h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I apologise in advance to Mr. D - I try not to broach the IC-OC wall but I'm sad this morning and wanted to talk about it somewhere. Facebook is full of too many people that my character interacts with. Thankfully our characters don't know each other.

Z'im died. For those that don't know, I have a hobby called Live Action Role Play, or LARP, and it's a bit like acting without a script. You create a character, dress up and act out what it would do when faced with other people and situations. Z'im was my first ever long-term character - I played it for over three years. I made some wonderful friends who I'm going to miss a lot.

The worst part was that I was one downtime (an admin period that occurs between the real-life weekends) away from achieving something fantastic, the goal of my character. And its death occured not as a result of going into battle, or the work of the gods, or because someone has a vendetta and wanted to stop me. It was because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I was on my way out of the in-character area because I'd finished role-playing for that session and was intending on changing into another character for a bit of a break. It was my fault; I should have been paying attention until I was actually out of the area. However we walked by a group of people who had been terrorising the game all weekend. They quickly and efficiently dispatched me before I even had time to scream or run. No hard feelings against them; they played their parts fantastically and did exactly what they should have done.

I'm gutted though. It's not just that the character who I loved playing is dead, it's that this event was the first time I really got my goal in reach, only for it to be snatched away again. Plus, although others may take up my idea and make it happen, I won't get to find out if it works.

It also means I have to create another character, and life is going to get in the way. There's little point in me creating a character when pregnancy will stop me attending.

So please excuse me, I'm a little today.

Join the Rat Tribe! You know it makes sense!

No, I can't handle that much Rat.

Trouble is, I have a lot of ideas but they are all essentially an extension of Z'im because It was so passionate about certain things. With everything that's going on IC I find it really hard to get enthusiastic about any other aspect of the game.

Really, I just need a bit of a break, and to hit the new system running whenever Maelstrom comes to an end. It was only designed to be a ten year system, tops, so by that stage the kid should be old enough to be with its grandparents for a weekend!

Hi Vip

You know that my son used to do LRP, the reason he stopped was that this happened to him as well. I know he was very upset by how it happened, and it took him by surprise too as he had invested a lot of time energy, money etc into developing this role. (costume, accessories etc, as well as leading the game development)

Anyway, sympathy for what happened to you, I'm sorry to hear that this happened this weekend, when you could have done with a lovely positive boost.

I hope you're well otherwise?

I'm OK. A bit full of the pregnancy blues but when I count my blessing I have rather a lot so I'm hoping that will pass.

Character deaths happen, it's just one of those things. In many ways they should happen more often so that people don't get so attached to the characters! I think it's partly because I'm not getting excited about the next character because of real life getting in the way, which is usually a really good way of getting over your previous character.

I'm on holiday in a couple of weeks so hopefully that will chill me out a bit.

Don't those hormones just play havoc?

I'm sorry you lost your character, I know engrossing they can be although I've only been in rpg's in hootoo. I can't imagine keeping a character 'alive' all those years

lil xx

Acting it out and really 'being' that character is fantastic, but you do mourn the loss when its number comes up. Z'im was wonderful to play because it was so relaxed and created smiles from everyone when It walked into a room. I'm going to miss that aspect, because I'll have to rebuild all those relationshiops from scratch.

But onwards! There are still things I can do, and this time I don't have to do them in a fake Jamaican accent.

Good to know it was done for legitimate RP reasons... though doing it just as you were leaving the IC field is a bit cheeky!

A system I used to do regularly has developed a culture of refs asking players if they'd like a character who's just died to come back! Madness! Luckily the people who'd actually take them up on the offer have all left, but it is ridiculous.

Oh, it was a totally legitimate hit. Those Fallen and undead aren't supposed to discriminate against trees.

Mmmm, yeah I agree that's a crazy system!