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Holy Crap! We Have Game This Weekend? - Replacing a Character and The Gamers films

Sorry for the late posting. With the holidays, I've been super busy. So without further ado, here's some nice GM advice.

Have you ever had trouble with the suspension of disbelief required to introduce a new character after a party member died? Dead Gentlemen Productions gave us a wonderful portrayal of this struggle in their cult hit, "The Gamers."  

So, a character has backed himself into a corner. He really doesn't have a safe way out, things are going to go sour. He's going to end up dead, in jail, or some reasonable facsimile. Let's take advantage of the opportunity. End the game session there. Talk to your player by email, phone, or if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of the surprise factor, just speak to her in another room.  

Offer an awesome death, instead of the standard RPG faire. Explain that you're killing the character, but it'll be the focus of the next game. She gets to make the character she wants, but work with her to tie her interests to the old characters. It might be an old war buddy, a lover, a brother, a sister, anything. In fact, her entrance is going to revolve around the previous character's disappearance.  

Determine the cause of death. Figure out what happened, and come up with three or four clues to lead the players in that direction. Hand them over to your player, again, by email or similar method. Give him the chance to read them over, to determine how his new character found said clues. He has the distinct pleasure of introducing those clues however he pleases, just not at once.  

When the new character is introduced, she brings with her the clues, and the motivation for finding the old character. This gives an inherent trust, and a reason for the group to stick together. She helps guide them, building relationships as her attachment to the victim helps her relate to the group. In the end, her assistance leads to justice being brought for the death or imprisonment of the other. Because of the gap left, she is in a perfect position to fill it. Not only have you helped bring that character into the fold, but your game session has all but written itself.