Abandonning your character

Community Larp discussion
#1

What do you do if you start playing new character and after the first game decide that you don’t like it? It’s still a cool character with all the awesomeness you made for it, but it just doesn’t feel comfortable, it’s not “yours”, and you wish you’ve made a different character instead. First game is over and you are thinking “Omg, this is an ongoing campaign, I’m gonna be stuck playing this character forever, and I so much want to make another one!”

So, how do you deal with it?
Do you abandon it and make a new one, or do you make yourself to keep playing it?
Do you just stop coming to that larp at all because you feel like you need to play that character as long as it’s alive?
How do you manage character’s connections if he/she already got involved in many plotlines and with many other characters? Do you suffer much guilt thinking that if you abandon the character it will damage others’ plotlines?
Do you try talking to GMs, and what you say to them?

Just to clarify: I’m not talking about character that fails to do things you wanted and just generally makes you feel terrible, I’m talking about the character being cool and enjoyable, but with unexpected circumstances coming to play that make grief larger than the joy.

#2

I actually like unexpected circumstances that bring me grief. But I am a dramallama :slight_smile:

All good points you bring up. Basically this is a game and we play to have fun. If the character you have isnt providing you with the level of fun that you are looking for, and it is the first game, then you should do most of what you have said like:

Talk to the GM’s - Discuss your issues and concerns and either tweak the character so it becomes yours (something that really happens over time. Ie Blaze isn’t mine yet. I still struggle with his character but it will come in time

Reassess what was in the game that is not making it an experience you enjoy

I think once those avenues are closed then talking to those you have links with in the story about your concerns also helps, since they can help offset some of the issues you might have

Last resort I think if people are involved n your plot is to give it up, but things happen and that is understandable. IOt happens and we all move on.

I wouldnt however give up on the game. That doesn’t help or solve anything. Avoiding it only causes more issues.

#3

You forgot the other option. When you realise you don’t like your character, find an IC reason to go for a quiet wander in the woods by yourself. Generally speaking, problem solved. :slight_smile:

#4

I agree with Kara, Playing my first campaign character (fox) its not entirely 100% what I wanted / expected, but i’m working on it. If you really really don’t like your character, run into the fray, annoy people, make people want to kill you, provoking the gods wrath is a good way… just hope that when you die you don’t get brought back to life again…

However, working to get your character more to your liking is a better option, use the xp received, as well as ingame interactions to evolve your character.

If it really is a hopelessly lost cause, tell the GM’s, make another character, or join the crew until you can come up with another one.

#5

Ah, but there is a difference :smiley: In many cases the more grief is to character the more fun it is, that can even make a non-satisfying character more challenged and interesting. What I mean is the typ of grief that makes you feel unhappy. In other words, as our Teonn lawyer guy said somewhere, “I do not larp to feel miserable OOC” (I actually really like this idea, it’s the real word of wisdom)

Wondering in the woods is what I don’t even mention because it rarely works that way really. You run into the battle against hordes with one little dagger, you get in trouble with supernatural things, you defy monsters, but when you need to die they will all have reasons to want you alive somehow. Dangerous NPCs will either not be around or will refuse to kill you even if you ask them directly (they have a lot of respect for life!).

Developing the character will not necessarily work, as it will be same not-so-enjoyable character.

I agree that giving up on the game is not the way. I never felt that way myself, but I know some situations when people were doing it because they didn’t feel good continuing roleplaying the way their characters were.

#6

Go step on an NPC baby. I can guarantee that one works like a charm. :mrgreen:

#7

Getting yourself killed during the action of the game allows for dramatic death, for those who know your character to have in-character reactions with others about it. Sure, in-game death can be more fun, but if you really don’t want to play this character, you’ll just be wasting another session to get them killed in-game. Why not write them out of existence in between games? Why not write a short story, submit it to the GMs, and create a new character that you think you’ll enjoy more?

#8

Question is exactly on how to do it with minimum affecting others and the plot.
I start fearing making IC connections before the game…

So does saving witch sisters from witch hunters :smiley: In fact, that one works in instants :smiling_imp:

#9

We play larp for fun. If the larp is fun but the character is not then continuing with that character is self flagellation.

How you exit is really down to how much you care about the other players, which in general, seems to be quite a high attribute for most players I know.

I agree that talking to the GM’s is a good port of call. At least that way you can organise a smooth transition. And maybe help make it at least meaningful enough to the other characters that its not like that character just vanished.

But not liking a character is not the only reason to end a character, it should possibly also be done if it makes sense, for instance:

In the last Teonn game, I (Shard) got separated in a fight with undead. And ended up surrounded by greeblies who eventually took me (Shard) down. 6 of them. They all chewed on Shard. I was all alone. And the battle raged on around me in other parts of the forest. I waited a few minutes. No one was coming for Shard. I started a death count. I was up to 4 minutes when someone found me and shoved a healing potion down my gob. Shard could have died in that instance and it would have felt right. But the fact he was saved in the last minute made it worth it.

If you really need to end a character, a logical reason can be found… and probably on Friday night. And who knows, maybe you can even help the GM’s out with some storytelling!

#10

I’d recommend telling the GMs you want to play another character and sorting that out before the game.

The GMs will be able to find a way for you to die. They spend a lot of time telling crew NOT to kill people, so giving them a character and declaring “open season” on them should get a pretty immediate result :smiling_imp:

#11

As others have sort of said…

If you no longer want to play the character or you think that the characters purpose has been fulfilled then there’s an awesome opportunity for a dramatic exit. With the Gms collusion you can really go to town. I’ve eviscerated people live in a larp ( a one off, granted ) and if course there’s no way to do that while floating them in the air without knowing ahead if time that you want to do it.

I could imagine getting to a point where I have to leave a character. Doing it dramatically would be my preferred way to go.

And it also gives you the opportunity to try to make sure that you don’t leave other people too high and dry.

#12

I killed off one character through the IC forums back in the days of Mordavia. I liked the character and she had a lot of interaction with other characters… but it was getting to be a bit of a drag to play her because of her maudlin tendencies and I had a new character who was awesomely fun to play. So when the swamp swallowed her village, I just ended up posting a short story on the forums.
I don’t regret it, the new char Lin was the awesomest character to play, happy and bouncy all the time. Has anyone noticed that most of the time pretending to be happy makes you actually happy?

#13

Yeah, there were plenty of psych studeis on that 8)