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Up and Coming
🕑 Added 2021-05-03 04:38:16 +0000 UTCAs mentioned in a previous post, I am already hard at work on Issue 2, which is all about Death. I put a poll up on Twitter asking fellow gamers if they liked the old school "save or die" mechanic and it seems so far that about 90% of people either like it sometimes or loves it.
Having grown up wih it, I see it as part of D&D, but I get how some people would see it as being too harsh or unfair.
What do you think? Good or bad? Or somewhere in between?
I am pretty happy with how the Death Issue is shaping up. I have not one, but two guest posts for the next issue - one talking about various death rites to make your campaign come alive (pun intended), and one about easing the pain of character death in your TTRPGs.
I personally, have written up three death-dealing artefacts, as well as a way to hand out debilitating injuries instead of death to the characters (in case you are feeling a little generous).
There is going to be a lot more as well, and this edition is looking like it will be 16 pages long!
Comments
Russ
Nice insights. I tend to agree - that single roll of life and death really adds tension. Especially if the PCs know that could be a threat when facing a monster with that ability.
J. David Chrisman (Lunger Hockum)
I think the Death Save mechanic adds more tension to the critical status of the character. The drama of rolling Death Saves prolongs the possibility of death and cranks up the tension with each failed roll in my experience.
Russ
That's a great point, John. You would get way more satisfacton from your still living characters if you knew it was really hard fought just to stay alive.
John
While nobody likes their character dying, for me it exemplifies the fickle and gritty nature of older DnD. You might lose a character or two, but those who manage to survive really stand out more for the experience you have with them.
