How do you make your character?

Community Larp discussion
#1

[quote=“amphigori”]I knew one thing: Set in the 1930s, and came up with a suitable character for the era.

My character creation always starts with a personality and background, and then I look at the rules. So in this case I did the background on the hopes that when the rules come out I’ll be able to apply them to my character. :slight_smile:[/quote]

[quote=“Aiwe”]I usually start with rules because they make the base of personality. I’ll check the overall settings, the combat system, the healing system, the alchemy with ingredients, the unhuman races, the nobles-retainers, the science. Those are my main points of interest, and depending on how they are presented in that particular larp and in relation to its settings I’ll choose what I like most and make the concept, then on that concept will build a personality.

1930s seems like a great opportunity for a lady to be a scientist of a sort, or an explorer, but if I decide that the combat system looks very attractive to me I may go for an adventurer instead.[/quote]

Stuff above is posted in chronological order, came in the last few days. That got me curious as I suddenly discovered other people make characters not the same way I do, and I wanna know more. Please share your ideas :smiley:

If my curiosity is not enough reason for you to bother exhausting your fingers with typing then please treat this as part of “helping new people adjust to larping” experience exchange tutorial program :smiling_imp:

#2

Generally (and I say this having only played three Larp characters), I wait for the rules system to be published. I then read through the rules very thoroughly, until my brain goes ding (actual “ding” sounds sold separately). This usually means my brain has located a rule, mechanic, skill, or combination thereof, that I think will be an appropriate combination interesting, challenging and fun to play. The “coolness” factor, concept uniqueness, and opportunities for RP/player interaction are also considerations.

Then I’ll develop the character’s attitudes, behaviours, secret hopes/dreams/goals, the face he presents to the public (and that he presents to his friends if that’s different), worldview etc…

Alongside this, I start applying maths to the starting XP, and carefully eke out the optimal configuration to enable that character concept … although I usually try and through a few “flavour” skills/items (i.e. things that may be less useful, or may require extra creativity to be useful) in with my initial purchases as well, so as a) not to be too munchkinly, and b) so as to keep things interesting, and make a more fleshed out character.

At this point, with my character in a “today” state, I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be), and start generating the character’s backstory - i.e. how did he reach his “today” state.

Then I submit it to the GMs and hope/pray that I’m not trying to push either backstory or game mechanics too far :slight_smile: The Chrono Continuum people will know what I’m talking about …

#3

Hmmmm I am very much a concept or idea first type of player, whether it’s one or 2 features or a more complete character idea. I start there, and then sure things can change when I read the rules system but I generally find my original idea sticks with some tweaks. I may even have a couple of character ideas floating around and pick the one I like the best at this stage.

Once I have that base down I start to do things like, look at potential hooks for GMs, fleshing out a background and putting in flaws. All of my characters are flawed in some way, to me that is just more fun to play. I try to put myself into my characters head and think of different scenarios and how my character would react. And I also like to look at personality traits, a lot of us find that the same traits keep popping up in every character we play, so I try and twist those up a bit and concentrate on having some of these different for every character.

And then finally is the first game, this is where you really find how the character plays and whether it is fun or not, and whether he/she would really react the way you imagined.

#4

The importance of this can’t be underestimated, I think … if Lyle Gruff hadn’t proved to be enjoyable to play, I was ready to ditch him with little hesitation. Whether I achieved this by having him decide to leave town, or by getting himself killed, I hadn’t thought ahead about, but I don’t do LARP to have a OOC-miserable time.

As it turned out, good Mr. Gruff is going to be very fun …

#5

For many games, rules also provide the setting information, so creating a character independent of reading rulesbooks often means redefining concepts to fit setting. So normally its read rules, develop a concept and then see how the rules support this concept. This is how Darnon (Wolfgangs) was created, of course the original character idea didn’t survive game 1. Darnon had 9 pages describing the character from birth to the first game he featured in.
Or sometimes its take a interesting mechanic and then design a concept based on that, which is what I did for Chrono Continuum - Nick Mittwock. I took fire magic and linked it to a firestarter/hulk/spiderman type lab accident concept and then built the character.

