Things To Do When You're Dead (Dealing with character loss)

General
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While this is particularly relevant after the last event (E4 2024, which had… significant PC casualties), I’m hoping it’ll be of use to folks on a more general basis.

And so, one way or another, your character has died. What now?

Well there are a few mechanical things. Any final IC drama while Terminal, reporting them in as dead to GOD, deciding what to do for the rest of the event…

…and then you’ll find yourself, possibly after the event, or a few days later, having to say goodbye.

Make no mistake, character loss can be brutal. You’ve sunk considerable time and effort, and possibly cash, into this figment of your imagination, this mask you’ve worn to interact with so many, this persona.

And now their story has ended. Maybe even gently, with some closure. Maybe even by your own choice. But probably not.

A mourning period is fine. Telling stories to friends, reminiscing, having a cry. All normal. Go for it. You’ve lost a friend.

I would advise not lingering too much, but wrapping things up as neatly as you can. Collect up the memories and stories and songs, note down the ambitions and plans you won’t get to. You might find it useful to write an obituary. A small biography for the character. Something you can save as a memento.

If you have tokens and small things associated with them (“bling and shinies”) you may want to keep them in a box of keepsakes, or donate them to somewhere.

Costume, signature weaponry… if you can’t hand it on IC, you may be able to sell it on OOC. (Some well-defined group uniforms in Highguard and Dawn have been circulated repeatedly within their groups, for example). Clean them first, obviously. :stuck_out_tongue:

What you DON’T want is your old character jumping out at you every time you open the wardrobe or the LARP cupboard.

They’ll be popping up a lot in your head anyway. There will be moments when you think: “Oh I could have done X as my last character…”, or even “this would have been great if I was still playing as…”

This is normal. I’ve lost over a dozen LARP characters down the years. It doesn’t get much easier, but it does get familiar. You close the story with a sigh and perhaps a tear…

And hopefully, you’ll move on to to making another character and rejoining the game.

And for discussion of that, join us in the next thread :smiley:

(please note any helpful thoughts on this matter, with an eye to the somewhat emotional nature therof)

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Lost first Empire character at E3’s Saturday mass fatality skirmish

Things I’ve found helpful:

  • If your character is combat focused, having a will from the second event or so event you’ve played them is really helpful for wrapping stuff up without having to directly deal with all the gizmos/tat your character will build up.
    Do update it, as sometimes people can die that you’d gift stuff to

(It also allows more time, if you’re dragged back through the Gate, to get emotional RP in. And if you haven’t been brought back to Anvil, it allows folks a way of sorting stuff out without having to constantly ask the dead person)

  • Death letters are always good fun. (Fun is mileage varies)

If nothing else, it’s a chance to say things you never got to face to face. And also offers you windows into who you were at the time the letter was written.
(My last character’s death letters were written in the Winter of 385, they died Summer 386…so a lot had changed, but I couldn’t be bothered to update the letters ever season)

  • If you’re character is part of a mass fatality incident, check in with the other folks who “died” with you. Especially if you’re part of the same group or linked RP circles.

It’s also a chance to go “boy, what a story ending…” socially

  • If you’re part of a skirmish that went sideways and ended up with mass fatalities, sometimes checking in with/dropping a line to the person responsible for it with a “how you feeling?” can also help offer closure to both.
    (The skirmish that killed my last character was led by someone I’m OC friends with and they were horrified at it and were anxious that I’d blame them for my character death…which having the OC chance to go “no hard feelings, it happens” has been very useful)

  • Echoing Geoffrey above, get started with your new character as soon as possible.

If nothing else, it’s a distraction from the messy emotions.

If you’re re-using kit bits, look at how you can make it distinctively not your previous character. Re-dyeing pale stuff, adding new embroidery/paint job, putting sleeves on/taking sleeves off, etc

(Kit, especially armour, can be expensive. If you can modify something you found comfy and re-use it in “this isn’t (former character)” way. Take it.)

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This is a lot of great tips, especially at a time when so many are affected.
I also have a semi on-topic question. Prior to things to do when you’re dead, what happens if you die in Anvil? My character is probably more likely to die through magic/shenanigans rather than through the Gate, and even for people who go terminal through the Gate, some come back and die in Anvil, surrounded by friends, instead.
I know the mechanical bit is the same - go to GOD etc. - but not sure as to how it would work (dead character having last bit of RP then getting up and trying to sneak off). Sorry if this is too blunt/insensitive or is a silly question.

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I know from the two IC in Anvil deaths that my former character was on the outskirts of in there’s options.

For the death/murder of the late General of the Tusks, his ‘body’ (the player on a bower) got carried through Anvil and out the gate to “outer Anvil” (where GOD desk, etc) where they dealt with the OC formalities.

It was a good little bit of RP that led to endless shenanigans between chunks of Urizen and the Marches that evening

For the execution of Hector of Troparion Citadel, he was beheaded IC. He then had a sheet thrown over his body as his group+friends dealt with formalities. The “body” was then, once again, walked to “outer Anvil” to deal with the OC stuff

You can, also use the OC gesture (hand over head) and just rapidly walk yourself that direction.

But if you’ve got mates that are happy to play along, being walked to outer Anvil/to tent is always a good way to get the RP flowing

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Optimum is you enjoy all the juicy roleplay of people weeping/yelling over your corpse and then get shuffled ‘offstage’ - into your/your group’s/some other friendly tent is perfectly fine if no one fancies a trek all the way to the gate. It’s also fine to OOC quietly ask people around you to help you get out of sight/wind up any roleplay directly involving your ‘corpse’ if you e.g. desperately need a pee or are finding it too much.

You can then decompress a bit, throw on a cloak and/or hat or otherwise do a quick kit-shuffle and emerge as Random Background Citizen no. 3 and thence nip up to GOD and do whatever admin you need.

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