1 character or multiple...the debate continues

[WayneO42]

I really dont want to see us as GMs put in a situation where we force a player to play a character for multiple events if they dont want to. It ruins the fun for the player and forces a negative OOG attitude that can ruin their LARP experience.

How about:

1) A player can play any number of characters they want but they can only switch characters at game break or any other time that does not negatively impact game play. Any character that has set foot on the field and left gains quasi-NPC status for that event and the next event. Characters with a quasi NPC status run the risk of being found by PCs or being used as a plot tool. When a player switches characters they MUST fill out the "Character Change Form" (see Below), attach their character sheet, and either give it to a GM or place it in their check-out folder.

2) A player may only have 1 active character. The player's active character is the character they played most recently.

3) Only active characters may gain levels.

4) All characters require resource upkeep and may suffer the consequences of starvation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Character Change Form

Player: Date: Time:
Character Entering Play:
Character leaving Play:
Where is your Character Going?:
Are you evading capture/contact?
What are you doing to evade contact?

[Ug]

Sounds like a good idea Wayne. However, again I have to ask: Will the NPC's play the inactive character if the PC is not at the event at that time?

[Peace420]

Well I really don't know what you guys can do, it's not right to say that the person HAS to stay in town. It's a really sticky situation which at it's best would be handled IG. But I really can't figure out how you can do that without making people sit in the woods for entire events, and even then when do you let them play something else? I can't imagine that people will keep coming back and paying $20 to sit in the woods by themselves for a weekend. And the point about surviving alone in the woods is an excellent one.

Good luck on finding a compromise because I'm really at a loss.

[McEwan]

Another question, somewhat on topic. What if a player is forced to play another charicter for part of an event? Would that player be forced to play the 2nd charicter in the next event?

An example: Friday night, last event, Nashka was killed and not revived until Sunday, therefore the player (after waiting most of Saterday for someone...anyone...to speak to him and tell him what was going on) was forced to play their secondary charicter. Is now that player forced to play their 2nd charciter in the next event?

[Faerykin]

How about this.

Bob has two PCs: Joe and Schmoe

Bob comes to the event intending to play Joe. For some reason or another Joe has to flee town. So, Bob goes to NPC Camp and asks if he can play Schmoe. Bob gives NPC Camp a detailed rendering (in writing) of where Joe went and what he is doing. NPC Camp gives him the go-ahead and Schmoe enters game.

Later that night, Jack and Jill decide to go after Joe - they really need to discuss something with him. Jack and Jill go to NPC Camp and tell them that they are looking for Joe. NPC Camp decides whether or not Jack and Jill are successful.

If Jack and Jill are successful, NPC Camp tells Bob that he has to play Joe for the duration of the scene in which Jack and Jill find him.

If Jack and Jill are unsuccessful, Bob continues to play Schmoe until he desires to bring Joe back in.

If Bob doesn't make it to an event, neither Joe nor Schmoe can be found.

[GM_Chris]

Well I am cool with Waynes idea though I want more explanation...though it is comlicated and mine was more elequint

I still think accoutability is still missing the point on some people. See IMP if you do something so bad you are forced into the woods then maybe you wull think about not doing that again. I mean you could as a character run away..retire the character..and play what ever else you want. I mean you could consider being forced into the woods as a death sentence.

When we created FH we originally really wanted people to play only 1 character. Then we had some people we respect highly tell us they wanted the option to play two. These players play non PvP good type characters. Ok np...now the issues come in when we throw in evil PC's. If you play an evil PC either the good guys or the evil guys are going to get screwed. Which way do you as players want it to go? If we force you into playing 1 character only until he/she is dead or retired that creates accountability. We can allow you to swap out characters, but then there needs to be a way to find you.

Forexample we can say that if you leave game as a character it takes that long for another character to find you. Say Tearin leaves game and has been gone for 1 hour. Well another character could leave game for 1 hour and find you at this point we find the character playing an alt..go to a select area and force you to now play your previous character and deal with the guy who found you in-game.

Now the issue with that is I would have to have a rule that covers the following problem. "Tearin kills Colin's character. Colin gets raised and 5 of his friends want revenge but Tearin has been gone for 5 hours when they initiated. Well they dont care they leave game (sorry now they are forced to leave game) and follow tearin OOC for 5 hours. Problem is there are 4 hours left before game off. We then say ok this gets handled next event. Next event rolls around and 3 of the people are missing. Well now I must say sorry Tearin you cannot come back into town until we run this encounter and since the other 3 people are not around the other 2 wish to wait. Everyone please play an alt." Wow that sure sucks too.

The way I see it all solutions suck, but that is the cost for causing shit. If you play a character that starts a fire you need to be around to get burned. Basically think before you cause a problem. This helps reduce PvP in the game.

