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Thinking about Backup Characters

After reading this article, I thought I'd take on the topic of backup characters.   Backup characters, I think, are a natural part of any gameplay where a character could die.  As I've stated before, I think character death is a positive influence on game play.  The interplay between backup characters, new players, and character death is an important dynamic.  New players rarely get exactly what they want in their first character.  A backup character gives them the opportunity to vent some of this different character energy without having them switch characters every few weeks.

Asking players to maintain backup characters is also a good way to foreshadow to players that character death will occur.  It rarely happens when they expect it and often times I find it is an emotional time when a character dies.  Having a backup character allows them to move on during the game time without having to dwell on their character's death while watching everyone else continue playing the session without them.

Backup characters also let the player explore new possibilities, which often they incorporate into their main character.  As a GM, keeping a backup character or two also gives me a new source for potential future NPCs.
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