Aodh Lazuli » Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:24 am

Marsi managed to say almost precisely what I feel about this thread.
Sofawiel wrote:
Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:09 pm
Dont text eggplants.

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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Face » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:51 pm

Death, like Time, on Arelith is one of those things where if you think about it too hard it all stops making sense.

One option is to just not acknowledge that you're being teleported back to life at an altar. I've frequently seen characters explain that they were 'left for dead' and managed to crawl away, or helped by kindly, unseen NPCs. The idea that we're all playthings of the gods grates with me a little. Some of the epic, high fantasy good and evil epic characters might be, but Sneevins the Alcoholic Baker and other 'low' characters don't seem good material for divine attention.

But hey, just don't think about it too hard. Focus on the storylines and you'll have more fun. You're correct by the way, acknowledging danger is good RP. IIRC, DMs are willing to punish players who don't ever acknowledge death/defeat.

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Kalos
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Kalos » Sat Jan 12, 2019 12:11 am

For an infrequent player like myself, death is horrible. It feels like those after death penalties last forever. I actively try to avoid death and am a constant 'walker' in dungeons. The fact is, not everyone is like this. When I get into an adventure with 'runners', or characters who blindly rush every door and encounter, I will usually ask that we slow down and not rush into the "unknown", but if that fails I simply find an excuse as to why I have to leave.

In my opinion, what you need to do is find players and characters who have given up on level grinding. I play Arelith to enjoy others. I like to walk and talk my way through adventurers. I keep my experience on adventure mode. There are many like me. You just need to be patient and find them.

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Twily
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Twily » Sat Jan 12, 2019 7:39 am

I definitely won't fault you if you want to keep playing that way, and the commitment to realism is without a doubt respectable, but as others have said I would suggest a slight bend in the approach if a situation calls for it.

If you're having fun with a character, and if that character's story isn't quite over, I'd suggest finding another option.

Perhaps in such cases if you still wish a very severe punishment, you could do something such as ditching all of your gear saying it was lost on your body when you died, that the gods saved your soul and nothing more than a 'Scrap of Decency +1' (and have a bit of hilarity walking/running through town near-naked, maybe have a few guards stop you on the way :lol:).
By my understanding(admittedly based on an order of the stick comic strip) true resurrection doesn't bring you back with your gear if the gear wasn't already on the body the spell was cast on, so this wouldn't be entirely unrealistic if I'm not mistaken on this detail.

Something such as that would still give a very strong motivation to avoid death which you do appear to enjoy, but would allow some flexibility if you're enjoying a character and their story.
As an added bonus, it also would bring more sales/orders to PC merchants who make gear for people.

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Hazard
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Re: Death and RP and Playing with Randoms

Post by Hazard » Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:02 pm

I don't know who you're playing now, but you're always welcome to come on adventures with me. I don't stick to PvE deaths as much as you do, but my characters do treat in character death as if it were permanent because as far as they know it is.

I think anyone who treats death as nothing should be spoken to.

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