Chris

[GM_Chris]

If we follow Faerykin's idea (sorry posted before I read yours) we have a bad issue to.

In FH universe things are bad you cany say to GM's I am hiding under a rock 3 miles from town. No you would have to pick some place your character is at. Ok so you pick say the fishing villiage. If the players say we are looking for Tearin at the fishing villiage you are caught because you choose to not be in-game.

I tell you now the situation will not be "hey Chris they are comming to the fishing villiage what are you doing" Giving me a chance to run again. No the players come to the ishing villiage and we try and create a scene where I chris as tearin will stand in the woods with the players so far away and call a game on and see if you can run fast enough.

IMO if you go OOC then you pay a cost for that.

Chris

[Peace420]

The problem with any solution is that at some point the PC may not be available to play the hunted character. As Chris said that will cause alot of problems OOG and confusion IG. You could just say that if you end up leaving town you play that character and thats it, no npcing unless you plan on coming in disguised and no OOG except at food break. You got people riled now you face the consequences. If you decide you want to play another character your old one becomes an NPC. It may be harsh and cause people to sit in the woods for nearly ever but it's really hard to have a system where only the pc gets to play that character.

And Faerykin, Wayne and I are really saying the same thing with our ideas. PC leaves town goes to NPC's, others that come after him have to come to NPC's to find them and then someone plays the hunted character.

[WayneO42]

Sounds like a good idea Wayne. However, again I have to ask: Will the NPC's play the inactive character if the PC is not at the event at that time?

In my opinion, if your character is on the run and you leave the event, you cant be found, but you can suffer consequences. Example:

Witchem T eats a cursed yam and runs into town and kills Tearin. Witchem T flees town and hides in the fishing village. Wayne, who is playing Witchem T, needs to leave the event to catch a plane to LA to accept an Oscar. Tearin gets healed and wants revenge. He knows Witchem T has family in the fishing village so he looks there first. Now, Wayne is not there to play Witchem T so Tearin cannot find him. Next event, Wayne comes back and wants to play a new character, but first, he must play Witchem T who is escorted into town by Robert and the village militia.

[McEwan]

I am feeling a bit under the weather today, so please forgive me if I missed it, but could someone please give a concise answer to my question. If I am coming off as impatant, that is not my intent, but I am just not connecting well today

[WayneO42]

Ibut could someone please give a concise answer to my question.

No. There is no answer, thus this thread. You will get an answer before the next season

[GM_Chris]

As wayne said we are discussing that now. I would say if we decide on the 2 consequtive events thing and your situation came up..I would not say you had to play your lat next event.

You know I would be willing to do a split. You leave town saturday night..you have to play your character again Friday until Saturday. A little less harsh.

The problem Wayne is we have 2 sides. 1) Im OOC so I should have nothing happen to me because I was not there to play my character. 2) This OOG character made me mad and I should be able to have my revenge!

Chris

[McEwan]

thank you

[WayneO42]

The problem Wayne is we have 2 sides. 1) Im OOC so I should have nothing happen to me because I was not there to play my character. 2) This OOG character made me mad and I should be able to have my revenge!
Chris

Good Point. I think we just need to pick the lesser of two evils. I think the player in (2) will be easier to appease than if we killed a PC without the player present. If that happened to me at a LARP, regardless of what my character did, I would not attend that LARP again.

Now, If I were chasing a character and the player was not there to play the character I would understand my revenge would have to wait. As long as the GMs let me know I will have my chance at the character when the player returns

[Wyrmwrath]

My experience in other LARPs is such that they do not allow multiple PCs played by any single player unless the PC the player started the event with permanently dies( in FH terms that means needs resume, reincarnate, rezz...until the of season strips those spells).

If a Pc commits a crime or any other non-criminal act that causes them to become hunted, whether by the local law or any singular or group of PC(s), and then leaves an event/the event ends with the PC still not found; then it is up to the hunters to do what they can to find the targeted PC the next time they (the hunters) are IG. If the target PC is not IG at the time the hunters are looking for him/her, the hunters will just have to remain vigilant, just like in real life.

Only allowing one PC per event unless there is a death of that PC prevents any confusion/cheeseing of rules/cheating/gripes/conflicts about a player switching whom they are playing. It is simple and easy.

Since a player cant really be forced to play a particular PC, and having a GM "play' that PC in any situation will likely cause bad feelings about the game in general, and we, as a player base HAVE TO make allowances for some things that just "ARE' when you play a LARP (such as arrows being bulky due to safety padding so fewer can be carried, mages do run out of packets even if the PC wouldn’t, and so on...) that making a blanket rule that if a PC isn’t in game it cant be found is again simplest and easiest. If the offending PC is never played again, yes it will frustrate the victimized PC, but such is life. It isn’t uncommon for a purse-snatcher or pick pocket to get away with a crime in real life. Very often the victim NEVER sees them again.