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So i've been away from the realms for a little while and decided to come back after my buddies dragged me back from the void. The reason I quit before is most likely due to the fact that I never role-played. I had a Human Paladin that looked shockingly similar to myself didn't really have character, he just blended in. It went in cycles: Kill rats, sell pelts, braid vines, focus rune/perc, repeat once weapons drain. My character rarely spoke, and it was just bland all around. This time around I want to try and create a character and not just a robot, it might make me actually stay around longer, who knows, but I want to give it a shot. My first problem is that I just can't think of a character concept that seems valid enough or interesting enough to try out. I started cooking up something at lunch today, a Halfling Warrior mage that travels with his Familiar from town to town, having it do cheap tricks in hopes of winning coppers from passers-by, sort of like musicians do in big cities. My main problem is I have trouble separating myself from my character. Especially when I go to my bi-weekly LARP (also new to me) I find myself reacting personally, not as my character would react. Any tips on how to separate myself from the game. It hasn't been trouble, but I know what it can cause if things start getting personal. I really enjoy the game itself, so I don't want to quit. I'm also looking for help on laying out character concepts. Is there a basic formula or some secret I'm missing, or do I just need to be more creative :). Any help from the community would be greatly appreciated. I've got 14 character slots left and plenty of time to experiment.
Something that might help might be to create a character that different from you, the more different the better. Make him/her completely grumpy or super sweetly nice or hyper. That way you are differentiating between yourself and the character.
You're already one step forward imo; you are recognizing there is a difference. Keep working at it and telling yourself it's not about you, just your character.
Nikpack
The gods are jerks. No, really.
-Armifer
I don't think we ever take the training wheels off as players or gamemasters.
-Inauri
You're already one step forward imo; you are recognizing there is a difference. Keep working at it and telling yourself it's not about you, just your character.
Nikpack
The gods are jerks. No, really.
-Armifer
I don't think we ever take the training wheels off as players or gamemasters.
-Inauri
This'll sound weird but...
Try playing a S'Kra, or a similarly weird-looking race with a unique cultural background. It should be something that doesn't or can't really resemble you. Look up the lore for that race and make a character that differs from you in several key ways, and keep those in mind while you play it.
The idea is to put some distance between your character and yourself to make it easier to draw the line between the two. If your character is nothing like you, right down to their appearance (and yes, this does matter), then it will be easier for you to do that.
In addition, I suggest making friends with some people who are supportive roleplayers and who are also willing to be in conflicts with you. It helps reinforce that level of separation when your character is directing some murderous rage at someone else while you the player are joking around with them in IMs or whatever. It gets you used to conflicting with people where that background support system might not be present.
Rev. Reene
Kssarh says, "She has many talents."
>
Kssarh says, "Some of which can be discussed in public."
Try playing a S'Kra, or a similarly weird-looking race with a unique cultural background. It should be something that doesn't or can't really resemble you. Look up the lore for that race and make a character that differs from you in several key ways, and keep those in mind while you play it.
The idea is to put some distance between your character and yourself to make it easier to draw the line between the two. If your character is nothing like you, right down to their appearance (and yes, this does matter), then it will be easier for you to do that.
In addition, I suggest making friends with some people who are supportive roleplayers and who are also willing to be in conflicts with you. It helps reinforce that level of separation when your character is directing some murderous rage at someone else while you the player are joking around with them in IMs or whatever. It gets you used to conflicting with people where that background support system might not be present.
Rev. Reene
Kssarh says, "She has many talents."
>
Kssarh says, "Some of which can be discussed in public."
>>Something that might help might be to create a character that different from you, the more different the better. Make him/her completely grumpy or super sweetly nice or hyper. That way you are differentiating between yourself and the character.
>>You're already one step forward imo; you are recognizing there is a difference. Keep working at it and telling yourself it's not about you, just your character.
This is good advice.
Here are a few things that might also help that I've used in the past:
1) Think about some of the specifics of the character. What's his favorite food? Color? Does he hate seagulls? Where is his family from? What does he think of X or Y noble? Does he care about history, or does he leave that to the scholars? What would be an ideal vacation for him in the context of DR?
2) Don't overdo the quirks. Be it accent or a penchant for grape juice, there is certainly more to the character than just that. This isn't to say that they can't have a primary focus; just make sure there's something else there, too.
