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1. No. Of course not. A normal GM would try to get it to run it as an NPC before it fades out, but a normal GM would also give up after a while and just drop some rocks or retcon something.
2. Probably not, but it's not really relevant to your situation.
3. Have you said, "No. Go away."? Cause otherwise you can't blame the GM too much.
4. I wonder what the other side of the story is.
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Tell him to leave you the f&#~ alone. Use those exact words with as much force and anger as you can muster.
If he doesn't get the picture and keeps harassing you, take legal action (or at least threaten to).
Sounds like a pretty annoying fellow. However, we do have modern inventions like copying machines, so it's not as if his request is so difficult to fulfill.
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Some questions: Why didn't you tell him straight away what was bothering you? In my experience, if you don't tell someone how you feel, they don't know.
A lack of response could mean anything, maybe he took your silence as a "sure you can have it" or thought you didn't read it.
On the otherhand, he does sound annoying and out of line. You could, indeed tell him to go away, you could copy your charater sheet or give the statistics, I have no idea what the official rules about this are.
Since the situation itself is pretty wonky, I'll just continue down that road:
Who supplied the original blank character sheet in the first place?
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Step 1: Take a blank character sheet
Step 2: In the slot "character name" inscribe the name of your character
Step 3: Fill out the rest so it at least look like your initial sheet.
Step 4: Next time that moron comes over to harass you, wave the sheet in front of his face while making sure he reads the character name.
Step 5: Destroy sheet (fire works well).
On a more serious note, you can either tell him in person or via phone or email or wichever prefered method that you do not want to relinquish the sheet (or lie and say you dont have it anymore). Furthermore that you are perceiving his behavior as harassment and that if necessary you will take legal recourse to expel him out of your life. Its called a restraining order and it has been keeping many people safe from other people for many years now. You might not like the idea of getting one but it is a better alternative to a physical altercation that could injure you or him or both and be coupled with accusations of assault and/or misdemeanor
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Heh, passive-aggressive vs agressive is always a poor strategy...
Tell him you have left the group and have no desire to continue to interact with the group and that you have no intention of continuing any conversation with him and if he doesn't stop bugging you, you'll take whatever action is required to get him to stop.
But honestly, you couldn't make a photocopy of your character sheet to give to him?
How much skin would that have actually taken off of your nose?
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1)Do I have to hand over my character?
Absolutely, yes.
In fact, given that it sounds like some time has passed since you left the game, you may be hit with a fine for late delivery!
Your former DM is completely within his rights to show up at any time and verbally harass you in order to force you to hand over what is so clearly rightfully his.
Damn it, someone hacked Betts' account, again.
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or YOU could just deal with the individual like an adult and talk directly to him.
But I'm sure this anonymous post on a message board will do the trick instead.
Personally I think this is a case of TWO people behaving like children.
/washes hands of it...
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One time James Jacobs showed up at my front door demanding copies of all my Pathfinder character sheets since 2008, in triplicate, one set per character level. I told him I'd been a little lax in my record-keeping and maybe some of it got lost in one of those weird Southern California flash floods.
One week later I found my tires slashed.
Thanks, Obama.
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This is just one of the reasons I love Hero Lab. I've had players leave, and I still need their characters to finish a narrative arc. With Hero Lab I just print a new sheet, and away we go.
A few people have said it, but I'll echo. This whole scenario smacks of people behaving like children. Speak to each other like adults, tell each other exactly what you want and why you want it. I'm guessing the whole fiasco could be ended quickly with a little civil discourse.
This is just one of the reasons I love Hero Lab. I've had players leave, and I still need their characters to finish a narrative arc. With Hero Lab I just print a new sheet, and away we go.
A few people have said it, but I'll echo. This whole scenario smacks of people behaving like children. Speak to each other like adults, tell each other exactly what you want and why you want it. I'm guessing the whole fiasco could be ended quickly with a little civil discourse.
Hear, hear!
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1. Tell the guy why you are leaving. Maybe he doesn't realize that he's being overbearing. He can't work to correct it if he doesn't know about it. Given that you said you are trying to recover from an illness, he probably assumes that is why you are leaving.