For Teonn, setting information was provided for long before the rules were a reality. I had created the Grey Cloaks concept (in broad terms) long before there was much more than the intro pages on the website. Shard however was about my 3rd character idea. First was an Ovidian created against my characters will. The next was an Elven fighter type. Then the rules came out and the elves of Teonn did not fit my concept AT ALL. My next idea was a Morhkin fighter path with fast healing and this was purely character built for survivability. In short it was a munchkin character and didn’t fit my grey cloak concept very well. And hence it was discarded. Then I asked if I could play a half elf. I wanted to play something non human but reflected my costuming resources.

All my characters have full backgrounds. From an early age to current events. I put in several major life events, complete with significant lists of people of importance, family, friends, relatives and enemies. Anything to create some plot hooks. Flaws, tragedy, misfortune, anything to mark a character is also included. Flaws mark characters with a degree of humanity and of beliveability.

The difference for Teonn is that I actively sought inter-player plot hooks. Darnon had links to Ragnall. Shard has backstory links to about 8 other characters, some of which were explored in game, some of which simply didn’t have a chance to develop but the potential is there.

We’ll also be seeing Regulus Bain (Patch) again too. Got to love those reocurring enemies. Its nice to know that something I wrote is going to come back and haunt us all again!

Edit: You should also chose a character you actually want to play. Having fun is important. But don’t get too hung up if your character idea suddenly gets turned on its head… evolving a character is all part of the adventure.

#6

I’ll put this motto on my coat of arms!
I had a number of characters that turned out to be completely different from what I expected. That includes my very first Wolfgang character whom I abandonned after first game, and if I didn’t do so there would be no Gypsies in Wolfgang :smiling_imp:

That’s why I crew. I got the idea straight away that I wanted to be a pirate, but was told they are full and no more vacancies on ship available. Then so many new groups started appearing that I got lost, was actually considering Grey Cloaks, but without rules couldn’t get any clear idea, so I took the easy path of crewing :smiley:

Note the “I wrote” and “haunt us all” parts :smiling_imp: No wonder they say those Grey Cloaks are troublemakers, lol.

#7

[quote=“Aiwe”]

Note the “I wrote” and “haunt us all” parts :smiling_imp: No wonder they say those Grey Cloaks are troublemakers, lol.[/quote]

I actually feel fairly chuffed that the GM’s have included my plot into games. Makes me feel like it was worth it going to such depth and effort. Its a great reward to the player just to feel recognised and even better to know my insane ideas have contributed to the game.

#8

For me it’s not so much about knowing the rules before having a character concept, but I like to know the setting and the playstyle first. Creating characters in a vacuum can result in them not integrating with the game well, which can leave you twiddling your thumbs during the game.

To give an example, my concept for Peter deGrey at Wolfgang was an ageing squire who had never been made knight for various unfair reasons (the masters he served kept dying before they knighted him). This is a “Cinderalla” concept, a talented but underappreciated character who deserves better than life has given, which is a classic starting point for a character because the only direction is up. I figured I may find a PC knight during the game and serve as their squire, which would make for a fun dynamic especially if he was young and inexperienced. As it turned out there were no real knights present, and I got promoted to battle leader despite my protestations that I was only a squire, and then was knighted by the church. All interested twists on an idea that could have turned out different ways.

As for the rules - I enjoy fighting, so I gave my character good equipment and high durability so I could get to last a long time in combat. Plus healing so he could demonstrate his strong faith through effective prayer. I also took literacy, which gave me the unusual characteristic of being a literate warrior and also allowed me to take copious notes on the various mysteries in the game, because I enjoy problem-solving play too. So I approach the rules from the perspective of maximising the potential for my character to engage in the type of play I might enjoy in a given game. That often means they’ve quite effective, which suits most heroic settings, but I’ll happily play a intentionally impractical character for a change occaisionally if it suits a game.

