(TFT) Never played in my campaign again

["David Michael Grouchy II" <david_michael_grouchy_ii@hotmail.com>]

   Jeff Brumfield never played in my campaign again.  I had a house rule 
that when a player couldn't make a session their character would be played 
anyway.  The way I figured it was once they entered the pits, were in the 
labyrinth, the characters wouldn't just disappear or reappear in a flash of 
lightning.  I felt it was incentive to get the players to show up regularly.
    Party composition was of paramount importance.   The players would 
design characters that would fit into the party whole.  Players who joined 
the campaign would be advised to make a tactician, physiqer, or what ever 
the group felt it was missing.  Jeff was advised to make a guy with guns 
talent.  Even at a hundred and fifty dollars a shot, they felt it would be a 
great addition to the groups tactics.
    I had a special type of demon that only had ST 4.  The demon could 
shape shift into any weapon or arrow of up to 4D damage.  A favorite with 
greater demons they were typically encountered as flaming greatswords.  Once 
struck with the weapon, and if it did damage, it would eat into the target.  
No DX roll required.  Once the target was killed the demon was considered to 
have eaten the heart.  No revival.  Also the greater demon had his hands 
free now and could teleport around smashing other characters.
    So the second time Jeff was to play he couldn't make it.  It wasn't 
that big a deal as the party was just going around town, getting supplies, 
settling scores, and doing politics.  When the left the sage's shop and were 
walking past one of the city wells, a roof top assassin struck.  A crossbow 
bolt struck a random player in the chest.  I happened to roll Jeff's 
character.  As the rest of the group was making IQ rolls to scan the 
buildings I said "You see the crossbow bolt eating its way into his chest."  
They freaked.  They had seen just one of those demons wipe out an entire 
party before.  When a character strikes one of these tiny demons they do 
half damage to the demon and half to their victim.  If they didn't, when it 
was done with his heart it would leap out and strike another player.   They 
turned and started hacking on Jeff?s character.  One player lit and threw a 
molotov.   Jeff's character failed his DX roll and caught on fire.  One of 
the players said "Isn't he carrying the gunpowder?"  The rest of the party 
dove into the well (the water comes up to the rim).  At least the demon died 
too.
    Anyway, I never saw Jeff at a session again.   Years later I ran into 
him at a bar, and we talked about his band.  I asked him why he never came 
back.  He said that they guys told him that because he didn't show up, I 
blew up his character, burned it, hacked it to pieces, and feed it to a 
demon.  I was stunned.  I have also relaxed my house rule of characters 
being played even when the player is not there.  I have even gone so far as 
to have a bolt of lightning strike and their character magically appear when 
they show up an hour late, and the party is deep in the middle of a fight.  
Jeff played in other games, under other GMs.  He even played with some of 
the same players, but back then in the Jr-High to High School days Jeff 
Brumfield never played in my campaign again.

    David Michael Grouchy II
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