Making Your Character - Some Useful Advice

(This may seem long, but if this is your first time playing, please at least read the beginning!)

SO you want to make yourself a character! There are a lot of ways to go about this, and almost anyone you ask will give you a different answer as to how they make characters. This is meant to be a fairly general set of suggestions, and I tried to encompass lots of different options at every step.

Making a character can be very simple, or it can be an incredibly complex and epic thing--it's up to you how much work you want to put into it. In my experience, the more you put into a game, the more you get out of it, and making a deep and dynamic character is a good way to do that! So, without further ado:

PRELUDE: What is your character?

Your character is who you are going to play in the upcoming game! Often times, this character will be written for you, but for this particular game, your character is up to you. Your character has a background, personality, relationships with others, and goals to fulfill!

STEP ONE: Concept

To begin with, you need a basic concept the character will be centered around. You can find a concept in any number of ways--some characters are based on a dramatic piece of backstory, some are inspired by an archetype, and some are inspired by existing fictional characters. It's entirely up to you! I often sit down and look at the kinds of characters I've played recently, and try to think of something I haven't played before, because I like pushing myself!

Once you have your central concept, you can begin coming up with more specifics about how your character got that way. At this point I often look to my group background and the world background, and find ways to tie my character into existing structures in the setting. This leads right into:

STEP TWO: Background and Relationships

Flesh out your character's backstory! Where did they grow up? Was their childhood pleasant? How much schooling did they get? Were there particularly significant events in your character's life?

One common way of backstorying is to come up with a single pivotal moment in your character's life, such as the death of a lover, a falling-out with a sibling, an exile, something like that. This often ties into your character concept, and explains how your character got that way.

An important part of your character background is how they came to be a part of whatever PC team you're in. Hand-in-hand with this are their relationships with the other characters. You are strongly encouraged to contact your fellow players prior to the game and come up with complex character relationships. You can also have relationships with characters outside of your team--perhaps an archrival or ex-lover elsewhere? Pre-established relationships are a great way to set up drama for in-game craziness!

If you have questions about specifics of the setting, or aren't sure who's in your group, drop a line to Jaron, or his aide-de-camp, Quinn! They'll be more than happy to give you neat setting details that will help give you a more solid backstory.

STEP THREE: Psychology and Goals

What is your character trying to achieve? What are their current goals? These can vary from broad abstract ideas (they want to prove their own self-worth) to the material (they want to get rich) to the very direct (they want to beat up [total loserface] for killing their father). Giving your character a strong and active goal is a very easy way to give yourself a better experience in game!

There's also no reason not to have multiple goals--perhaps even some contradictory ones! Nothing like a conflicted character to keep things interesting.

This is often a good time to work out how your character thinks and views the world. Don't be afraid to make a character with a very different worldview from your own--push yourself! An important aspect of internal psychology is your character's self-image. Are they arrogant? Do they have low self-esteem?

Another good way to make your character interesting here is to give them some serious flaws. Do they snap at people when stressed? Do they secretly hate everyone? Are they only with the people they are because they're scared of being alone? A good flaw or two can make for a much more complex and realistic character.

STEP FOUR: Details and Such

From here on out, things are pretty optional. The only non-optional one is ... giving your character a name!

After that, though, it's time to start digging into the minor details. What are their favorite foods? What was their relationship with their parents like? Do they play any instruments? If you feel like a lot of such questions, here is a massive list: http://www.gmpiv.com/Gaming/CharacterSurvey.html

Another fun aspect of characterization is the physical side. Work out how your character moves, fights, and talks. Think of what aspects of their backstory or way of thinking would result in interesting vocal quirks or physical tics, and experiment with various forms thereof!

If you still want to explore your character more, there are some fun ways to do so! Try drawing a picture of your character, or writing as them. Do they write poetry? Write some of it! Or perhaps write a few days' worth of journal entries for them (or a few hours of tweets). Here's a fun thing to do--get together with a friend, and roleplay out a scene between your two characters set prior to game. This will both help you find your character's voice, and help establish your relationship with the other character!

Have fun with writing! Good luck!

+Sunshine