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Topic:
The Character Designers Guild
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LightWarden
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
2/5 9:26pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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By all means, there's no real requirement other than reading the thread (preferably from start to finish) and posting. Which means you're probably the only member.
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CDG Guild Master
Strange how one small thing can determine the fate of so many... especially if it's a twenty-sided die
The Internet is SERIOUS BIZNESS!
It's all fun and games until someone loses a leg.
TF.N RPGs: Less fun than pretending to have sex
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Saintheart
Title: Manager and Wandering Swordsman of the RPF
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
2/5 9:51pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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You also forgot that we have punch and pie on Fridays. Failure to have punch and pie invalidates your membership. In which case you, too, are out as well, Warden. 
*Awaits a punch and a pie to the face*
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Michelle: my Italian queen, my angel, my reason, my wife.
Jessica: my little princess, my daughter, born 10 August 2007
Director -- Star Wars: Knighthood
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Lordabc123
Registered:
Jul '07
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Date Posted:
2/6 2:41pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
- Date Edited:
2/6 2:42pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Lordabc123
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I was wonder if I can join? I also enjoy creating characters.
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Proud Hater George Bush!
Who's smarter? A bag of Bricks Or Him?
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Saintheart
Title: Manager and Wandering Swordsman of the RPF
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
2/6 4:02pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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LordABC, as LightWarden says, there's no entry requirements. Just post. 
-----signature-----
Michelle: my Italian queen, my angel, my reason, my wife.
Jessica: my little princess, my daughter, born 10 August 2007
Director -- Star Wars: Knighthood
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LightWarden
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
2/7 4:52pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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I am not a tyrannical overlord, I do not insist that you swear allegiance and wear armbands, I do not ask for anything because I am in no position to ask for anything. I am simply the guy who seems to care enough to make long-winded posts about other people's characters.
Now, on to the complaints
I'd like to mention that I'm not particularly fond of authors/players who lavish every conceivable blessing upon their characters. The characters tend to have everything go their way, even to the point of being Cursed with Awesome. They're rich, handsome, always know what to say, can defeat waves of armies with the wave of a finger, toss off dramatic speeches, are connected to all the right people, and generally don't have to worry too much because Mama is going to keep her baby safe and warm. This does not exactly make for a thrilling game (which is one of the reasons I like randomness in my games, because then your choices and ideas can actually affect the outcome by changing the odds). Seriously people, stop doing that.
Other point: I'm somewhat confused by the large number of people I see in games set in established worlds (read: all of them) who seem to be related to important people. Wouldn't your character still be the same if he or she wasn't related to someone we've heard of? One interpretation of that sort of thing is that you have a character whose sense of self-worth is based on the deeds of other people. In other words, your character... might have issues.
Related to the idea about babying your characters is the idea about having your characters be genuinely flawed. You don't have to eat babies, you don't even have to lick them, but the thing about people is that all of us have parts of ourselves that may not be quite so glamorous to others.
Bad habits are a good enough start, as is having abilities that you just plain suck at (cooking, navigating, repairing, whatever), but there's also a great deal of other things you could consider, such as:
-Tendency to turn the conversation towards yourself
-Impatience, lack of empathy, or downright dislike for those considered "below" you
-laziness
-unfailing belief in one's system to the point of dogmaticism (ironically enough, this applies to characters who base their beliefs on breaking free of the dogmatic beliefs of others)
-forgetfulness
-ignorance
-obsessing over something and continually trying to drag others in
-flaunting rules, and reacting poorly when the system slaps back
-gossiping, bickering, pettiness
-sheer irrational dislike of something
-hypocrisy (I'm talking intentional on the part of the player here)
-being imperceptive
-inability to accept the contributions of others
-aloofness
-tendency to pick the easiest way (also, habit of insisting yours is the only way)
-inability to deviate from/follow orders
-being overly critical
-spending your time worrying about things that most wouldn't find important
-inability to avoid giving your opinion on something
And other such things. I should probably add "inability to accept that others may find fault with your actions" because there are different people who interpret these things differently, and I might as well stave off the honking before it starts. Anyways, there are things that aren't always "mark of evil" bad, but still things that can at least add dimension to your character. Airbrushing flaws away is a bad idea, because when you say "timid, but can be brave when needed", it's not a flaw.
