Closure Is Important For Players To Move On To New Concepts

We've all been at a table with that player. You know the one I'm talking about. The one who always seems to play the exact same character when a new game starts. Not just mechanically (though that's usually part of it) but thematically, as well. They're always the same elven renegade, the same assassin seeking redemption, or the same fighter looking for revenge on the creature that destroyed their home.

The character sheet might have a new name on it, but everything else is always the same.

Thought you'd seen the last of me, eh?

I've seen this happen a lot, and there are all kinds of reasons for it. Sometimes it really is just a failure of creativity, and the player is unable or unwilling to try something different (in which case, I'd recommend a scroll through my Unusual Character Concepts list). However, a far more common reason for this habit in my experience is that a player has a story they want to tell, and they aren't allowed to actually tell that story. Whether it's because the campaign abruptly ends, or a character gets killed, or the DM just stymies certain avenues, the player simply can't finish the story they set out to tell.

This is the same feeling a lot of folks get when they're at dinner with friends, and they're halfway through telling a story, and suddenly they get interrupted or the conversation changes. They weren't done yet, and even if they'd like to join the new conversation, all they can focus on was that they didn't get to finish the story they were trying to tell.

Which means that they're going to try to bring it up again, and again, until they get some damn closure.

You'd Be Surprised How a Finished Story Moves People Along

As I mentioned back in That One Time I Played a Bard Out of Spite (And Had a Ball), I myself was trapped in a stutter loop by constantly flaking DMs who never let me finish my character's arc. I had a whole tale I wanted to tell, but every time a game got cancelled after three levels, or someone's work schedule changed, or the group broke up, I was left feeling like I was just getting to the meat of my story when everyone stopped paying attention.

And that was an intensely frustrating feeling to have.

My imagination is not understanding when it comes to failure.

The thing was, I didn't realize that wasn't a normal part of the gaming process until I actually had a DM who stuck with the group and finished a campaign. The first time I ever got to actually finish something (which if memory serves was Carrion Crown, whose ending was told in That One Time My Paladin One-Shotted The Campaign's Final Big Bad), I had this feeling of intense accomplishment. Not only that, but I didn't play a paladin for years after that game, nor did I play anyone from that character's homeland. I certainly felt no urge to play someone who was hoping to earn good favor with the goddess of death in order to finally be reunited with his wife... because I'd already told that story. I got my satisfying ending, and I moved on to other things.

And I think there are a lot of DMs (and even other players) who don't really appreciate how draining it can be to put down a story you were really invested in, and to make up something else entirely. Because that other tale is still waiting, and we're going to want to finish it sooner or later.

A Solid Ending Makes A World of Difference

The most important thing to remember here was the point I made back in Before You Start Your Campaign, Know Where You're Going, but it sometimes bears repeating. In order for your players to feel they've accomplished something, and that a particular PC's tale has been told, they need to have a complete story. They need an adventure where they went there and back again, and which allows them to get the character out of their system. When the song is sung, and their tale told, it becomes significantly easier to put that character aside and come up with someone else for the next campaign.

All right, next character I'm thinking like a rebel noble who turns to piracy... sound cool?

Another thing to keep in mind, though, is what I said in If DMs Want Personal Investment, Their Games Need Personal Stakes. Because just finishing a game isn't enough; you need players to feel like they finished the story they were telling. And if the party was nothing more than the randomly chosen heroes of the land, with events happening around them rather than actually happening to them, then they might feel less like they told their story and more like their PC had a really weird dream. They need to be given a chance to achieve their goals, and to make the overall story their story in order for the character to feel complete.

Now, as I said, this is not guaranteed to work with all players. Some players will be stuck in the same character because that's all they know, or they may not want to branch out to different mechanics. Sometimes it can feel like it worked well enough last time, so why not do that again? But for a lot of players, the chance to finally finish the story they were telling is all they need to move on to something new.

And hopefully just as interesting!

Last Minute Announcement!

Before I close out this week, I wanted to let folks know I'm thinking about starting a new series here! I'm tentatively calling it Alignment Deep Dives, and the idea is to break down pop culture characters through the lens of the alignment system so they can be used as a touch stone for players who may be looking to get a handle on one of the 9 boxes. I've already covered Judge Dredd (lawful evil), The Punisher (evil), and Robocop (lawful good), but I'm interested in hearing what other characters you'd like to see join the list, and if it's something you'd like to see more of in the future!

Also, if you scroll up to look at the new display, you'll see that there's even a title for the Alignment Deep Dives page!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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