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Methods of Character Creation
by Dariel Quiogue

Have you ever taken a look at how we create and play our characters? There are basically two camps, and we usually start with one then eventually move on to the other; those who do the numbers first, and those who do their concepts first. But if we look closer at the way gamers think when they're hatching their characters, we can start identifying specific patterns in character creation. Here's a compilation of those I've observed and how they work, and what they're good for. 

1.The Mean Machine: 

The Mean Machine method is probably one of the first, if not the first, method of character creation we ever learned. This method involves looking at the game's mechanics and finding out how to make a "killer" character of the desired class. The process goes something like this: a) find out what was cool, in terms of powers or abilities; b) talk the GM into letting you have it; c) juggle your character's numbers until you got what you wanted; and d) patch up a cock-and-bull explanation for the unlikely grab-bag of skills or inhuman competence in one single area your character has. 

Seriously speaking, this method of character creation was very direct and did tend to give you what you wanted. Most of us have abandoned it by now, but from time to time we go back specially when we're playing a game where min-maxing is appropriate and combat is very frequent. The two main problems with this system are: a) the character is not developed as a person; and b) it involves heavy number-crunching that can take hours specially if you have a lot of good options. 

2.Modeling:

Modeling is a method by which one creates a character patterned after another in some movie, comic book or fiction. This is actually a very easy method and one I would heartily recommend to new players or to ones who are unfamiliar with a milieu based on fiction or legend. It's easy because nearly all the conceptualization has already been done for you; all you have to do is translate the character's skills into the game system and then you can concentrate on playing your character in a fashion that evokes the original. 

For example, I'm stuck for a character concept for a Call of Cthulhu game. Then, an idea suddenly flashes to mind; a dashing Investigator, suave, charming, unflappable in the face of any situation, and a real ace with the opposite sex ... who also happens to have a lot of obscure knowledge and all the right contacts. Sure it's not the first time someone based a character on James Bond, but the important thing is I can make this character work. And have fun with it, too. All I have to do now is put on my best Sean Connery impression, and I'm ready to rock and roll. That's how easy the modeling method is. 

3.The Grand Stereotype: 

Creating a character based on a Grand Stereotype means choosing such a cliche and getting ready to play it to the hilt. The arrogant but honor-driven samurai, the pious     knight-errant, the hard-drinking harp-playing Celt, the Shaolin drunken master - these are just some of the ideas you can use in your game. Sure they're cliches - but if one does it grandly enough, who cares? 

One thing to remember about a role-playing game is that there's only so much detail that you can actually role-play; characters are best drawn and portrayed with broad brush strokes that are easily recognized as tags that identify your character and give an indication of how that character will act in the future. 

Finding a cliche to play is easy; one just has to run over the wide variety of ethnic, cultural or institutional stereotypes we are all familiar with and start building a character around it. Once you have the basic idea down, you can start tweaking details here and there to make the character truly yours. 

This method works specially well for a) humorous games, where exaggerated impersonations can be really effective; and b) for games in an unfamiliar milieu. For example, I am not very familiar with White Wolf's Oriental setting; when asked to create a character for an adventure in it, I fell back on the good old stereotype of the rude drunken monk. 

4.Take a Mold and Break It

The flip side of playing the Grand Stereotype is the Take a Mold and Break It approach. Basically this means taking a preset conception of a character type then adding a contradictory twist. The essence of this method is finding out what is expected of a certain character type, then consistently doing the opposite. 

For example, samurai are supposed to be stiffly decorous, immaculately groomed and very observant of social niceties; Akira Kurosawa took this idea and gave us the unforgettable ronin Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune's character) in The Seven Samurai. Kikuchiyo drank himself stupid, scratched at his fleas whenever and wherever he felt like it, and talked like a peasant to everyone. But - he was the most memorable character in the whole bunch. 

This can be a challenging approach, and requires a good level of familiarity with the milieu of the game world, specially its society, but it can be very rewarding in terms of having a character your group will be talking about for years to come. After all, it really is the oddballs that make it into history. 

5.Freeform

The freeform method is exactly that - no preconceptions, no guidelines, no nothing. Creation begins with a seed idea and proceeds from there by building up layers of detail. The challenge here is to make sure that you have the level of detail you need to play the character well, and to create a believable person. To build a freeform character that will stand out requires a thorough knowledge of the game milieu and willingness to go into many levels of detail - more than one can go into if one is creating a character just before the game itself. 

All too often, freeform creation minimizes background and focuses instead on the character's abilities. This is a special weakness if you are playing with a generic RPG system - such as GURPS, where there is no mechanic for integrating abilities and backgrounds. Numbers become the focus, as you try to juggle the costs of what you want against what you've got left to buy stuff with. The result is that you go "shopping" first, and work on your concept later, if you have time. 

The alternative is guided creation. If you've ever looked through Last Unicorn's ARIA: Canticle of the Monomyth, you'll see what is probably the best guided-character creation system ever developed by a published RPG. In this game, character creation is an involved process that gets you defining your character's abilities according to his/her nationality, social status, family background and occupation, and finally personal occupation and training. Creating and fleshing out a concept definitely comes before shopping in this system. The result is a character that is truly your own, and one that fits like a glove within the world of the game. 

Of course, there are those who would complain that a system like ARIA's is just too involved; certainly, it takes time and extensive perusal of the book for reference, often an impossible luxury when all your other friends are also making their characters an hour or so before the game starts. 

The middle ground I've personally found useful is to take a little time exploring my seed idea before even getting hold of a character sheet and pencil. I ask myself a few simple questions, and the answers help define my character. The six most important are:

• Where did my character come from?
• What did he learn from his background? What skills and abilities would have been developed in his past?
• What are his loyalties and values?
• Who are likely to prove his friends? Who are likely to be his enemies?
• How does my character come across to other people? How would my character introduce himself?
• Are there any deeds, quirky preferences or habits that my character is known for?

Only after answering these questions do I start filling in the blanks on my character sheet. It's a simple method, and rarely takes more than 15 minutes. Whenever I'm stumped for a detail, I consult the GM. The GM is easily your best ally when creating a character; since he already has the campaign planned out, asking for his input on your character is an easy way of getting yourself a good plot hook that will allow him to draw you into his adventure in a highly entertaining fashion. 

Well, that's about it. As a parting shot, I want to reiterate my philosophy of role-playing; it's all about mutual entertainment. I entertain you, you entertain me, and the GM has the weighty role of trying to entertain all of us. It's only fair to give him some help, and one of the best ways to do so is to be a good role-player with an interesting character.

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