Rated Aargh
Godzilla Apologist
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2022
- Messages
- 550
- Reaction score
- 1,844
Remember 1979? That year saw the publication of Barry Sadler's book Casca: The Eternal Mercenary. Sadler was (and probably still is) best known for singing "The Ballad of the Green Berets," but for me, he's the creator of Casca Longinus, the Roman legionnaire who stabbed Jesus of Nazareth on the Cross and was condemned by Him to live until the Second Coming.
The series spans sixty books and two thousand years of military history. During that period, Casca met almost every famous figure from every war, including a stint in Hitler's bunker.
Nothing can kill Casca (he wouldn't be eternal otherwise), so he's the perfect vehicle for discussing character death or lack thereof, especially when I consider a recent topic concerning permanent consequences in gaming. Casca is still interesting, and the action remains compelling even though he can't die.
Could the same thing apply to role-playing? If you run a campaign with unkillable PCs, would it hinder the fun you could have? Is the threat of death essential to keeping the stakes at an engaging level?
I can see both sides of this coin. Threats don't feel real if a player has no fear for their character. However, some players don't react well to character death, and having that risk lifted might make the game more fun for them.
Do we have any consensus on this issue?
The series spans sixty books and two thousand years of military history. During that period, Casca met almost every famous figure from every war, including a stint in Hitler's bunker.
Nothing can kill Casca (he wouldn't be eternal otherwise), so he's the perfect vehicle for discussing character death or lack thereof, especially when I consider a recent topic concerning permanent consequences in gaming. Casca is still interesting, and the action remains compelling even though he can't die.
Could the same thing apply to role-playing? If you run a campaign with unkillable PCs, would it hinder the fun you could have? Is the threat of death essential to keeping the stakes at an engaging level?
I can see both sides of this coin. Threats don't feel real if a player has no fear for their character. However, some players don't react well to character death, and having that risk lifted might make the game more fun for them.
Do we have any consensus on this issue?