#9

I read the “rules” only far enough to get a feel for the setting and tone of the game; I ignore the nitty-gritty mechanics of combat/healing/spellcasting or whatever for pretty much as long as I can (they are, after all, not the fun part of role playing). Mostly what drives my character creation is “what would be fun to play in this situation?” I have one character who has been translated into pretty much every system I’ve ever played - sometimes with enough system-necessary changes that it might not be obvious to anyone but me - but for the most part each game seems to call for someone different. I get a concept of my character as of game-time, and then work backwards to fill in details of her life and everything that has made her the person she is. I especially like flaws and disadvantages and finding reasons for those to exist. Why does this vampire have the selective digestion she does? Why does this woman hate men? By the same token, I try only to take advantages and abilities which can also be explained, not necessarily the most “useful” mechanically. Usually this results in pretty well-rounded, realistic characters, who aren’t necessarily the very very best at whatever, and who are just squishy enough to be mindful of their own mortality.

I don’t often get hung up on the physical appearance (unless that’s somehow important to the backstory and/or personality, as it has been a couple of times) until I’ve played 20 questions with my character and there’s nothing else I need to know. At that point it’s usually pretty obvious how they dress and behave (she would never wear a purple dress to this party, she doesn’t bother fixing her hair, she always has red fingernails, etc.). Then the only hard part is scouring the internets for an appropriate face to match my image if the gm wants them. Also music: I hate it when I’m asked to come up with theme music. I know my character inside and out, but that doesn’t mean I can find the one song out of the zillions out there that fits her.

#10

Firstly, I skip over the magic because who want’s to play a mage right?

Then I look at things like healing, apothocary and armouring, and try to convince my friends to take those skills, so I can be healed and fixed up. :smiley:

Then I look at all the “instant kill” skills like sap, sleep and charm and I try to purchase immunity to them, because they suck.

Then I buy the biggest shield I can.

And with whatever points I have left over, I get a weapon and maybe some armour.

Then I think of a mental illness or anti-social stereotype and base my character around it.

Then I paint my shield (this is important so you look good in photos).

:smiley:

#11

I generally try and find a fictional or real life character that interests me, take the parts of him that I like, then I add small bits and pieces from other characters or people that I like, parts that I think would fit into the character, and the occasional reference to something to do with my life. That usually forms the base of my characters.
Then I have a look at the skills, see what the character would have, modify a few bits and pieces if I think a skill would be suited, and that’s usually the first draft.
Fleshing out the character fully, and getting the character set in stone is usually a fun and slightly complex process goes from there…

#12

Haha, next time count me in for that, I love Healing and Apothecary :smiley: Especially when it involves dealing with many ingredients, spices, vials, little pots and cups, and cooking it all on a tiny fire.

So true 8) And the hat is important too.

#13

If I can, I brainstorm with friends about character ideas. When we find ones that we all like, or could see working together, we attempt to create some shared backstory that we’re all happy with. Once that’s done we each get down to the details of our characters.

Whether that happens or I’m creating a character by myself, the process usually goes as follows:

Bring up character sheet that contains the following details:

[ul][li]Name:[/li]
[li]Age: (rough human age equivalent)[/li]
[li]Gender: (probably doesn’t apply for larp characters, but does in many other RP situations)[/li]
[li]Race/Species: (if applicable to the game)[/li]
[li]Physical Description:[/li]
[li]Personality: (a few descriptive adjectives or phrases)[/li]
[li]Interests: (game-relevant)[/li]
[li]Goals: (long, medium, and short-term)[/li]
[li]Game-relevant info: (class, abilities, items, w/e)[/li]
[li]Background: (about 1 page, sometimes more depending on how old they are/what they’ve done/game description limits)[/li][/ul]
Where I start on this list depends on what sort of idea the character started as. It usually revolves around the phrase “I want to play someone like this (insert trait x here)” and builds from there in a way that I think is most suitable or I will have the most fun with. I usually write down points or aspects as I think them up, then expand on them later to incorperate them, e.g. “character x has painful past memory”, and I’ll write a painful past memory when I come up with one that’s suitable for the character.

