Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

[Boll Weevil]

Hya.

I was wondering if anyone has played (or would play) in a game using pre-generated characters supplied by the GM. I think this would be a great opportunity for a) new players to jump into a character and test drive the system and for someone who only ever gets to GM to dust off some character beloved character sheets and breathe new life into some old characters. Oh sure, you could just use them as NPCs in a game but players HATE this. Just curious.

[Burrito Boy]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I'd play with pre-generated characters for a couple of reasons. 1. I'm lazy and playing a pre-generated character would save me a lot of work. 2. I'd play just about anything at this point.

[JmOz]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

Depends on how long the game will run, If it is a single or double session type of thing sure (Con games for instance). For mid rnd (4--10 games), I might if I want to learn about the world before making a character, beyond that I would want my own.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I'd be more likely to do so if one or more of the following conditions is true:

1. Rookie GM. He can make characters that he understands and that won't throw him curveballs.

2. A one-shot or con game. Kind of a 'duh' here, you don't bring your own characters to a con.

3. (more like 2a) The GM has built characters modeled off another source, like home-brew Avengers, and is running a game in an established universe.

 

In any event, I probably wouldn't want to do so for very long.

[concord]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

outside of conventions, I personally have never used pre-generated characters...

 

in the Wardens campaign there are several NPCs that folks who were interested in the game but wanted a test run have used...

 

there were four girlfriends of players who were tired of being RPG widows and wanted to test the waters... over a period of a few months, they all played the same NPC... the character ended up getting a rep for having big mood swings...

 

it was a good introduction as they did not have to worry about coming up with a character, they could just join in when they showed up... in the end 3 of the 4 created their own characters and became regular players in the campaign...

[RexMundi]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

Actually, My current 6e games I am running, are All with Pre-generated characters. So as for playing in a game with a Pre Gen, sure. I'm a Role Player, that's a role.

 

~Rex

[Boll Weevil]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

Aye, some good points here. Firstly, since my gaming group dried up years ago I could only ever do it on, say, HeroCentral. There, even a one-off game takes a long time...a really long time

CrossHairCollie you make an excellent point about rookie GMs. If I ran a game using my characters you can rest assured there would be no or limited Cosmic Power Pools (oops, showing my age)...VPP or intensive martial arts fighting. Play by post and Hero Designer together help a LOT but nothing breaks the fourth wall better than a GM having to leaf through the rulebook calculating Active Point totals and having characters use maneuvers I have never heard of.

[RexMundi]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I'll also add, that making my groups play with Pregens, has been a good way, to get people to break out of certain molds, step up, and raise the bar. It also has "fixed" a lot of issues, as it lets the GM design what is needed for the team, so that they are a Team. Not just a collection. Besides, Pregen or Not, once that first point of spent XP goes on that character, it's Theirs.

 

~Rex

[Boll Weevil]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

Agreed. I would also love to watch the aforementioned dusty beloved characters played by someone else to see what they come up with...the RPG equivalent to watching Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger play the same character onscreen.

[RexMundi]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

That was one of the points I made to a few of my snobby players that feel they were "To Good, and wouldn't feel Invested, in Playing something they didn't Create." Now, they are sold solid on the characters they got, AND, they had to draw Envelopes as well, so no one knew just what they were getting.

 

~Rex

[Bloodstone]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I've had a lot of fun playing pregen characters and would gladly do it again.

 

Heck, the first half dozen D&D characters I ever played were pregenerated and I had a blast with them. I played one of those characters with 2 separate DM's, in two different game worlds and over a period of about 6 years... actually, may have been more like 7 years now that I think on it. Started him in Jr High and was still playing in that game in Highschool...

 

Anyhow, it doesn't always work out, but the same can be said of characters I've designed...

[RexMundi]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I will admit, after as many decades as I have been playing RPG's. I have made some truly Craptastic Characters.

 

~Rex

[Rapier]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

For me, you are basically asking (and I'll make a stretch with my analogy this time) Emeril (or one of the Iron Chefs, perhaps) to eat some Stouffer's frozen meals. Rather high opinion of myself, neh?

 

For a short term deal (like a convention) I would have no problems with pregens. But I tend to run into a couple of main sticking points for most pregens.

 

1) Build theory is very different for each person. How a GM designs a character may not be how you would like to play the character.

2) I'm a control freak.

 

But that is not to say that it's impossible. My current character was pseudo-pregen. I built a basic character and the GM added my super powers. I was then allowed to tweak those powers so they fit my vision of the character and my playstyle.

 

I also believe that I'm kind of an odd man out in this case. I believe most people would have no problems with pregens. I think that pregens are even a good idea in many cases.

 

Just, as a rule, not for me!

[Boll Weevil]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

For me' date=' you are basically asking (and I'll make a stretch with my analogy this time) Emeril (or one of the Iron Chefs, perhaps) to eat some Stouffer's frozen meals. Rather high opinion of myself, neh? )[/quote']

Ha! Nice. I like the analogy! And the Secret Ingredient this week...Chef Boyardee!!

For me, sharpening my pencil and carving out a character is the fun part. I could see how others, especially teh noobs would feel differently.

 

 

OK, how about I take my question a point further. Let's say the character sheet is pre-gen but the origin and back story are left open? You would need to write this part of the character yourself. Does that change anyone's interest?

[Nevelon]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

Pre-gens are also good if you have different levels of players. My group has a mix of munchin power-gamers and people with a fuzzy grasp of the mechanics. Even on the same point scale, the characters are on vastly different levels. Pre-gens also ensure that all the characters fit the world. I've seen a lot of cool characters made that just didn't work in the setting. Sometimes it's the GM not communicating clearly what he wants. They also help with toe-stepping and party balance. If you make a super-strong brick, and find that someone else casually bought their strength higher then yours, you might be a little bitter.

[Ice9]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

For a one-shot or a short miniseries game, sure. For a longer campaign, I'd need a very good reason to. With a new DM, I'm happy to make a fairly "straightforward" character, but I'd still prefer to make it myself.

 

Part of it is that I like making characters, have a lot of ideas for characters, and only get to use a handful of them as it is; why would I want to give up one of the few opportunities to try one out? Another is that I like a character with a certain amount of tactical and strategic versatility, and many pregens don't have it.

[Bodkins Odds]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I'd be more likely to do so if one or more of the following conditions is true:

1. Rookie GM. He can make characters that he understands and that won't throw him curveballs.

2. A one-shot or con game. Kind of a 'duh' here, you don't bring your own characters to a con.

3. (more like 2a) The GM has built characters modeled off another source, like home-brew Avengers, and is running a game in an established universe.

 

In any event, I probably wouldn't want to do so for very long.

 

This sums it up rather nicely, I think.

[Gunstar]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

One of the best GM's I've ever played under once did a game with a NBC 'Heroes' theme, in that there was a total world blackout and when everybody woke up there were some people with superpowers. We were told to make our characters sans skills and powers and had to justify why we would all be on the same bus to Reno.

 

He had 6 envelopes filled with 6 power sets each and we rolled dice to pick which envelope we got. We opened the envelope and picked one of the 6 power sets to finish out our characters.

 

With the bus totaled after the driver passed out, we had to hitch-hike into Reno--Grond picked us up in a 1976 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight and it just got better from there.

 

I like stretching the ole role-playing skills when your're challenged with a pre-gen character.

[csyphrett]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

all of my experiences with pregens have been bad. Unless its a one shot, no.

CES

[Cygnia]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

Depends on the GM; depends on the game; depends on if I'm allowed to have any input on the character or not.

 

(Obviously, exceptions are made for con games)

[pinecone]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

At a Con? no prob....for a game I'm going to come back to? No, not for me .....

[Matt Holck]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

write your own characters

I've got plot hooks and villains to write

I expect the players to contribute to the game

 

yah sure, I'll play a Pregen

can I rewrite it?

I'm good with brawlers

Anyway, the challenge could be interesting

[WarriorKnight]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I have gm'ed games with & played pregens.My current FASA Star Trek game I wrote up the characters & added some background & the Players fleshed out the crew.Some of my long term players at frist grumbled but went along & tryed it.Now they ask me when I'm going to run the next game.(which they didn't with my old Trek game that they wrote their characters up for.)

I also had an ex-girlfriend who came up with a game she called "Storm World",in which we wrote up a 50pt character & she wrote up our powers.As the game went we found out what we were(I was the brick & I became the 1st villian in the game.).I found out my powers when a crook tried to rob the bar I worked at.We had a blast with that game for a couple years until real life intruded.

[wick]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I am a new GM to Champions and I made a few pregens A. for practice using the system and B. Becuase if I get new players it is tough for me to explain how to make characters. If I can get experience players I will allow them to make their own with the stipulation not to take advantage of my inexperience.

[Lucius]

Re: Would you play a game with pre-generated characters?

 

I had a surprisingly good experience playing Amphibion (who I think was actually a published character from Vibora Bay.)

 

So I have to say, it's not my first choice, but I don't necessarily have a problem with it.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary suggests a regenerated character