Post by Morreion on Jan 11, 2013 15:35:52 GMT -5
Storyboard: Nobody gets your character (Massively)
I understand very clearly the impulse to make a multi-layered character, and I invite and encourage others to do so. The problem is not layered character; the problem is when someone makes a multi-layered character and no one gets past the first layer. Some people will claim that the problem is the surrounding community, that not enough is being read into the character, that he's not being addressed properly, or whatever.
This is entirely the wrong way to deal with things because no other player is obligated to decipher jack about your character...
You can insist that your character needs to be approached or handled in a certain way, but the problem is that you need to be prepared for characters who will not adhere to that. If during the first few encounters your character comes off as being cold and demanding, there's nothing to convince others that they should invest more time to find out what your character's deal is. There are interesting interactions to be had somewhere else.
Storyboard: To be the jerk (Massively)
...Yes, I'm the first person to advocate letting your character speak and being true to the essence of the concept, but there's also a time to remember that you are playing a game and do not want to completely ruin everyone's experience. Your character gets a voice, but you as the player get veto power, and it's important to exercise that power on occasion. Otherwise I'm not going to think the problem is the character's impulse control.
Let's start with the most basic trick to get your character into the group even though he's a jerk: He provides a service that everyone else needs. If the only way to get to Alderaan is to deal with an obvious lying swindler, then you're going to have to deal with that lying swindler, and when it turns out you've pulled him into a bigger mess, you're going to keep moving along with him out of momentum. Part of what makes Star Wars work is that Han Solo is a jerk right up front, but he keeps getting pulled into the plot or pulled along by it, and the other characters need his help for various reasons. Obviously, this is something you have to work out with other players beforehand, but it works well enough for the basic function of keeping a guy around even when people might not like him. He provides one function or another that no one else can replicate.
I understand very clearly the impulse to make a multi-layered character, and I invite and encourage others to do so. The problem is not layered character; the problem is when someone makes a multi-layered character and no one gets past the first layer. Some people will claim that the problem is the surrounding community, that not enough is being read into the character, that he's not being addressed properly, or whatever.
This is entirely the wrong way to deal with things because no other player is obligated to decipher jack about your character...
You can insist that your character needs to be approached or handled in a certain way, but the problem is that you need to be prepared for characters who will not adhere to that. If during the first few encounters your character comes off as being cold and demanding, there's nothing to convince others that they should invest more time to find out what your character's deal is. There are interesting interactions to be had somewhere else.
Storyboard: To be the jerk (Massively)
...Yes, I'm the first person to advocate letting your character speak and being true to the essence of the concept, but there's also a time to remember that you are playing a game and do not want to completely ruin everyone's experience. Your character gets a voice, but you as the player get veto power, and it's important to exercise that power on occasion. Otherwise I'm not going to think the problem is the character's impulse control.
Let's start with the most basic trick to get your character into the group even though he's a jerk: He provides a service that everyone else needs. If the only way to get to Alderaan is to deal with an obvious lying swindler, then you're going to have to deal with that lying swindler, and when it turns out you've pulled him into a bigger mess, you're going to keep moving along with him out of momentum. Part of what makes Star Wars work is that Han Solo is a jerk right up front, but he keeps getting pulled into the plot or pulled along by it, and the other characters need his help for various reasons. Obviously, this is something you have to work out with other players beforehand, but it works well enough for the basic function of keeping a guy around even when people might not like him. He provides one function or another that no one else can replicate.
