Modern Mythology | Story & Setting in RPGs and beyond15 Jun

Ep.27: Death & Dying

Have you had a character die mid-session? How did it feel, and had the table talked it through first? We all run games with violence of some kind, juggling different systems and different layers of mortality — and a lot of players read a death as an ending, an inconvenience, or a real emotional blow when a favorite character meets their end. This game, like many others, shows it doesn't have to be.

In Episode 27 of Modern Mythology, Sean runs Turn of Fortune's Wheel — the official introductory Planescape adventure (spoilers ahead!) — for Scott and James.

Planescape is a setting where belief shapes reality and the dead are part of the cosmology, and Turn of Fortune's Wheel wastes no time putting that on the table. We rolled up three characters and played through an engaging, genuinely lethal scenario to put death in gaming under the lens.

After the session we get into how to handle a character's death at the table in a way that protects player agency and opens up better stories.

Content note: this episode discusses character death and in-game mortality throughout.

Topics discussed:

00:00:37 Consent Check-in

00:01:45 Characters

00:07:40 Trope: You Wake Up in a Strange Place

00:18:30 Exit the Room

00:24:00 Doctor & Patient

00:48:10 On the Precipice

00:52:25 The First Death

01:05:30 Jamie's 2nd Character

01:30:20 “Maurice, No!"

01:31:45 Wrap Up & Death as a Narrative and Game Device

For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel.

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