2. No, you don't have to turn your character sheet over to him. But it's always been fairly standard practice in groups I've played with that, upon leveling up (and more frequently if so desired), a player gives the GM a copy of their character sheet. After all, it's a lot easier for a GM to tailor adventures to the party if he knows what the party can do.
3. Tell the guy to chill out. Or just give him a copy of the sheet. It gets him off your back, and I don't really see any downside. So what if he maims your "intellectual property". You don't plan on gaming with him again, so it won't ever affect you.
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While usually I would condone that as the best strategy, when someone repeatedly shows up to your house unwanted and uninvited and proceeds to be an obnoxious ass about something wholly insignificant, "talk to him like an adult" is out of the question.
At that point it is time to be very direct, and very loud about what is and is not socially acceptable. Harassing someone in their home about a sheet of paper is not.
Put another vote in for talking to him like an adult.
If that doesn't work, there's always the option of feeding him to the Elder Gods.
And showing up at your place to harass and badger you is beyond ridiculous.
So get your own badger and counter-badger him when he comes over.
1)Do I have to hand over my character?
If your GM wrote the whole thing for you on his paper with his ink and was letting you borrow his paper, you might be obligated to return that particular sheet of paper.
If you wrote the character yourself on your own paper, it's your property and you can do anything you like with it. If you want to hand it over, you can do so. If you want to frame it and hang it on your wall, you can do so. If you want to burn it ... check with your local fire department about burning season.
2)Does intellectual copyright extend to rpg character creation, within the framework of the gaming system?
(example of what i mean, the gm can demand but i am not legally required to hand over my character sheet but if Paizo says "gimme" i do have to give it to them kinda thing is what i was thinking).
You have an immediate Copyright (you are the owner of the Copyright) on everything you write, just as soon as your pen touches the paper.
However, in the case of a derivative work, the Copyright belongs to the Copyright holder of the original work. (i.e.: If you write a story that featured Captain Kirk and Spock as the main characters, the owner of the Copyright for Star Trek would also own the Copyright on your story.)
So, by default, if you used Paizo material, they would own the Copyright to your character. However, Paizo has licensed their material to you under the Open Game License (OGL). It means you are allowed to re-use parts of their material (i.e.: the Pathfinder rules) in order to create derivative works.
So if you made your character using Pathfinder rules, you certainly own the Copyright on that character. (Assuming you didn't just copy it straight out of an Adventure Path .. in which case, you'd be using non-OGL material, and then you wouldn't own the character.)
If that is your original character that you invented, and you used only OGL material (i.e.: virtually all of the Pathfinder rules), then the Copyright is 100% yours, and nobody can take it away from you.
However, the GM is being very insistent on me handing my character over so that the game can continue. The GM is continually calling and coming over to my residence uninvited. I am trying to keep things "civil" but this behavior is bordering on harassment! Especially when I am trying to recover from a bad lung infection.
Screen your calls. You never have to answer your phone if you don't actually want to talk to the caller.
If the person shows up at your residence, tell them "Please leave immediately."
If they don't leave immediately, call the police. (Chances are you won't have to do this more than once.)
First, I'm not being very insistent you hand over the character sheet. I'm being PERSISTENT in trying to get a hold of you. By ignoring me (thanks for letting me know that's what you were doing), you set yourself up for this perceived harassment. If you've a problem with this, it's of your own doing, not mine.
"You're not acting the way that I want you to act, so you've brought my actions upon yourself." (See also: Victim blaming)
*makes popcorn*
Wow, drama. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. However, as everyone knows, the airing of grievances can be done just once a year, during Festivus. Get out the aluminum pole from the crawlspace.
Seriously though, couldn't this all have been handled differently?
1) Player leaves game, takes character sheet
2) E-mail exchange - Cool, whatever.
3) Find new player(s), DM PC, or just put the game on hiatus for a while until things cool down. Resume where you left off, handwave the details, continue to roll dice and have fun.
All hail the GM who puts ranks in Diplomacy, a skill all too often underutilized in this day and age.
