There is much more involved in playing the tabletop roleplaying game. Rules, improv, i drama-When it all starts with the player (or PC) feature. It can be scary trying to create a new character for An RPG game, especially the rainy people I've never done it before. Here are a few helpful tips from the game of technology to get things moving and avoid common pitfalls.
We talked with James D & # 39; Amato, One Shot RPG podcast host and author of Ultimate Guide to RPG Character Backstory, about how to successfully build a game character. You have a few tips on how to get started, what mistakes to avoid, and most importantly: Why it's important to keep your character interchangeable. Below are a few of her suggestions.
1. Start Each: Mathematics or Story
There are many ways to create an RPG character, but they often fall into two main elements: math and story. Math is a nitty-gritty number that determines things like how strong a character is in the body, how far he can go in a single move, and whether he is skilled in locks, lying, or magic. The story includes individual things: the character's name, where they come from, their religious or political beliefs, whether they like soup or salad.
“I think there are a lot of people who can come to this game from behind the scenes. The person who deals the most with the character and the story. Feel free to write a few pages of RPG character backstory before putting on a dice, ”says D & # 39; "But there are some people who may have come from video games and have a solid background in understanding game systems — and where they fit into a work-related role — based on their mechanics."
According to D & # 39; Amato, it's best to first pay attention to one of these things and use it to influence the other. If you have a lot of experience with storytelling, create a personal story of a person and find out what kind of hunter, monster hunter, or other that fits into that idea. If you love me and the numbers are a great place to start, build up some of your character's stats and use them to build up the narrative. In both cases, you may have to make adjustments to get to a happy state, but that usually produces a claim for a few characters that will challenge you in this game.
2. Don't make a Superhero
We all want to be a strong warrior who attacks the great beast but has created the character who is already “The Greatest American Hero” who is in danger of putting your baby in the corner. D & # 39; Amato gave an example of a strong, high-ranking soldier who left the army because he did not believe in the cause again: This character is already here the way you are very knowledgeable about starting their first quest, so there is very little room for growth or change. Also, it can be boring to play a real good character in something, but with practice you can't do it because they aren't a high-end PC at the moment.
“In the first edition, you're playing a Level 1. character so your character doesn't really show the real feeling your background wants to have. You may hear the confusion of, & # 39; Oops, I thought this was a really cool hero, but I'm kind of a dumb start right now, & # 39; ”He said.
Amato recommends making sure your character's backstory reflects the level they start. If they are a Level One character, either make them squire instead of a knight, or they are witches locked in their mage's college for practicing the forbidden magic teach themselves the art of magic. Not only does this break in the living room to shape the character in all your moments, but it also provides opportunities for the game manager (aka GM) to emulate.
"You don't always have to let the system tease your storytelling, but you know where to start this story and what human frame is in it because it will help you match the real gaming experience with what you expect the character to look for," adds D& # 39;
3. How Much Is Backstory? Ask your GM!
This is one of the most difficult questions in character building: How much do you write in advance? Category, page, book? Anything else? D & # 39; Amato suggested they look at your GM as they please. As the game begins and ends with them, it's good to know how much information they would like to have ahead of time for world building and how much they would like to complete on their own. This is especially true when working with a new GM, as they may still see these things for themselves.
“There are some Game Masters who will be very happy to read pages and pages in the backstory and create their own unique world and collaborate with you on this. And there are other Game Masters, who will prepare for all this information and they are like, & # 39; Well, I'll record it maybe? Because I want this to happen at the table, & # 39;
The important thing is to make sure that the profile includes the following: where they come from; some people they knew in their life before embarking on an adventure; and how past experiences inform what they believe about the world. It may seem daunting but it can be a great creative endeavor, and D & # 39; Amato emphasized the importance to spend time alone to explore the character. If you choose to make a long backstory, make sure that GM is able to access it and keep other players informed of the details that will help them understand your character – even if their stuff their characters may not know. Speaking of …
4. Do Not Keep The Secret Of Secrets
D & # 39; Amato says that one of the most common mistakes players can make in making characters is giving them secrets — not because the secrets themselves are bad, but because they actually keep them secret from anyone else. The problem with this is that it separates you and the other players in a way that they do not know, stops GMs and players from engaging in that secret in fun ways, and making "shock" produce less impact.
"If you defend the secret well, no one else at the table knows what's going on so they didn't bother to look. So when you reveal the secret, it's like, & # 39; Ah, I think that was a fun thing. you to hear about the game but it doesn't affect my character now, & # 39;
He said it was perfectly okay for the characters to have secrets but said they should tell other players and GM about them ahead of time. This means that the players are aware but the characters do not know, which allows the characters to extract and attract the player with the object they are hiding under the face. Also, it makes a great presentation (if it is) interesting.
5. & # 39; Play Change & # 39;
When asked what his biggest piece of advice was for new characters, he said: “Play to change.” This means realizing that the character you are performing can and may not surprise you in ways you didn't expect, as long as you stay consistent. He said that it is important for human character to have a place of growth and change because the story is not just about you – they were not created to change the world, the world is meant to change them. D & # 39; Amato explained to io9 for more details:
I think most people like to start serving iconic heroes; the heroes remain silent while the world around them moves. For those heroes – I mean people like Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman – these are characters who are very defined in their qualities and can be put in different stories. By their actions, they will change the world around them … but they themselves do not feel challenged or changed because that is not their story. In a play, it can mean a lot to how the world is changing.
For me Ultimate Gameplay Guide book, I advise people to & # 39; play to change. & # 39; Look for areas of your character's story that you can allow to grow and evolve, while staying true to the circumstances of his basic character. Allowing your character to evolve, and imagine who that character is in his story and the people around him, is a creative endeavor because he contributes to the care and attention of a single story that is your character's story.
If this has prompted you to create a new character, or you have a previous character you are proud of, leave a comment and tell us about it. Stay tuned for more games coverage in the coming weeks.
For more, be sure to follow us on Instagram @io9dotcom.
Table of Contents
