Subj : New Game...?
To   : ANDREW_S._TOTH@WLM.TORONTO.ON.CA
From : HAROLD GROOT
Date : Thu Jul 06 2000 03:15 pm

Andrew, your own experience may differ from mine - but I thought I'd 
chime in anyway regarding your proposed new game starting with "people 
imprisoned for grossly stupid reasons". 
 
In general, the people I game with consider this to be one of the worst 
possible scenarios a DM can choose to begin a game with. 
 
It has been so over-done with so little justification that it now 
carries a huge stigma that says "DM cop-out".  No matter how fantastic 
your plotline might eventually be, it has a HUGE burden to overcome with 
a start like this. 
 
Partly in response to the huge over-use of this idea, I have roughly a 
dozen characters who have sacrificed a great amount of the power that 
ought to be theirs in normal situations just so their remaining powers 
can NOT taken from them in scenarios like this.  For example, a 
multiclass Cleric/Mage of levels around 10/10 would expect to have 
accumulated quite an arsenal of magic items along with very high quality 
mundane items.  The character eventually goes on a successful quest and 
earns a boon from the character's god.  The requested boon is this - in 
return for taking a vow of absolute poverty, the class abilities such as 
spell use, turning undead and so on become totally innate.  They simply 
can't be taken from the character. 
 
During normal play this chops the effective playing strength of the 
character by about 2/3.  Why was it done?  Because of the abuse of the 
"Let's strip the characters" adventures.   
 
The groups I play with generally don't use this plotline, but whenever I 
go to gaming conventions and look through the summaries of games I see 
it multiple times - and I avoid any game where it is mentioned.  Yet I 
still get hit with it because often DMs =don't= mention it in their game 
descriptions.  So I usually start by submitting such a character - and 
if the DM rejects such an underpowered character (because it would 
"crock" their dungeon), I can bow out at the beginning and let someone 
else play. 
 
As I said before - the people you play with may not feel this way, or 
may not have been subjected to abuse of this plotline.  Just be aware 
that there are many people out there who will have a great reluctance to 
participate in such a campaign. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 # Origin: Solar Quest Online (1:285/85)
 * Origin: ConchGate (1:106/357.0)

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