Author Topic: How many have killed off PCs?  (Read 6748 times)

Offline BumblingBear

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How many have killed off PCs?
« on: April 24, 2011, 12:20:49 AM »
I'm honestly curious... because the DFRPG is a very deadly RPG.  I know that characters can concede, but I am sure it still happens.

How did the player react?

I'm looking for stories and personal anecdotes here because I have a feeling it may happen in the next session I run.

My players are powerful.. but I think they're a bit over confident and bloodthirsty.  Ultimately bad things may come of it. :P
Myself: If I were in her(Murphy's) position, I would have studied my ass off on the supernatural and rigged up special weapons to deal with them.  Murphy on the other hand just plans to overpower bad guys with the angst of her short woman's syndrome and blame all resulting failures on Harry.

Offline evileeyore

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2011, 12:39:30 AM »
I'm honestly curious... because the DFRPG is a very deadly RPG.  I know that characters can concede, but I am sure it still happens.

I think the very definition of the "concede rules" undercuts any notion of DFRPG's deadliness.


MegaTraveller was deadly.  GURPS is deadly.  DFRPG?  Fluffy kittens and balls of yarn.   :D

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2011, 01:00:22 AM »
I've got one. I wasn't the GM, though.

My brother's girlfriend was running when we first got the books. A baddie grabbed me (I was the nerdy librarian,) and held me as a human shield. There was a short social conflict where I thought I would have to tell them to shoot and they'd be all like, "We can't. We can't! We're the good guys and you're our friend!"

What really happened is they all wanted to shoot and take their chances. They rolled well, I rolled bad, the baddie rolled bad. End of scene. I could either be a coma patient or lose the ability to walk. I opted for the coma. I thought I should have been the sexy librarian instead of the useful librarian. Everyone else said they didn't negotiate with NPC Terrorist/Hostage Takers.

It was too funny for me to be angry but if I were more invested in the character I might have been miffed. I always had a hard time with the GM because she never liked my aspects or ideas so I guess I wasn't as active as I should have been. I didn't have enough gumption or whatever to find a concession before bad things happened.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2011, 01:41:56 AM »
Never killed a PC. Don't ever intend to, except by prior agreement.

One of the things I really like about this game is that the lethality can be adjusted by the players and GM. If you rule that every physical take-out means death and refuse all (or almost all) concessions, then this game can be very lethal. Otherwise, it isn't.

Offline BumblingBear

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2011, 01:50:32 AM »
Never killed a PC. Don't ever intend to, except by prior agreement.

One of the things I really like about this game is that the lethality can be adjusted by the players and GM. If you rule that every physical take-out means death and refuse all (or almost all) concessions, then this game can be very lethal. Otherwise, it isn't.

The thing is, concessions can only be taken at the start of a conflict round.  I've seen things go very badly very quickly for a PC, especially if all the bad guys (intelligently) begin to focus fire.
Myself: If I were in her(Murphy's) position, I would have studied my ass off on the supernatural and rigged up special weapons to deal with them.  Murphy on the other hand just plans to overpower bad guys with the angst of her short woman's syndrome and blame all resulting failures on Harry.

Offline admiralducksauce

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2011, 01:53:14 AM »
Yeah, it's not deadly unless your group wants it to be.  Or, you know, you're in those situations where the GM says "ok, this guy is trying to kill you" and then the PC doesn't get a chance to concede or decides to take his chances.

My own rule for my group is that if death is on the table for Taken Outs, I'll explicitly say that.  Otherwise I love DFRPG because I don't have to worry about accidentally killing someone.  Being fucked up with consequences is way better.

Offline toturi

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2011, 01:57:54 AM »
Minor Talent PC Concession: Death

Ghost reporting! Anyone called for an exterminator!?  ;D
With your laws of magic, wizards would pretty much just be helpless carebears who can only do magic tricks. - BumblingBear

Offline deathwombat

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2011, 02:03:16 AM »
My gm has not learned I do not concede!
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Offline LokiTM

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2011, 02:05:58 AM »
The thing is, concessions can only be taken at the start of a conflict round.  I've seen things go very badly very quickly for a PC, especially if all the bad guys (intelligently) begin to focus fire.

I thought you could concede any time before a dice roll, not just at the start of a round (YS 206)

Offline Cipher

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2011, 02:08:26 AM »
As a GM I have never purposely killed a player character.

I have been in games where PC's were killed usually do to their own stupidity, an example was a Deadlands game I was in where one of the toons had gotten ahold of  1/4 block of C4, he decided to put it in a jar with shrapnel and toss it into a building then blew it up psioniclly.  The C4 leveled the building, the bad guys and the PC.  (He didn't move back, even after the GM asked if he was going to.)

I've had more plots killed than I have player characters.
Inspiration can be found in an accident of fate or fate by accident, what you do with it is up to you.

Offline BumblingBear

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #10 on: April 24, 2011, 02:48:00 AM »
I thought you could concede any time before a dice roll, not just at the start of a round (YS 206)

Whether this is RAW or not, I am going to adapt this rule to my game.
Myself: If I were in her(Murphy's) position, I would have studied my ass off on the supernatural and rigged up special weapons to deal with them.  Murphy on the other hand just plans to overpower bad guys with the angst of her short woman's syndrome and blame all resulting failures on Harry.

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #11 on: April 24, 2011, 03:24:34 AM »
Whether this is RAW or not, I am going to adapt this rule to my game.

Tis RAW, Sir Bear.

It's the negotiating with everyone at the table that makes it deadly. Everyone wants to see something go splat or at least keep you in the scene as a distraction.

Offline BumblingBear

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2011, 03:25:56 AM »
Tis RAW, Sir Bear.

It's the negotiating with everyone at the table that makes it deadly. Everyone wants to see something go splat or at least keep you in the scene as a distraction.

TY.

I find it humorous that as much as I am regarded as a walking DFRPG encyclopedia, I learn something new every week. :P
Myself: If I were in her(Murphy's) position, I would have studied my ass off on the supernatural and rigged up special weapons to deal with them.  Murphy on the other hand just plans to overpower bad guys with the angst of her short woman's syndrome and blame all resulting failures on Harry.

Offline Mindflayer94

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #13 on: April 24, 2011, 03:35:28 AM »
I killed one, but I have a rule, only kill for story purposes and always allow for a choice (in this case, the woman he loved, or himself), not just due to bad rolls or tactics. The results were a quite emotional funeral scene for the character.
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Offline BumblingBear

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Re: How many have killed off PCs?
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2011, 03:38:58 AM »
I killed one, but I have a rule, only kill for story purposes and always allow for a choice (in this case, the woman he loved, or himself), not just due to bad rolls or tactics. The results were a quite emotional funeral scene for the character.

This is a good idea too.

I'm new to this so I am kind of formulating my plan as I go and attempting to look like I know what I am doing. :P
Myself: If I were in her(Murphy's) position, I would have studied my ass off on the supernatural and rigged up special weapons to deal with them.  Murphy on the other hand just plans to overpower bad guys with the angst of her short woman's syndrome and blame all resulting failures on Harry.