I always make sure I write a decent amount of history. This is because, as a GM, it’s usually easier to incorperate what a player has written into their past as an aspect of the game, than try and come up with your own reasons for herding them towards your plot goal. Therefore I always write a history that I want to revisit as that character.

#14

[quote=“Tetrajak”]Gender: (probably doesn’t apply for larp characters, but does in many other RP situations)
[/quote]

Cross-dressing is fun :blush:

#15

[quote=“Jared”]Got to love those reocurring enemies. Its nice to know that something I wrote is going to come back and haunt us all again!

[/quote]

Isn’t it though… :slight_smile:

I take a fairly hybrid approach to creating a character. I find it really hard to just create someone out of whole cloth. Just because there are so many options. I have to know something about the setting and then something about the current history.

I’ll often discuss ideas with other people.

In Teonn my character started simply when Hannah asked if I wanted to play a character married to her. Then I (or we? I can’t remember) came up with the Teonn Travelling Troupe. And then ideas went from there. And then the rules came out and that sparked off many other ideas, but largely because the rules give clues about the implied background of the world.

I generally don’t base my characters around rules.

In fact, I’ll sometimes try to take a skill or rule and make it useless to my character. Or twist it in some way. Finding interesting ways to NOT munchkin can be fun. And sometimes these things some back to bite you in new and interesting ways…

Most GMs are willing to be flexible with some skills or rules, so long as you aren’t trying to game the system.

Anyway, I definitely want to play someone I enjoy playing. Even if they are unpleasant in some way, YOU are the champion for your character. There’s always a reason. Maybe they don’t KNOW the reason, but you can. And therefore know how they would act in situations.

As others have said, the first game is the test of a character. You have to work out if they will be fun, if you can play them as expected, or if the changes that happen are suitable or liked. It’s only in reaction to what’s going on around you that you realise if your character is solidly in your bones.

#16

This is very true and in the end the most important thing. Most of the characters I have created I have enjoyed but there have been one or two where I’ve played a game and gone, “Huh. Well. That was really average.”

I do need a setting. If I hadn’t known Teonn had elementals I wouldn’t have been able to create Zephy. I don’t need rules except to finalise things. Very little about Zephy had to change when the rules came out. Most games are going to have some form of fighter, some form of healer, mages of different descriptions (and or religion dependant on setting), so working around rules isn’t usually a terribly difficult thing. I create a fun sounding character and then pick skills that that person might logically have learned based on the backstory.

#17

I consider the themes, mood and setting of a game and then think about how I want to interact with that world. And a lot of that will have to do with what kind of a personality type I’m craving at that moment. Bookish and quiet (shut up Bryn, it could happen), inquisitive and playful, etc … This can often be influenced a little by looking to what I played in the last campaign game I was in and doing something that’s a different flavour than that.

Next I start thinking of interesting/plausible reasons why the character will be coming into the setting - and this is where the background starts to come to life. Why is she here, who does she know, what is she hoping to achieve, what’s she running from, etc … At this point this is when I might start thinking about collaborating with someone.

I think of her mannerisms, dress, country of origin, past relationships, education, occupation and then think in a sort of ‘merits and flaws’ sort of way. What are her good points. What are her bad ones. Is it a likeable character? If not, how will I be useful enough or pleasant enough that it won’t be awful to RP with me? Is she a fighter, or a thinker?

That’s about when I start looking at the rules and seeing what works with the initial character I’ve got going. Often there’s a bit of tweaking if I get inspired by certain skills or traits, but quite often than not the skills I need to suit the character are right there in the rules.

I don’t know how to min/max very well and tend to prefer flavour over everything else, so sometimes I’ll get advice from someone who can look at thing more analytically. And I guess that leads to another discussion - why do you play and what’s your end goal? For me it’s immersing myself wholly and fully into the character and the setting, so getting the personality and history/backstory right is always more paramount than making sure I’ve maxed out my combat abilities or what have you.

That being said now that I’m trying my hand at live combat games my natural inclination in a min/max kinda way is to just dump all my points into whatever gives me the most HP so I can survive and keep playing in the setting. :smiley: