Walter describes the climactic moment of a Champions campaign
that he ran in high school. One of his NPCs, Donna, had an intimate relationship with one of the player-characters. Because she had become too powerful, she had to sacrifice herself to save the universe, and her in-game lover was forced to kill her. Walter recalls:
Everyone was crying there. Even thinking about that now … it was so
powerful. Every story about sacrifice, about the nobility of the human character and the ability to persevere despite all odds … it all really came
together then…. It was huge and it reminded us all why we’re doing this.
Why we’re willing to have these fights, and why we’re willing to pour hours into this ridiculously complex rules system with freakin’ algebra necessary to do it. It was because of moments like that.
The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity Sarah Lynne Bowman
