Character Cover Sheet

[RDU Neil]

As part of our ongoing tweaking of play and play styles... I devised this "Character Cover Sheet" as a starting point for group character construction. Instead of jumping straight to points and powers and such... this sheet starts by making the player really think about why they want to play this character... what do they want to get out of the character... why do they think it will be cool to play this character.

All of these questions should be answered within the group dynamic... so that all players share in the creation of the game. (In fact, in the first attempt to use this, I as the GM will create a character right along with the others... as this campaign is intended to allow co-GMing down the line.) The point is to get players more active in the group dynamic... more active in creating story and setting... more active in taking Director stance right from the beginning.

It is very generic (intended) but will likely be used for Hero games... at least at first.

Comments welcome.

[Supreme Serpent]

Neat. Good metagaming version of the various character questionaires floating around. Focusing on "what's the character's place in the game" as opposed to things like "what's their favorite food". Both have their place of course.

[RDU Neil]

Thanks SS. This is very much intended to be at the "metagaming" level. To encourage postive metagaming by the players. Effective, fun role playing comes when a player gets what they want out of a game... and the character is just the conduit. This tries to emphasize that idea right from the beginning.

[Supreme Serpent]

Thanks SS. This is very much intended to be at the "metagaming" level. To encourage postive metagaming by the players. Effective, fun role playing comes when a player gets what they want out of a game... and the character is just the conduit. This tries to emphasize that idea right from the beginning.

Indeed. I've seen plenty of examples of characters built hodge-podge, without a clear concept going into the process. It usually results in a character that's not great at anything, doesn't satisfy the player, and that the GM doesn't really know how to use appropriately. The more that can be done to avoid that sort of outcome, the better.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Very nice.

[Sean Waters]

Excellent. This might well get used pretty soon.....

The only thing I might be tempted to add (if I'd had the idea ) would be 'What does your character NOT want to do/like to do?' - so you can steer the game away from stuff they find boring.

[Supreme Serpent]

Excellent. This might well get used pretty soon.....

The only thing I might be tempted to add (if I'd had the idea ) would be 'What does your character NOT want to do/like to do?' - so you can steer the game away from stuff they find boring.

Or perhaps a "What sort of situations would put this sort of character 'out of their element'?" question. Can still be fun to put people into situations they're not comfortable in (the characters, not the players) - comedy value, and possibly even growth potential.

[RDU Neil]

Or perhaps a "What sort of situations would put this sort of character 'out of their element'?" question. Can still be fun to put people into situations they're not comfortable in (the characters, not the players) - comedy value, and possibly even growth potential.

Remember... from this POV... the player is what is important... not the character. (More and more I'm of the "character doesn't exist" school) so anything on the sheet MUST BE FUN FOR THE PLAYER.

If you put down, "My character is terrified of the Hell of Flying Razors" then what you are saying is "I really want scenes and stories where my character is suffering through the Hell of Flying Razors!"

While it might be important to key in on certain things the player does NOT want to do... that is more likely to come up in game... and hopefully will be avoided by a GM focus on the "kickers" that the player DOES want.

The cover sheet is not about what "fits the character" but "what the player wants." (Yes... this is a very different way of thinking... but an important shift... at least IMO.)

Also critical to recognize that all the questions should lead up to/make it easier to answer the really important question at the end. "Why is this character cool to play?" That is the really important bit.

[ghost-angel]

This is cool. Mind if I steal and host it on my website?

[RDU Neil]

Don't mind. Art is by Storn Cook. I just did layout and wrote the questions.

[stitches]

this is one of the best character questionnaires I've seen yet, because it addresses (at the same time) who the character really is AND how the player wants to play them. I'm sure I'll be using this in the future.

[Storn]

Here is a thread over at the Forge that sets up the idea and then I just posted how our group Chargen session went.

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18398.0

[zornwil]

Well worth a bump, well done, most such things tend to be a bit too detailed, this is a nice high-level look.

PS - I'll take comments over to the Forge.

[Zeropoint]

When I try to download it, all I get is a file called "attachment.php" which I can't open.

[ghost-angel]

Opens fine for me.. it should be a Word DOC.

Reminds me, I never did remember to upload it to my website. I should do that this week.