[MUD-Dev] Secondary characters as a mechanic

[Harrok]

Brian Hook said:

> One other thing to consider is that you can install a pseudo
> permadeath.  If you have a party of characters, then you can
> permakill one character without ending the play experience.  In fact
> it's possible that the player's party is composed of entirely
> different individuals a year after he starts playing.

I'm aware how dangerous it is to apply PNP analogies to MMORPGs, but
in my years as a PNP GM/player I have always found this idea to be
fraught with difficulty. The best way I can explain my issue is by
example.

A party begins playing the famous Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign for
Call of Cthulhu. Because the death rate is extremely high, by the end
of the campaign there may be no character in the party who was
actually present at the start. It more or less eliminates any sense of
closure in a narrative sense.

Now of course MMORPGs do not have a storyline, and since they mainly
consist of camping and killing things over and over again there's not
a lot of character growth, but I think it's a point to bear in mind.

Cheers
Bill


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