Rant: Charries not afraid of death

[bnlphan]

Okay I'm going to complain a bit.

A few weeks ago one of my charries was in a position where their life mayhave been threatened. My first thought when this happened was oh well I can make a new charrie. I then realized how completely wrong this was. I am seeing this mentality way too much in game. It is clear some people kill characters becuae they don't like attributes. Some prefer to die rather than serve a jail term and I think something should be done. My first thought is character slots should be locked after a death for a considerbly long time so much that the player would do everything in their power to prevent their charrie from dying. I'm thinking if you have a character die then you can replace it for a year. Real year not cantr year.
Now I know this won't happen. It will drive players away as
they get frustrated having to wait or even run out of slots or they just unsub so they can start fresh, but hopefully I have made some sort of point about people being reckless and apothetic with their charries lives.

[Reaction]

Of the seven I play, only one character would be apathetic about having to consider their death. I have some more ready and willing to die than others, but no one would be happy about it. One would burn the world if it kept them alive.

I'm familiar with the mentality you're talking about, but I don't know that it's enough of an issue to bother with adjusting the availability of character slots.

[Xander]

I had one character who was scared of dying, although he kept doing things that almost got him killed (nothing major, just opening his big mouth), and eventually he got killed for it. I was emotionally attached to him, and emotionally addicted to the negative emotions and emotions I got from playing him. I think the important thing is to try to make your characters be scared of death, probably in the same way most humans are, but not become attached to them in a way that preventing their death is more for your own benefit than for RP benefit.

I don't think many of my currently living characters are that scared of death, but I would still try and prevent their deaths.

[Chroma Key]

Well, some people just go through several chars... We can't really dictate anyone how to play so long as they don't break any rules. Whilst I understand your frustration, I agree with Reaction. Also, with your suggestion, chars who meet their death by violence would be needlessly punished.
As for me, I had to sacrifice a few chars to keep my game play enjoyable, where that latest young one just turned into a burden and affected my overall enjoyment. The attributes had nothing to do with it in my case - in fact, the only young one I was -finally- able to keep after Rl years is a weaker than average, novice fighter. The skill sets aren't much better, either... But I like playing that char. Oh, and my average number of chars is 10 (5 of which are foreign, and strictly simmers) so I never had an issue with blocked slots, either. None of my chars are afraid of death, but I'd hate for one of them to die, and that would probably be the last straw that would make me hit the X.
I really wouldn't worry about this. There are too many things to be frustrated about in this game if you fall into that sort of mentality (you know, when every little thing starts to irritate you), and I know from experience that it doesn't help. Let it wash over you - I do, and I am much happier for it.

[bnlphan]

I understand all points made and appreciate them. I knew I was just letting off steam that nothing could be done. It just really struck a nerve when I saw a charrie make a nonchalant decision to die.

It is irritating when a majority of characters jailed just starve themselves instead of their character being rehabilitated or devising revenge.

The killing to keep intersting is understandable as well. I have a bout four charries I have wanted to kill for months. I just cant seem to do it mainly because it wouldnt be what the character would do.

[SekoETC]

Characters must die to make room for new ones, that's the circle of life. Otherwise everything stagnates. It takes a limited time to reach goals, and after that you're only chatting meaninglessly, unless you're a trader or a town leader, or produce something that gets bought regularly. Most of my characters are easily willing to drop everything they own to escape death, but wouldn't go against their principles (assuming they have strong principles). I've had many that have killed themselves because if you don't quit, it's pretty much the only way to die and make room for new characters.

[Rugila]

If it would happen that the character creation right was denied from everyone for a one month.
It makes you think, what is important and what is not. If you lose a character. That's it. You are not going to get more. And you have only limited amount of other characters in your possession. You don't want to lose any of them. Unless it is ultimately necessary. Since there's no backup.
Losing all of your character and not being able to create new ones.. Would feel terrible. Like 'NO more Cantr for you. Bye, bye.'

The price for being a total douche is just too high. Every life you have is precious and every death you suffer brings you closer to the inevitable withdrawal effects.

[Doug R.]

Most of my characters are very sensitive, so I'm grateful for people that make nonchalant decisions to die. Keeps the guilt away.

[SekoETC]

What if if you killed someone, you couldn't create a new character for 40 days? That way people would only kill people if their existing characters were already established.

[Black Canyon]

I've always worried that I/my characters are too afraid of death, that I'm too afraid to lose them and don't take enough risks with them at times. Of course some are more so than others, but I can't say that I've ever had a character seek out death for the sake of dying.

[Shaderon]

Sometimes it's not your choice, I was one of the unfortunate ones who had a character who was locked up as a prisoner and tortured recently, this character decided she was better off dead in one of her few times of sanity and even though she was locked up alone I still managed to RP her going mad by notes pushed under doors and small co RP sessions. If you get a situation where it's not your fault your character dies then why should you get punished for it. Maybe if someone has lots of characters die in a small space of time it should be investigated and then a lock put on creating new ones for a while?

[LittleSoul]

I've had many that have killed themselves because if you don't quit, it's pretty much the only way to die and make room for new characters.

While I understand for RP sake the reasoning behind being a little ticked that some characters who are about to die act totally unrealistic by not caring about it at all, I -really- hope for the sake of the game no one actually takes the suggestions of limiting/punishing players who's characters die or are intentionally killed off seriously.
And this quote above is exactly why.

I have 12 characters, which is fine and dandy for the time being but I -know- in the near future I will have to have it down to 4 at least in order to play the game properly. That's just how it is. I will be too busy. I have a hard enough time killing my characters off as it is because there are no quick methods in place. Starving is slow. Hitting yourself is about the fastest you can get. And most of the time, having the character do any of these things, or try to get themselves killed by others, is out of character anyways so it goes against the nature of the character which sucks.

And honestly, I'll just say it, -because- there aren't easy ways to kill off certain of my own characters because their stories have ended, has been the reason behind my unsubbing every single time. It's so easy to just say 'Well, I am going to be really busy so I don't need to play cantr anyways and this will kill them all off with an unexpected heart attack that is IC', than it is to slowly have to watch your character die of things they normally wouldn't. Killing your own character is actually -hard- in this game, not because of attachment, just because of mechanical inability.

Like I said, I get the OP's original message, original rant. But players, please don't punish other players for playing the game the way they want with suggestions of limiting character slots or creation and so on.

[hyrle]

I have actually considered making an apothecary character whose main product would be to sell poison in amounts that would cause 100 percent starvation or 100 percent damage, and sell that as a product to those wishing to end characters on their own terms. A regular "Kavorkian" if you will. It was kind of a sick and twisted idea, but it might be kind of fun.

[Doug R.]

There'd be a market for it, but the trouble you'd have is that people buying it covertly, so you'd have to be persistent in advertising it, never knowing when a customer might seek you out. One of my characters has her suicide potion in hand already if she ever needs it.

[hyrle]

I've got some ideas on that.