When death is the only other option, what do you do?

[Lea Plath]

So, I'm looking to start trying to run a series of one shot games based on the Holder's series of creepypastas.

I was thinking of using a modified version of Don't Rest Your Head, where falling asleep is replaced by "The Holder's have driven you insane" and you need someone else to help and protect you from threat, but with the emphasis being on the horror.

The basic idea is that there are 500 or so objects, which, when brought together, will end the world. Some of them are objects, some people, some grant powers, some are curses, and all of them require a very formulaic trial. Talk to person, watch their reaction, go to a place that doesn't exist, speak a phrase, meet the holder, ask them the right question, get object, with some of it requiring you do certain stuff.

And in this trial, it is implied that suicide is the best option if you fail, and if you succeed you get the object.

So how would you do it when the only other option is a fate worse than death? I was thinking I would create each trial, tell the person what the trial's holder is called, and then letting them RP it out with the questions etc and so long as they RP well, they survive, with maybe some dice rolling.

So how would you guys do something, where if you fail, you die? Should I stick to easily made characters from templates for them to roll up and only do one shot games, or should I try a longer campaign or what can you suggest?

Thanks all.

[DaMullet]

I think if you try to a longer campaign, you can probably take it one of two ways; 1) the majority of the 500 objects are gathered off-screen, so to speak, and the PCs are either fighting to prevent the collection of the last 5 or 10 (or to collect them, if that's their bag). 2) Figure out how to give the trials the appearance of impossibility and risk while actually toning it down quite a bit, to give their characters a much smaller chance of instant death from one failed bluff.

I think just having a pile of stock characters that you can whip off in 5 or 10 minutes may be the way to go here, if you want to keep the challenges as lethal as you've implied, and let it be up to the players why they keep recruiting for this mission.

[Lea Plath]

Should probably link to the creepypasta site, so you guys know what I am on about http://theholders.org/

And The Seekers are people who just happen to read about this stuff, go to do and don't stop, the Objects get a hold on them.

[Totally Guy]

So how would you do it when the only other option is a fate worse than death?

Do what?

So how would you guys do something, where if you fail, you die?

Do what?

You're going to have to rephrase the questions.

[Doorhandle]

Preferabley, the thing you do is escape to tell your tales to the easaly impressed.

Realistically? Cyinide tooth. They can't get me if I get me first.

[Maerok]

Well if death is part of the game, and this is coming from someone who just recently beat Dark Souls, let them resurrect with limited interference.

Give them a divine branding or artifact that lets them come back to life if they want to use the same character or reincarnate to another character if they'd prefer to try something different.

And if you want to twist it use Heroes of Horror's suggestion and each death of the character revives them later with some kind of curse or spiritual scar.

---

So their options are, to clarify:
1) Pass the trial.
2a) Fail the trial and die.
2b) Fail the trial and experience a punishment worse than death.

[Lea Plath]

So their options are, to clarify:
1) Pass the trial.
2a) Fail the trial and die.
2b) Fail the trial and experience a punishment worse than death.

Yep, though the dying bit tends to be them killing themselves because it is a more merciful option.