First of all, sorry for your loss. This can be a tough spot. I can fully relate to your situation, but also your player’s situation. We still haven't figured out what to do with our Coriolis game after the campaign finished and some PCs found their end (even as they did on their own terms). For one player, it was all about that character; and that story is told. He is satisfied and has no interest in seeing the future development of the setting through the eyes of a new character. And that's fair.
There is an important distinction between "player-driven" and "character-driven" campaigns that isn't talked about often enough. They have lots in common, but the greatest difference lies in the fate of a character. Both share a lot of engagement in worldbuilding, but with different motivations. In player-driven sandboxes, the players want to explore the setting; characters can (but don't have to) be expandable. In character-driven sandboxes, the players want to explore their characters. Losing a character, especially not on their terms, is the equivalent of watching the whole world burn down without any influence or agency.
I wish you the best and that your campaign gets back on its feet.
In a Corny Groń OSR campaign I'm running, three characters died in the first dungeon, and the party went all out about making it meaningfull - basicly their first most important goal was to bury their dead and to grief properly for their misfortunes. It allowed them to bond more, befriend a goat and name it after one of the dead characters, and put one of the players to the path towards some sort of cleric class for performing an inspiring inpromptu burial and moving the hearts of their fellow adventurers. They are now going to a temple collecting new intensions for their prayer song to not only mourn their friends but also anyone willing to help their couse! Great fun, and absolutly organic course of events!
First of all, sorry for your loss. This can be a tough spot. I can fully relate to your situation, but also your player’s situation. We still haven't figured out what to do with our Coriolis game after the campaign finished and some PCs found their end (even as they did on their own terms). For one player, it was all about that character; and that story is told. He is satisfied and has no interest in seeing the future development of the setting through the eyes of a new character. And that's fair.
There is an important distinction between "player-driven" and "character-driven" campaigns that isn't talked about often enough. They have lots in common, but the greatest difference lies in the fate of a character. Both share a lot of engagement in worldbuilding, but with different motivations. In player-driven sandboxes, the players want to explore the setting; characters can (but don't have to) be expandable. In character-driven sandboxes, the players want to explore their characters. Losing a character, especially not on their terms, is the equivalent of watching the whole world burn down without any influence or agency.
I wish you the best and that your campaign gets back on its feet.
In a Corny Groń OSR campaign I'm running, three characters died in the first dungeon, and the party went all out about making it meaningfull - basicly their first most important goal was to bury their dead and to grief properly for their misfortunes. It allowed them to bond more, befriend a goat and name it after one of the dead characters, and put one of the players to the path towards some sort of cleric class for performing an inspiring inpromptu burial and moving the hearts of their fellow adventurers. They are now going to a temple collecting new intensions for their prayer song to not only mourn their friends but also anyone willing to help their couse! Great fun, and absolutly organic course of events!