Another thing to note: Just because you just learned something, it doesn't mean your character should pipe up about it.
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CDG Guild Master
Strange how one small thing can determine the fate of so many... especially if it's a twenty-sided die
The Internet is SERIOUS BIZNESS!
It's all fun and games until someone loses a leg.
TF.N RPGs: Less fun than pretending to have sex
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LightWarden
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
2/7 4:58pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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Another thing I'd like to complain about: Why the hell are so many players making their NPC opponents so damn stupid?
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CDG Guild Master
Strange how one small thing can determine the fate of so many... especially if it's a twenty-sided die
The Internet is SERIOUS BIZNESS!
It's all fun and games until someone loses a leg.
TF.N RPGs: Less fun than pretending to have sex
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Saintheart
Title: Manager and Wandering Swordsman of the RPF
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
2/7 5:33pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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I agree with Light on this. Best moment for me in the Senate game so far was interacting with one player whose character was a shameless womaniser. I had a ball, if you'll pardon the expression, in "entertaining" this guest in my restaurant, and even "catering for" his needs...
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Michelle: my Italian queen, my angel, my reason, my wife.
Jessica: my little princess, my daughter, born 10 August 2007
Director -- Star Wars: Knighthood
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DarthXan318
Registered:
Sep '02
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Date Posted:
2/7 10:36pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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I think the key here is characters should be fun and interesting, both to play and to interact with. But that's just me.
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starlight
I will be chasing the starlight
until the end of my life
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Sith_Lords
Registered:
May '04
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Date Posted:
2/8 1:36am
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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Saintheart posted:
*Awaits a punch and a pie to the face*
*Delivers*
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Rose Tyler: Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas!
The Doctor: Who says I'm not red-bicycle-when-you-were-twelve?
Rose Tyler: What?
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Despised1
Title: Temp. Comic Draft Commish
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
2/14 12:31pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
- Date Edited:
2/14 12:36pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
Despised1
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Hola! I am returning from a long break, and I have a rough draft for a character that I was hoping to get some feedback on.....even from LightWarden (  ).
I really want to make this one as realistic as possible, and I tried to create him with what I think of as some very human flaws. Remember that this is just a first draft, and all feedback will be considered when making the final touches to this character.
I would love to hear what you all have to say, though I may not be able to reply for a few days as I don't have constant web access yet.
Thanks in advance. 
Name: Har Megiddo
Alias: Darth Paragon
Homeworld: Beloris Prime (in Wild Space)
Species: Belorian
Sex: Male
Age: 33
Height: 6'1
Weight: 177
Hair: White, Shoulder length.
Eyes: Pale blue
Skin: Gray or Ashey hued.
Appearance:
Clothing:
Weapons: Lightsaber (Red), Black hilt w/ platinum trim. Wears a black metal bracer which conceals 3 throwing darts laced with various poisons and toxins (sleep, paralysis, deadly).
Physical Condition: Har was born premature with defects that left him mute and physically frail. Telepathic abilities minimize being mute, and Darth Paragon constantly searches for sources of Sith knowledge and power to minimize his physical weakness.
Personality: Calculating and cautious, prefers stealth and cunning over brute force or aggressive tactics.
His noble bloodline, or rather his claims of links to a noble line as it is yet to be proven, has none the less bred the belief that..."a man's word is his bond".
Whatever action he takes, no matter how misguided or delusional, he feels is completely justified. In Darth Paragon's mind he is the most honorable man in the galaxy, and all slights against him must eventually be righted.
Darth Paragon's greatest weakness is his ego, though he doesn't see it as one, regardless it sometimes causes him to underestimate his rivals.....and overestimate his own ability.
When dealing with others he often looks down on those he feels are beneath him, and will at times completely ignore them unless he needs their assistance.
Interests: Ancient Sith Lore, Culture, History, Sith Alchemy, Relics and Artifacts.
-----signature-----
 ~Sith Loyalist~ "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"  "Someday, someone will best me. But it won't be today and it won't be you."  "Eventus stultorum magister!" 
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Sith-I-5
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
2/17 11:52am
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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You don't have to eat babies, you don't even have to lick them
but the thing about people is that all of us have parts of ourselves that may not be quite so glamorous to others.
Bad habits are a good enough start, as is having abilities that you just plain suck at (cooking, navigating, repairing, whatever), but there's also a great deal of other things you could consider, such as:
-Tendency to turn the conversation towards yourself
-Impatience, lack of empathy, or downright dislike for those considered "below" you
-laziness etc...
