So, you want to make a character

[Dusty]

Deprecated thread. This information is no longer valid.

What role do you want to play in MV? Not sure. Well, here’s some questions I came up with that might help give you some direction, and hopefully get you off to a good start even before you start to create your character.

What sort of role would suit your personality and playing style? What strengths and weaknesses do you have that will inevitably have an effect on your character?

This is important. Pick a role that suits your own personality, and allows you to utilize some of your own strengths. So if you're particullarly clever maybe something like a politician, assassin, or cleric would suit you. Or if you're funny maybe you can play the role of the smart mouthed gambler.

How much time are you planning to dedicate to MV?

Believe it or not this is very important. If you only have 3 hours to dedicate to the game each week it would be a pretty awful idea to choose to be a leader of a faction. Simply put, certain roles require a certain amount of time and effort on your part. So, if you don't have the time don't choose time intensive roles. Otherwise every waking minute IG will be spent 'tending to business' instead of doing other things you might find more enjoyable. So pick something that'll suit your personal time committment to the game.

How does your desired role affect other characters and players?

This is a social game. The real fun comes from interacting with other players whether you're chatting pleasantly with someone over a glass of port, or lopping off their head with an iron longsword. So, one definite consideration in creating a character and choosing a role is how others will react to you. Will players shun the type of character you want to play, or will they enjoy interacting with them, because (let's face it) if they really don't enjoy interacting with your character it won't be very fun for you either.

How can you make your desired role unique and interesting?

Time and again people will play such roles as the lost, but oh-so-cute orphan, or the fearless-invincible hero, or bloodthirsty villain with a sword and an itch to stab anyone they see. In short, it gets old, and people don't want to interact with the same old character all the time. They want to meet characters that are unique, and intriguing. So try to put some thought into making your character novel. It can be as simple as giving them a unique accent, or quirky habit, or some fault. Faults rock. You don't have to give your character one, but I highly recommend it. Its boring playing a character who doesn't make mistakes in my book.

What is your ultimate goal for your character? 6 months from now, where do you want your character to be? 1 year? 2 years?

Simply put, if your future goals are to be queen of the world, the best weaver in town, the most stunning dresser, or the best swordsman than you need to create your character with those goals in mind. What attributes, skills, and personality traits will help you achieve your goals? Figure it out, and then add those to your role.

There’s a whole lot more to consider, but I hope these few questions will get you off to a good start, and I hope you’re all looking forward to MV as much as I am.

Oh, and if you ever have questions, suggestions, crazy ideas, or what have you. Feel free to post in this thread or in the forums with them. We’d all love to hear your input, ideas, and comments. We really want to make this a game based on what you players want so let’s hear it.

Rhymes with crusty,
Dusty. :D

[Asmod]

Why do I feel like some crazed loon who stalks this forum? Other people seriously need to start posting here more than me.

Just thought i'd add to the unique character creation bit and share with my own.

One of the things i've noticed the most is that characters will evolve as you play them, sometimes drastically. In the end you may not even have a character with which you originally intended! My first character in Grendels Revenge was a Vampire Builder named Asmod. My original intentions of him were to make him very demonish, snippy, and bookish. A learned demonish scholarly sort. Within the first few weeks he had developed more into a crazed psychopathic loon who talked to inanimate objects and had a 50/50 chance of saying something either incredibly insightful, or incredibly disturbing. Not quite what I was shooting for, but I have to admit he's been one of the funnest characters i've ever played in any game.

He developed that way through just playing the game, feeling things out, and going with the flow. I didn't MEAN to do that, but it's how his personality developed. I try not to FORCE a personality too much on a character, thats when they seem to be too fabricated and odd. I try to lay a general guide of how I want my character to be, then set him loose and see where he goes best.

And to add to Dusty's comments about Faults... faults are some of the funnest things a character can have. Asmod had so many it's hard to count them all. First of all, he'd only take orders from Precious (a pet worm of his. An innanimate object in the game world, for all purposes). He was "allergic to sharp objects" *coughcowardcough* and thus avoided any sort of combat. Half the time nobody could get a straight answer out of him or understand what he was saying. He'd break into uncontrollable fits of insanity at the worst opportune times as well. Half of the fun was when my friends and clan allies had to deal with these faults and find ways around them. Because of this as well, that character is well remembered by many. Faults can make your character more real. After all, nobodies perfect :)

Sometimes researching a character can add a lot of fun to them as well. It can be hard making some stuff up on the fly for some things... how DOES a rogue pick a lock, and with what tools? What IS the mannerly way to approach and address royalty? You don't have to become an expert, but at least knowing enough to be familiar with what you're talking about or acting out really helps, and will also GREATLY add to the immersion, for everyone involved.

I created a mummy priest character named Am-Khaibitu. I actually have a copy of the Egyptian scrolls of Ani (Book of the Dead) and used it as a reference. He'd perform egyptian spiritual rituals and rites and praise the different spirits. He'd sometimes speak, greet people, and even refer to certain objects in egyptian. (The Tomb-like lair he lived in he always referred to as a Mastaba.) Soon enough, other clan mates were starting to even learn and use some of the egyptian phrases I had been using. I didn't have to take a college degree in egyptian lore to do it either, just a little reading and reference once in a while, and It really added a lot to the immersion and play.

Anyways, those are my added suggestions to help create awesome, immersive, and unique characters.