3) If you're not sure where to start, might I recommend reading up on some of the game lore? This is just me, but I'd suggest taking a throw-away character (since you mentioned you've got 14 slots available) and just wander Elanthia a bit for a day or two. Take a look at the room descriptions. Stop by some libraries. Get a feel for different areas of the game.
4) Whether your character is similar to you or very different, make them someone you would find interesting. After all, you're going to be the one playing them! I've come up with a couple of character concepts and I ended up re-rolling them after awhile because they were decent characters, but not great characters for me to play. I recognize that I like to hunt, I like lore stuff, and I don't much want to get bogged down with certain mechanics. As such, it's unlikely that you'll see me play, say, a trader. Play to your strengths!
4) Don't take death too seriously. It's fine if your character does, but recognize that death in DR can be very painless and can in and of itself be an adventure. I try not to get too tied to my character's items or life. If I lose his current sword or festival haversack or whatever, I can always get the new latest and greatest thing. If someone kills me on a whim, I look at it as an experience. Conflict breeds RP, whether it's internal or external. Unless someone is grave-camping you or otherwise harassing you constantly, try to take a step back and take it as an opportunity.
5) Speaking of conflict...don't start getting into it with people without knowing a few things. Check out the following in game: PROFILE, WARN, NEWS 5 15/24/25/34 and any others that may jump out at you. These cover a lot of the main points of PvP policy as well as helpful tools like Profile and Warn that you should be aware of.
I hope that helps a bit, and welcome back!
~player of Gulphphunger
>>You're already one step forward imo; you are recognizing there is a difference. Keep working at it and telling yourself it's not about you, just your character.
This is good advice.
Here are a few things that might also help that I've used in the past:
1) Think about some of the specifics of the character. What's his favorite food? Color? Does he hate seagulls? Where is his family from? What does he think of X or Y noble? Does he care about history, or does he leave that to the scholars? What would be an ideal vacation for him in the context of DR?
2) Don't overdo the quirks. Be it accent or a penchant for grape juice, there is certainly more to the character than just that. This isn't to say that they can't have a primary focus; just make sure there's something else there, too.
3) If you're not sure where to start, might I recommend reading up on some of the game lore? This is just me, but I'd suggest taking a throw-away character (since you mentioned you've got 14 slots available) and just wander Elanthia a bit for a day or two. Take a look at the room descriptions. Stop by some libraries. Get a feel for different areas of the game.
4) Whether your character is similar to you or very different, make them someone you would find interesting. After all, you're going to be the one playing them! I've come up with a couple of character concepts and I ended up re-rolling them after awhile because they were decent characters, but not great characters for me to play. I recognize that I like to hunt, I like lore stuff, and I don't much want to get bogged down with certain mechanics. As such, it's unlikely that you'll see me play, say, a trader. Play to your strengths!
4) Don't take death too seriously. It's fine if your character does, but recognize that death in DR can be very painless and can in and of itself be an adventure. I try not to get too tied to my character's items or life. If I lose his current sword or festival haversack or whatever, I can always get the new latest and greatest thing. If someone kills me on a whim, I look at it as an experience. Conflict breeds RP, whether it's internal or external. Unless someone is grave-camping you or otherwise harassing you constantly, try to take a step back and take it as an opportunity.
5) Speaking of conflict...don't start getting into it with people without knowing a few things. Check out the following in game: PROFILE, WARN, NEWS 5 15/24/25/34 and any others that may jump out at you. These cover a lot of the main points of PvP policy as well as helpful tools like Profile and Warn that you should be aware of.
I hope that helps a bit, and welcome back!
~player of Gulphphunger
>>In addition, I suggest making friends with some people who are supportive roleplayers and who are also willing to be in conflicts with you. It helps reinforce that level of separation when your character is directing some murderous rage at someone else while you the player are joking around with them in IMs or whatever. It gets you used to conflicting with people where that background support system might not be present.
This is really great advice, too.
~player of Gulphphunger
This is really great advice, too.
~player of Gulphphunger
There was a '20 questions about your character' thing a bit back in some Shadowrun book or another. I think that if you worked on coming up with 20 questions for a DR character and then answered them you could probably work your way to a decent concept.
...after that, modify it by events that happen to your character in the game. Characters become much more poignant when they change over time.
...after that, modify it by events that happen to your character in the game. Characters become much more poignant when they change over time.