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A couple of points...
1) She did not exactly made this public. As I doubt pissedoffplayer or pissedoffplayerGM are your actual names...if their are...than your parents are stranger than Moonbeam's parents.
2) My opinion is both sides could have handled this situration alot better. Either apologize to each other...or ignore each other, but realize you both made mistakes.
3) The whole Copyright of characters thing I kinda find amusing. Unless either are going to write a book about the character that it is really unimportant.
If either you are it still does not keep one or the other from using said character in private game. Anymore than who ever owns the rights to the Predator creature from movie can tell me I can't stat it up for PF and not use in a private game. Atleast I don't think they can.
I actualy do have a GM that plans on publishing his Champions World as a campaign setting. And chances are he might use serveral and all my characters in doing so. As I don't plan on writting a novel about them...and even if I did I am sure we can work something out...my attitude is Cool. All I asked him if he can give me a little credit for the character...not because I want money...more because I would love to see my name in print someplace.
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As always, actually seeing the other side of the argument is illuminating.
Is this for real?
Two brand new forum accounts spring to life suddenly to b*!~* about each other??? Either these are alts or this is faked. And why use an alt if this is real? I see nothing to be embarrassed about...
If it is real then um... no an unpublished character has no copyright protection and you don't have to hand it in if you don't feel like it.
PS: Ignoring a guy never works trust me I have tried it. It just makes them more desperate. I am not sure why you didn't show up to games but it sounds like leaving was the correct step you obviously weren't enjoying gaming with these people. Next time just tell him no the first time he tries to contact you. That should stop his attention.
As for mr GM... If she is avoiding you it probably means stay away. She seems like a casual gamer based on her attendance so I am not sure how important her character could have been to the group. And why ask for her sheet NOW?! If she was that important to have a sheet for then why didn't you need it during all those game days she missed?
I don't know about everyone else, but I love it when passive-aggressive personalities try to work out their differences on message boards under aliases of their message board aliases.
As always, actually seeing the other side of the argument is illuminating.
No it really does not. Humens in general make bad whitnesses when the even is not contentious. When it is contentious it is even worse.
As always, actually seeing the other side of the argument is illuminating.No it really does not. Humens in general make bad whitnesses when the even is not contentious. When it is contentious it is even worse.
So you prefer only hearing one side of a conflict over both sides?
So you prefer only hearing one side of a conflict over both sides?As always, actually seeing the other side of the argument is illuminating.No it really does not. Humens in general make bad whitnesses when the even is not contentious. When it is contentious it is even worse.
Or don't believe anything without video evidence? While I agree that humans aren't the most reliable of witnesses, they are often the only available ones.
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"You're not acting the way that I want you to act, so you've brought my actions upon yourself." (See also: Victim blaming)
Really? "If you had told me you were intentionally ignoring me, instead of just being hard to reach like you always have been in the past, then I would have left you alone" is victim blaming?
Beyond the normal behavioral stuff, there's an additional lesson to be learned here for GMs.
After every level up get a copy of the character sheets.
I've just begone that practice a few weeks ago, by making Paizo-style statblocks of the player characters at every level. Not for fear that one might leave, but just for the fun of having an archive which lasts even after the campaign is over. :)
@Magnuskn & Bearded Ben: Oh it helps...but not that much. Especialy just via texct based communication. If you are present you can pick up on visual cues and such.
But it still not enough (for me atleast) to judge who is in the wrong or not. It does not changer my advice one bit...which is either apologize to each other and talk it out...or forget it and move on. Life is too short to chew over vomit.
@Magnuskn & Bearded Ben: Oh it helps...but not that much. Especialy just via texct based communication. If you are present you can pick up on visual cues and such.
But it still not enough (for me atleast) to judge who is in the wrong or not. It does not changer my advice one bit...which is either apologize to each other and talk it out...or forget it and move on. Life is too short to chew over vomit.
Determining who is right or wrong is almost never easy, anyway. But just hearing a one-sided recount of a conflict will leave you ( as one can see from many of the replies above ) needlessly biased towards one side.