5 ms·
That mirrors the development in tabletop RPGs. While nobody's trying checkpoints there, the attitude towards getting killed by sheer game master fiat or happens
by mhd 8y ago
That mirrors the development in tabletop RPGs. While nobody's trying checkpoints there, the attitude towards getting killed by sheer game master fiat or happenstance changed a lot. When the mechanical complexity was lower and players often didn't have elaborate back stories, starting from scratch, even with a new level 1 character, didn't seem that disturbing.
So today you see all kinds of mechanics helping player agency (like "fate" points that serve as extra lives), wanton PC murder like Gygax' Tomb of Horrors mostly sells to nostalgic players these days.
- SuperGent 8y agoThis reminds me of the Paranoia RPG. The GM was expected to kill off many PCs, usually in a funny and elaborate way, so each player got 6 'clones' that activate upon death. It was a really great game for letting off steam! [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoia_(role-playing_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoia_(role-playing_game)
- officemonkey 8y agoIn the original "Traveller" RPG (we called them the "little black books") you could get killed during character generation! The game also had a fairly deadly combat system; often the only way to "win" was not to fight. (If you died, you could always introduce a replacement character at the next spaceport.) It probably cost them some popularity long term, but it also made for an entire galaxy of world building. (Younger kids will probably not realize that Traveller was likely an inspiration for the "Firefly" show. When I first saw the show, I said "That's Traveller.")