Thanks for all the great advice everybody. You're right on one thing, I don't think that you can get any farther away from me than the S'Kra Mur. I'll look into that, as well as the Prydaen. There was mention of reading into Lore, any suggestions? I also haven't dug to deep into game mechanics. Any suggestions there? I don't have my heart set on any guild and I'm just trying to narrow down my options.
i second that about finding a character thats far removed from anything you are in RL. Which is why a basically goodie-two-shoes sort of person ended up first playing a thief, and now a necromancer. <plus it gets out all the things you couldn't possibly do in RL - theraputic!> .
Additionally, now you have the advantage of finding out the lore surrounding that race which we didn't have 14 years ago in 1996 when I first started playing. But whichever one you ultimately decide on, have fun with 'em.
the world is broken
Additionally, now you have the advantage of finding out the lore surrounding that race which we didn't have 14 years ago in 1996 when I first started playing. But whichever one you ultimately decide on, have fun with 'em.
the world is broken
elanthepedia is a fairly good source, check out the in-game libraries as well.
if you do go with s'kra mur, try to visit the libraries on ratha and in muspar'i that have to do with that race. Yes, you can link to the books through the website in elanthepedia- however, walking through the streets you can get a "feel" for the atmosphere. Just take in the scenery. And if you go to ratha - don't stand around if you see the hedgewizard. :-)
I'd also recommend taking a look at raniks' maps so you can see where you're going and avoid tough critters while you're first looking around.
the world is broken
if you do go with s'kra mur, try to visit the libraries on ratha and in muspar'i that have to do with that race. Yes, you can link to the books through the website in elanthepedia- however, walking through the streets you can get a "feel" for the atmosphere. Just take in the scenery. And if you go to ratha - don't stand around if you see the hedgewizard. :-)
I'd also recommend taking a look at raniks' maps so you can see where you're going and avoid tough critters while you're first looking around.
the world is broken
>>Personally, I find that the character concept itself is the key. When I have a strong character concept that really inspires me, it becomes easy to roleplay and I tend to react as the character. When I have a weak or vague character concept, I end up playing myself.
Exactly. It helps to have a character that you can really get into.
A couple of characters I have tend to be- shall we say highly excitable? One of them has donkeys as her trademark- and anyone who has met her knows who I mean! ;)
The others tend to be relatively normal-ish, though with quirks.
Sometimes the key to happiness is not assuming it is locked in the first place- Ziggy
A journey of a thousand SMILES begins with a single step- Ziggy
Exactly. It helps to have a character that you can really get into.
A couple of characters I have tend to be- shall we say highly excitable? One of them has donkeys as her trademark- and anyone who has met her knows who I mean! ;)
The others tend to be relatively normal-ish, though with quirks.
Sometimes the key to happiness is not assuming it is locked in the first place- Ziggy
A journey of a thousand SMILES begins with a single step- Ziggy
I can echo all the advice about trying something completely different. I would recommend S'Kra over Prydaen purely because they have such nice locations tied to their lore (Muspar'i, Ratha, Aesry), which as others have mentioned are great to visit and wander around in. It seems that the more I learn about the lore of the race, the more I can picture what a member of that race might act like, and this tends to help a lot.
I've been inspired in the past just by reading various books on lore as well. I never thought that "Elven Weddings" would be an interesting book, but it turned out to be, and I thought of a concept.
Finally, it can also help to start off with a character who is both talkative and has a strong opinion about a certain area (a common choice nowadays is the Inquisition). Playing a silent character can get really boring -- give your character permission to say all kinds of crazy things you would never say in real life, and it can lead to lots of fun.
-- Player of Niieth
I've been inspired in the past just by reading various books on lore as well. I never thought that "Elven Weddings" would be an interesting book, but it turned out to be, and I thought of a concept.
Finally, it can also help to start off with a character who is both talkative and has a strong opinion about a certain area (a common choice nowadays is the Inquisition). Playing a silent character can get really boring -- give your character permission to say all kinds of crazy things you would never say in real life, and it can lead to lots of fun.
-- Player of Niieth
>There was a '20 questions about your character' thing a bit back in some Shadowrun book or another. I think that if you worked on coming up with 20 questions for a DR character and then answered them you could probably work your way to a decent concept.
You can find character questionnaires of upwards of 100 questions on many writing sites - authors use them as character development exercises or something.
They're a nice thought exercise. I wouldn't aim to create a character bible from the start - you'll never remember it all. Best to have a few quirks you can easily remember and return to as touchstones.
