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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

Thanks SS. This is very much intended to be at the "metagaming" level. To encourage postive metagaming by the players. Effective' date=' 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.[/quote']

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

Very nice.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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' date=' not the players) - comedy value, and possibly even growth potential.[/quote']

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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

[RDU Neil]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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

[stitches]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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

[ghost-angel]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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.

[RDU Neil]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

When I try to download it' date=' all I get is a file called "attachment.php" which I can't open.[/quote']

 

Sorry... I don't know what to suggest. I'm rather computer illiterate compared to most of you folks.

 

It seems to work fine for most people. I can send you a copy via e-mail if you want.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

I somehow missed this when it originally posted, and I'm regretting it. We started our new campaign at the end of January and could have used this when setting up all the characters.

 

What I like best about this approach is that is focuses on the player, rather than the character. And what the player wants and likes can be summed up before the character is even written and the game played. Most of the character questionaires I've seen can't really be answered in their entirety (or even close to it) until several sessions into the game after the player has gotten a chance to break him in.

 

I might still be able to use this though. I'll be a simple way of getting a concrete understanding of what my players expect from me at least from this point on.

[RDU Neil]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

I somehow missed this when it originally posted, and I'm regretting it. We started our new campaign at the end of January and could have used this when setting up all the characters.

 

What I like best about this approach is that is focuses on the player, rather than the character. And what the player wants and likes can be summed up before the character is even written and the game played. Most of the character questionaires I've seen can't really be answered in their entirety (or even close to it) until several sessions into the game after the player has gotten a chance to break him in.

 

I might still be able to use this though. I'll be a simple way of getting a concrete understanding of what my players expect from me at least from this point on.

 

Might even work better as the game has gone on a bit. We found that certain players could answer every question, while some of us struggled to answer some questions but easily answered others. All of this was good, because it pointed out what the PLAYER was thinking about. It helped the players put words to their unformed expectations. Just what it was supposed to do.

 

IMO, the biggest breakdown of any role playing game (no matter the system) is when the players expectations (including the GM) are so different than the actual play that frustration and anger and general displeasure are the result.

 

Understanding what PLAYERS want out of a game (including the GM) is critical for success in any RPG.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

Understanding what PLAYERS want out of a game (including the GM) is critical for success in any RPG.

 

The English language lacks the words to describe how much I agree with this statement.

[RDU Neil]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

The English language lacks the words to describe how much I agree with this statement.

 

Yeah... funny how this is often completely overlooked in traditional RPG design and setup.

 

As to the cover sheet, I purposefully kept it brief and on one page... but for a second page, I'd thought the best thing would be...

 

"Please describe a scene that you would feel "perfect for this character" if it happened in a game."

 

This could generate write-ups like "I see him up to his neck in the swamp, clutching his rifle and remaining hidden beneath a jungle plant as an enemy patrol passes within a few feet of him, never knowing he is there!"

 

or

 

"She flits through the party, all smiles and cheek kisses in a sea of the rich and decadent. Bare shouldered in a red silk dress, everyone can't help but watch her... man or woman they are drawn to her beauty, grace and charm."

 

 

Whatever it might be... such "scenes" can truly indicate the hopes of the player to be fulfilled in a game. If the first player finds himself in a game about military conspiracies and never gets to go jungle stalking... or the second player finds herself on the run and never gets to shine among the illuminati... well the players are going to be dissappointed. Without such scene description, the GM or even the players themselves, may not have a clue WHY they are disappointed.

[Zeropoint]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

I'm going to consider that the official second page.

 

Oh, and: repped.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

I too missed this first time around - thanks all! I've added a "When is your character out of his/her element?" question as suggested. This will get used very soon...

[Dust Raven]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

Yeah... funny how this is often completely overlooked in traditional RPG design and setup.

 

As to the cover sheet, I purposefully kept it brief and on one page... but for a second page, I'd thought the best thing would be...

 

"Please describe a scene that you would feel "perfect for this character" if it happened in a game."

 

This could generate write-ups like "I see him up to his neck in the swamp, clutching his rifle and remaining hidden beneath a jungle plant as an enemy patrol passes within a few feet of him, never knowing he is there!"

 

or

 

"She flits through the party, all smiles and cheek kisses in a sea of the rich and decadent. Bare shouldered in a red silk dress, everyone can't help but watch her... man or woman they are drawn to her beauty, grace and charm."

 

 

Whatever it might be... such "scenes" can truly indicate the hopes of the player to be fulfilled in a game. If the first player finds himself in a game about military conspiracies and never gets to go jungle stalking... or the second player finds herself on the run and never gets to shine among the illuminati... well the players are going to be dissappointed. Without such scene description, the GM or even the players themselves, may not have a clue WHY they are disappointed.

 

A great second page, and something I've already added.

[Storn]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

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.

 

Bump because its good and it came up in a discussion elsewhere between myself and another forum.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Character Cover Sheet

 

Might even work better as the game has gone on a bit. We found that certain players could answer every question, while some of us struggled to answer some questions but easily answered others. All of this was good, because it pointed out what the PLAYER was thinking about. It helped the players put words to their unformed expectations. Just what it was supposed to do.

 

IMO, the biggest breakdown of any role playing game (no matter the system) is when the players expectations (including the GM) are so different than the actual play that frustration and anger and general displeasure are the result.

 

Understanding what PLAYERS want out of a game (including the GM) is critical for success in any RPG.

Missed this when it was posted... couldn't agree more.

 

One thing I've found with my characters is there is a difference between the first session they are played in, and subsequent sessions where the character comes to life through action.

 

Often times I have one vision of how the character works/thinks and it turns out in play they do somethings quite differently. I don't know how many others have this.