PDA

View Full Version : Destruction of character sheets



Coidzor
2010-03-21, 07:54 PM
So, where does this obsession with destroying character sheets come from anyway, especially on the part of DMs attempting to be sadistic or something about it?

This sort of thing gets brought up a lot around here on the boards, though I must admit, IRL the most I've heard of is a group that made paper boats out of failed characters' sheets so that when a really kickass character finally died they could give its sheet a viking funeral.

Has this sort of thing been around since the start of the hobby? Is it mostly limited to Dungeons and Dragons, or is it at about the same level with all systems?

Tengu_temp
2010-03-21, 07:59 PM
Polish players like to abuse their character sheets too, especially those of dead characters, and since DND wasn't very popular here until late 3.0/early 3.5, then I'd say this is a good enough proof that other systems share this behaviour as well.

pffh
2010-03-21, 08:03 PM
I don't destroy my sheets and I haven't heard of anyone destroying their sheets here in Iceland. In fact I would be pissed if a DM would destroy my sheet since I use them as npcs, villains etc when I DM.

Roderick_BR
2010-03-21, 08:03 PM
I hear that it started with V:tM that liked to burn their character sheets. My group just tend to crumpleit and throw it in the trash can, or just lose it somewhere in the room (likely to happen with currently played characters too).

Mastikator
2010-03-21, 08:07 PM
I once had a character for a year, for that DM it was a long time. When he finally kicked the bucket (the fault being a different player, rather than the usual DM throwing too big mobs at us).
I just one of the other players suggested I keep the char sheet for sentimental value. Meh, I just erased it and made a meaner and more badass character than before. This character was only used in 1 session, but during that session he killed a ~5-6 meter tall troll.

True story.

Vizzerdrix
2010-03-21, 08:11 PM
If I enjoyed the character and the game, I'll keep the sheet. If not, it goes in the trash, or is erased for the next one.

Emmerask
2010-03-21, 08:13 PM
So, where does this obsession with destroying character sheets come from anyway, especially on the part of DMs attempting to be sadistic or something about it?

This sort of thing gets brought up a lot around here on the boards, though I must admit, IRL the most I've heard of is a group that made paper boats out of failed characters' sheets so that when a really kickass character finally died they could give its sheet a viking funeral.

Has this sort of thing been around since the start of the hobby? Is it mostly limited to Dungeons and Dragons, or is it at about the same level with all systems?

in most cases it is just a joke and should not be taken seriously :smallwink:

Thurbane
2010-03-21, 08:18 PM
I don't destroy my sheets and I haven't heard of anyone destroying their sheets here in Iceland.
Same here (in Australia) - apart from disposing of them once they are no longer needed. If they are single sided, they often get used as scrap paper for mapping or writing treasure.

If anything, me and my group are the oppsite - hanging on to old sheets "just in case" that campaign/adventure starts up again.

d13
2010-03-21, 08:20 PM
We have backups of every single sheet online, be it on myth-weavers, thetangledweb or wherever, but actual character sheets get enshrined/burned, depending on the outcome of the campaign.

Heroic death? Sheet burned in Thy Holy Pyre.

TPK? Sheet cut into pieces, then burned in any random place.

Campaign finished? They go to The Shrine.

Maerok
2010-03-21, 08:24 PM
I believe the most BA way to go about this is to eat the character sheet.

Lycan 01
2010-03-21, 08:34 PM
And wouldn't you know it, I've seen players eat character sheets. :smallbiggrin:

Wolfer
2010-03-21, 08:48 PM
I don't destroy my sheets and I haven't heard of anyone destroying their sheets here in Iceland. In fact I would be pissed if a DM would destroy my sheet since I use them as npcs, villains etc when I DM.

Oh I dunno. I was once playing Askur Yggdrasils with a group in Ísafjörður and one of the most powerful character died and the DM tore up the sheet because (if I recall correctly) he really hated that character.

SSGoW
2010-03-21, 08:50 PM
I wanted to burn my first character sheet after he died (suicide), but it makes a good reminder why being broken ain't all it is cracked up to be... First time DM said we can roll a d20 for our stats... I rolled in front of him and got 4 20's (in a roll using different dice), one 18, and a 14... I keep him somewhere around in my box-o-stuff and bring him out anytime i think of power gaming (and then shudder and place him back in the box and make a less broken character)

Wolfer
2010-03-21, 08:52 PM
Damn, the other players must have hated that character...

SSGoW
2010-03-21, 08:57 PM
Not to much, although one character couldn't get more than a 2 on a die roll for initiative and I didn't really abuse the character (being a newb and all) plus i tended to buff everyone like crazy before charging into melee with the barbarian and fighter (i had the second highest str score matching only the fighter)

Starscream
2010-03-21, 09:03 PM
I tend to build my characters with software, so I do have backups. The actual sheets have thus been abused in a multitude of ways. Origami is probably my favored method of disposal.

krossbow
2010-03-21, 09:10 PM
i really don't get it. I enjoy looking over old character sheets occasionally and remembering the campaign; destroying a character sheet just seems silly.

Evard
2010-03-21, 09:13 PM
Now that I have DDI my character sheet better not get burned....

Scoot
2010-03-21, 09:14 PM
I just mark "Deceased" above their name and procede to lose it among the piles of papers in my house.

I kind of want to try the Viking Funeral thing now, though. :smallamused:

Skeppio
2010-03-21, 09:22 PM
And wouldn't you know it, I've seen players eat character sheets. :smallbiggrin:

I've threatened to devour my brother's character sheet if he makes a good-aligned Drow or similar stupidity. Mostly because I have zero or even less than zero tolerance of Drizzt Syndrome. I did like his Warforged Barbarian's backstory though (It involved him turning savage after a head injury damaged his programming (we like thinking of Warforged as robots with circuits and stuff for brains)).

He knows I'm just kidding around. :smallsmile:

Bibliomancer
2010-03-21, 09:39 PM
I tend to hoard my character sheets, or occasionally recycle them if the character wasn't played for that long. Two players I know in my group put all their characters in one spiral ring binder (free format), so quite a few sessions have started with "Level 14 Elven Wizard...nope...where did I put the dwarf..." The others tend to lose their sheets, or give them to me to be used as NPCs or BBEGs (if the character gets lost, which happens more than you might think). We haven't had actual sheets destroyed, but it might happen eventually.

Ravens_cry
2010-03-21, 09:42 PM
I always keep mine. They are memories, memories of heroisms past. Some barely last a level. Others, whole campaigns. Each one is special in their own way.
On the other hand, most of my other D&D friends just rip and tear once the character dies.

Lord Vukodlak
2010-03-21, 10:55 PM
My sheets are stored on my computer and/or at myth-weavers. I haven't used a physical sheet in years. In my RPG group, I have the space to play the game and my house is the closer to everyone then anyone.

Darth Stabber
2010-03-21, 11:00 PM
There have been numerous occasions that I, as the GM, have threatened to eat character sheet, usually saying the behavior is covered by rule zero, though I have only followed through once (and I knew he had a digital backup). I save every character sheet, since when I move, i have a new group of people to play with, and they get an interesting, well developed NPC.