Otherwise try to convey a normal person. A lot of personality develops between the tension of having quirks and leading an extraordinary life and being a relatively ordinary person, and you'll stand out against the backdrop of orphan heroes and evil characterizes.
"Magic has rules and so does posting on these forums." -Annwyl
You can find character questionnaires of upwards of 100 questions on many writing sites - authors use them as character development exercises or something.
They're a nice thought exercise. I wouldn't aim to create a character bible from the start - you'll never remember it all. Best to have a few quirks you can easily remember and return to as touchstones.
Otherwise try to convey a normal person. A lot of personality develops between the tension of having quirks and leading an extraordinary life and being a relatively ordinary person, and you'll stand out against the backdrop of orphan heroes and evil characterizes.
"Magic has rules and so does posting on these forums." -Annwyl
>Best to have a few quirks you can easily remember and return to as touchstones.
This. Pick out one or two main ideas about your character and bring them to life. Once you have them ingrained in your play style, expound on them and/or bring in other ideas. Above all have fun with it and if you try something that isn't working, toss it. Hopefully no one comes back later to remind you that at 5th circle you didn't have an irrational fear of frogs.
Only thing I would really recommend against is trying some accent. Of all the people out there trying to write accents I can only think of one that does it well and she uses it very sparingly.
How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads, to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams. -Bram Stoker's Dracula
This. Pick out one or two main ideas about your character and bring them to life. Once you have them ingrained in your play style, expound on them and/or bring in other ideas. Above all have fun with it and if you try something that isn't working, toss it. Hopefully no one comes back later to remind you that at 5th circle you didn't have an irrational fear of frogs.
Only thing I would really recommend against is trying some accent. Of all the people out there trying to write accents I can only think of one that does it well and she uses it very sparingly.
How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads, to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams. -Bram Stoker's Dracula
"Be really careful about the quirks thing because it's really easy to overdo it."
What you say?
-Serc
"We, the disenfranchised men and women of Elanthia do, by the publishing of this accord, cast off the oppressive yoke of all law and nations and choose for ourselves a path of loyalty unto ourselves"
What you say?
-Serc
"We, the disenfranchised men and women of Elanthia do, by the publishing of this accord, cast off the oppressive yoke of all law and nations and choose for ourselves a path of loyalty unto ourselves"
Case in point...
Your character should be a believable person, not a ridiculous caricature of good or bad or crazy stupid.
At least, if you care about that kind of thing. If you don't, go hogwild.
Rev. Reene
Kssarh says, "She has many talents."
>
Kssarh says, "Some of which can be discussed in public."
Your character should be a believable person, not a ridiculous caricature of good or bad or crazy stupid.
At least, if you care about that kind of thing. If you don't, go hogwild.
Rev. Reene
Kssarh says, "She has many talents."
>
Kssarh says, "Some of which can be discussed in public."
So as I'm aimlessly wandering around on my Dwarf I wanted to start to congeal a character. S'kra Mur is a definite option, they have so many verbs it's not even funny. Ssssso many toysss to play with (sorry couldn't resist). I'm actually going to try and keep the hissing to a minimum. Apparently it's a sign of bad things. I thought about setting up circumstances that might induce my character to hiss more as he speaks, such as being angry or scared and what not. The thing I'm racking my brain on now is Guild. Never really been one to really pour over requirements or abilities and I really don't care "that much" about circles, but it would be nice to find a guild that I would make a nice fit in. I can't really see myself as an Empath, Trader, or Moon Mage, and thieves look very hard to play. Warrior Mages seemed to stick out to me, they get some fun spells and familiars sound like a nice treat. Any other thoughts on guild while I wander around. I somehow ended up in Riverhaven earlier, quieter than Crossing for sure. I kind of like it here, but it's weird at the same time. Guess I just got used to the Crossing seeing as I've never really left it's borders before with any of my characters.
I could give Barbarians a shot. No Magic, little to train outside of combat, and much which I train out of combat is directly related to killing (skinning, disarming and lock picking) Sounds very simplistic (though I'm sure it's more complicated that that). looks like this character is shaping up to be almost the complete opposite of me. You'd never see me as one of the athletic people who has incredible strength and stamina (not to mention hand/eye coordination).
I enjoy playing a S'kra thief. Thieves are not that difficult to train. I am sure just like with any guild you just have to get your system of training down. Plus if you want you can pretend to be any other guild. Please just don't pretend to be a necromancer.
Mujaki, paladin of the people.
Mujaki, paladin of the people.
