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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!frog!x!john
From: john@x.UUCP (John Woods)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Killing characters
Message-ID: <226@x.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Nov-84 15:11:59 EST
Article-I.D.: x.226
Posted: Thu Nov  1 15:11:59 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Nov-84 22:38:49 EST
References: <18@uwvax.UUCP>
Organization: Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA
Lines: 29

> >                                                               My characters
> > usually avoid powerful-looking, unknown magic items, and there have been
> > adventures when the glory hogs wound up as hamburger...

> Listen to that man!  Don't ever trust an innocent looking deck of cards.
> It's a major blow to ones-self to see a promising M-U die when his sticks
> all blow up (something which occurred this past weekend).  The wimpy
> characters that didn't touch the thing lived (and left the area).  The
> rest of us blew up.  Argh!!!!!!

I now feel required to defend the honor of my characters (especially since one
of them is holding a knife in my back).  My characters are most emphatically
not a bunch of craven cowards (cowardly psychopaths, emphatically yes, craven,
no), and accumulated a fair number of magic items (one group even acquired a
real-live Artifact (rather by accident), before the boat they stole and
outfitted was sunk...).

But in playing in campaigns where 35th level Fighting Wizards abounded (no
kidding!), DMs had to throw in a lot of Instant Death to get even.  Playing
very conservative (except when the DM's flank was obviously exposed) in such
circumstances netted quite a haul.  Taking risks is obviously part of the
game, and a fun part -- but why stick your hand into a blender *before* you
figure out where the off-switch is?

Remember Walt Kelly's admonition from POGO:
	"Discretion is a better part than valor!"
-- 
John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1114
...!decvax!frog!john, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw%mit-ccc@MIT-XX.ARPA