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Shadowdark RPG - Opinions?
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2026
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rpg
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I really enjoy the possibility of dying at any moment, but one of my players seems a bit frightened by it. Sounds like he doesn't want to put too much thought or care into a character that is maybe going to die and be replaced a few sessions down the line.
It's funny, because he and I constantly lament the fact that our current DM is too scared of killing our characters, and constantly pulls something out of his ass to save us at the last minute.
I dread the reactions of my other players, those who are more accustomed (and are even okay) to the narrative-heaviness of our current campaign and its inherent plot armor magic.
I think the funnel dungeon is worth a shot to get your players used to the idea of character deaths.
For my games, in character creation I get my players to come up with 3 words that describe their character (e.g. stubborn, grumpy, drunken) and optionally one "special thing" that can be either an event from their past or just something about them. This lets them put some personality into their character but in a more OSR way than coming up with an entire backstory. It keeps to the ethos of being able to create a new character quickly and it makes the character a little bit more than just a cardboard cutout without the player spending a heap of timing developing them and becoming too attached.
@SamuraiBeandog @Aielman15 Love a three work character approach. We find this is enough to fully describe our characters without stats.