The original question was:
Most Memorable Character Demise
But, I would caveat that it feels more impactful than memorable, mostly because my memory of the details is pretty ropey.
When Warhammer Fantasy Role Play first came out in 1986, Games Workshop supported it with some great material in White Dwarf. Many of the adventures that were printed at that time have resurfaced again in the current line, like A Rough Night at the Three Feathers.
In February 1987, White Dwarf included an article that coincided with our decision to play The Enemy Within and create characters to kick off the campaign. Out of the Garden provided all you needed to create a Gnome character, along with background on the culture, Gnomish religion, and the relationship with the Empire.
Golchak Grimface was born.
A roguish character who, nevertheless, was not afraid to support his colleagues and, at times, lead from the front, Golchak weathered the events of the early campaign and survived the festivities in Bogenhafen.
But, somewhere in the midst of Death on the Reik, after many months of play, a bad decision, several poor dice rolls, and some awful weather resulted in a long fall that put an end to him.
I think.
I mean, I’m not uncertain about the demise. He wanted to climb a tower, but the walls proved a challenge, and the weather rendered them slick. The GM offered more than one opportunity to back out of the attempt and even pushed to an additional roll, but Golchak (and I) stubbornly pressed on and paid the price.
But, I’m not certain where that tower was. Or why I felt the need to climb it in the midst of a storm. And I’m only guessing that this happened when it did.
Whatever happened, it has stayed with me. And of all the characters that have come and gone over the years, this one stands out.
I don’t have the character sheet, which is a shame. I have managed to hold on to so many little mementoes of my early gaming, but Golchak isn’t one of them.
But he lives on. If you grab a copy of Michael Prescott’s awesome Trilemma Adventures – Volume 1, you’ll find Golchak all over the place (literally) on the maps of the different adventures (like on page 31, inset). It’s like a grim game of “Where’s Wally?” – which I instigated by supporting Michael’s Patreon.
(I have a Patreon, too – writing gaming material for Cthulhu Hack, Sanction and beyond, if you care to offer your support.)
Maybe when you have a game of Warhammer in future, you might consider including the desiccated remains of a Gnome at the bottom of a tower out in the wilderness and raise a wineskin in his honour.
RPGaDay is a prompt-driven experience in tabletop roleplaying, initiated by Dave Chapman of Autocratik and powered by you and me.
The prompts for this year are as follows — and you can find out more on Dave’s website.
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