Who the heck thinks to put these things into a character sheet? Often with a limited time between the intro post and the game start, all this stuff which depending on the game doesn't seem to have a whole lot to do with anything, tends to get left aside as you think of the relevant points to put down.
As much of a chore as I find CS' to write, I pretty much put down the relevent issues relating to my character and his story, and any of this trivial (to me at least) would get picked up from post to post, in the progression of the game.
-----signature-----
“So what kind of quad-lasers has this thing got?” Stobb pressed, “Golan Arms or Taim & Bak KT-6s?”
“Leave me alooone.” The pilot sobbed, “I didn’t build the sodding thing. I press a button, green light shoots out.”
007 family - DVC's twin bro'
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LightWarden
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
2/17 12:08pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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There's no reason you're required to put it on your sheet, you can develop things as they go along (even though I rarely see people do this). However, I'd recommend it for two reasons:
The first is that it shows that you've put a lot of thought and effort into making this. To me, that's an indicator that you're at least a decent player, if not good or even an excellent one. It shows that you've invested time, which indicates that you're really interested and will probably stick around, since most people don't bang out detailed sheets for games they don't feel like joining.
The second is that it shows you're capable of stepping back, looking at your character, and admitting to his or her failings. By acknowledging a character's flaws, you're telling me "yes, I can see how someone would have a problem with this, it's an intentional design." Believe me, if everyone but the player notices that the character has a particular flaw, it says that either the player is too in love with the character to notice it, or that the flaw might be in the player. And that is just awkward.
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CDG Guild Master
Strange how one small thing can determine the fate of so many... especially if it's a twenty-sided die
The Internet is SERIOUS BIZNESS!
It's all fun and games until someone loses a leg.
TF.N RPGs: Less fun than pretending to have sex
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Sith-I-5
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
2/17 1:01pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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since most people don't bang out detailed sheets for games they don't feel like joining.
I take the simpler view. That most people do not bang out sheets for games they do not feel like joining.
Detailed is for if you have a lot to say about your character, or in my case, if I have used them before, I'll have more to say about them.
Like I have said before, a CS for me, is just the necessary evil to get into a game, like getting a visa to enter a country, or with some GMs/players, you need it to afford your character some more rights than those allowed to npcs.
-----signature-----
“So what kind of quad-lasers has this thing got?” Stobb pressed, “Golan Arms or Taim & Bak KT-6s?”
“Leave me alooone.” The pilot sobbed, “I didn’t build the sodding thing. I press a button, green light shoots out.”
007 family - DVC's twin bro'
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SephyCloneNo15
Registered:
Apr '05
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Date Posted:
2/17 1:52pm
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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You forgot something, Light, habits and tendencies give your character something to do. I've quit smoking for the most part, but a lot of my characters smoke because when the game is slow, such as story exposition that said character wouldn't have much to add to, or waiting for someone, descriptions of the act of smoking allow me to bang out a decent sized post instead of just a one or two sentence post about how "I waited for the guy to meet me." or "I listened patiently."
Plus, nothing breeds animosity between characters on the same side like second-hand smoke. It's a great way to get those characters who would otherwise be the strong, silent type, talking. I think the same could apply to other habits, but I haven't tried it yet or paid close enough attention to see it.
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Member: GDG, GMG. Sub-GM: CDG
Zam Wessel Lives!
Recipient of Thrawn McEwok's Squib Creations Limited-Edition Replica Glove of Darth Vader™
"Samuel L. Jackson isn't only a fine actor, but a gamer. He's one of us." ~ Kotaku
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Chukles38
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
2/18 10:11am
Subject:
RE: The Character Designers Guild
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I am one who enjoys making characters... though not as much as playing them. I find equal pleasure in making CS's and then bringing them to life in the RP... whether I'm good at it or not. So, I can certianl see where Light and the others come from. Little habbits and quirks add realism and depth to the game. I tire easily of games with posts like, "I walk down the hall, shoot the guy, and walk out." Rp's are so much more interesting when they involve the little detials as Light and Sephy have said. Anyways, my two cents.
I'm joining, by the by.
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Member of the Game Designer's Guild
"Like, sneaky, rather than stabby." ~ Xany
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