@Simon Newman
Let me clarify, I called this a one-shot game since I don’t play a lot of LFR at this venue. However, for some of the players this is their weekly game. I’ve since learned that the RPGA does have some pretty strict guidelines, so the DM actually had his hands tied (somewhat). Had this been a home game I would have done exactly what you suggested and handed the player a new PC to run until his main guy could be brought back to life.

Agreed – I’ve done this when a player had his PC killed very early, before the character was really established. For a continuing game they will normally lose out of some XP, that’s adequate penalty.

The GM is aiming to both maintain versimilitude, and maximise table fun. Normally the two are complementary, but it can take a bit of thought.

I think it’s a really interesting and valuable discussion. I do tend to agree that the DM needs to stick to the treasure parcels as written — opening it beyond that is a fairly noticeable risk, particularly in 4e. Magic items are a key component of a 4e character. Shared campaigns need a shared baseline.

But it’s also good to make sure the game can keep going. I find myself suddenly thinking that I, on the occasions I get to play, could do my own part by keeping a Raise Dead scroll on me. Once I get to the proper level, anyhow…
Bryant´s last blog ..[4e] Not Your GM’s Keep on the Shadowfell: SWARM(s)!

@Breten
Thank you so much for adding your comments. Although my goal with any article is to generate discussion, I tried very hard not to have this one turn into a piece where everyone (including me) just bashed the DM.

In hindsight I realize that what I might have perceived as resistance at the time was really just you trying to following the RGPA rules while giving us options. This was actually one of the best and most fun LFR adventured I’d played in a long time and I think that was very much due to the players at the table and you as the DM. I certainly hope that you don’t feel slighted or offended at my portrayal of the events.

@fireinthedust
When we realize that something in our D&D games isn’t working all we can do is try to learn from the experience and handle it differently next time.

@ryan
I think you’re right. Perhaps I should have been clearer about that when I wrote the original article.

@Alvin
I have spelled out the acronym LFR to Living Forgotten Realms in the article after reading your comment. I guess I forget that not everyone is as “hard core” as I am and may not be familiar with the less-common terms.

I agree with your take on getting the merchant to transport the body and have him raised from the dead. All I can say is that I might have handled it differently if I was the DM (while trying to stay within the RPGAs [Role-Playing Game Association] rules).

@Bryant
At the time Alvin posted his comment Living Forgotten Realms was still just posted as LFR. Based on his feedback I went back and edited the original article.

I think your assessment of the situation is quite accurate. The DM may not have been open to our crazy ideas for bringing back our dead companion immediately, but he did give us an option (which we took) to bring back our friend and let him keep playing for the rest of the adventure.

LFR is defined in the second paragraph of the article. “In a recent Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) game I played…”

Giving the merchant 600 GP to get the resurrection done wouldn’t have been a rules violation. Please note the GM’s comment, above: he didn’t want to encourage the party to go onward with one PC missing. That’s why he cut that option off.

If I’d been running this scenario, I would have gone with that option if desired — which still would have removed the player from some of the game, mind you — and scaled down encounters to the standard five person size while there was a PC missing. But that’s with the benefit of hindsight. I certainly can’t criticize someone for not thinking of that on the fly.

And unless I’m woefully misreading this, the DM did provide a solution that allowed the player in question to get back in the game immediately, no? Go back to town, get raised, fail at one objective but perhaps not a complete failure?
Bryant´s last blog ..[4e] Not Your GM’s Keep on the Shadowfell: SWARM(s)!

Clearly it’s some D&D variant that the RPGA uses (this only became apparent from the comments, so I think those of you getting indignant for people suggesting RPGA rules breaking options need to consider that), but I thought that was against the whole point of the RPGA.

I think D&D is the only acronym you don’t have to explain when you write an article, unless your goal is to be exclusive.

I’m still puzzled how not giving the merchant 600gp or a promissory note for 600 gp (as long as the PCs had it) would be a rules violation. It fits both Death rule #2 quoted above and the DMG rule to “Say Yes”.