Character Theory Advice: How much character focus is too much.

[DeadlyEevee]

Hey. When it comes to RP'ing a story with people I want to know what people like the most in their story focused RP's. What I mean is how much focus should be on a NPC and their backstory that is a story on it's own like a side quest or should I focus on a story that is more focused towards the players.

 

[nerdy tangents]

I’m a little confused, could you give an example of what you mean?

I don’t think focusing on NPCs is bad as long as it ties into the overall plot.

Ex. Character A is trying to find their missing mother. Character B is helping them.

NPC is one of mothers old husbands who may or may not know where she is.

Then yeah flesh out that NPC.

If NPC is just some random person that has nothing to do with the actual plot then no I wouldn’t focus too much on their backstory,

 

[nikoru]

i guess it would be easier for me to answer this since i mostly do 1x1 roleplays~ and i have a really fun example to use!

i think npcs help bring out the personalities and enhance the overall story. in one of my roleplays, me and my partner (shoutout to the amazing dandandanii for cooking up an interesting story with me XD) were just joking around about an npc who was such a grouch to our characters which turned out to be pivotal to the plot when we explored why he was acting that way. in return, it helped solidify her character's behavior of being kind and understanding. now this npc is in cohorts with my character to save her even if the npc was initially an asshole because he was moved by dani's character. it's so random because it started as a joke, but giving an npc some attitude to help the main characters shine more because i think it is important to make them feel more human, because we are social beings and even introverts need other people to cope with life. but for group roleplays, i think it would be better if you plot with other players as well so you could have more interactions ^^

i hope this answers your question. have fun writing!

 

[Idea]

Well, first of all, if it's a story-focused RP, then it probably shouldn't be primarily a character-focused one (tough it should still feature character exploration and involve characters). Even if that character is an NPC. It should be more about the 'what' is happening, 'why' and perhaps 'where'. Not 'who'.

That aside though, as a rule of thumb, the focus of a group roleplay should prioritize the players and involving them. Many of the greatest mistakes a GM can make stem from becoming too focused on their own world, story or characters and neglecting the player's need for agency and recognition. So in case of doubt, you generally want to lean on the side of letting players try things, go off on a slightly different direction than you were expecting (and believe me, they will) and trying to incorporate their characters and decisions in a way that is unique to them rather than filling a token role. Indeed, one of my own personal major needs from a GM is that they don't treat me as replaceable, just filling in a slot that could be filled in by anyone. It should be noted, however, that player-focused doesn't necessarily imply full sandbox where players are just dropped off somewhere and let to do what they will (with open world, I like to try to take the approach of "things exist, I already worked on what I could, but it's up to you to find what does exist and whether you want to go there"), but it often involve for example working with the player's backstories to incorporate and connect them with the main plot, such as to make it when the players go through the plot they end up encountering personally relevant things. Another way is to incorporate the results of their actions and create challenges or NPCs that are specifically tailored to let them shine.

Also, remember that your interest for something you come up with is likely to be far greater than the players, especially as you are in the know about its depths and nuances. Don't assume players are invested or interested in it off the bat, work on earning that interest/investment first before putting a major focus or time onto a given character, where viable.

Now this being said, the kind of RP and story will largely affect precisely what should be the focus. Just to give some relatively clear examples, a mystery story will need a lot of detail and focus on the NPCs, after all learning about them is what can allow someone to piece together the mystery. On the other hand, a simple adventure story where the characters are just traveling on a quest in a fantasy world is probably best left to focus on the player characters much more. This goes double or triple the more the plot specifically revolves around exploring the characters like with slice of life or romance.

Of course, I may be stating the obvious here, but a good roleplay will not JUST focus on characters, player or otherwise, nor just on setting or story etc... It can and often will put more focus on some aspect or another, but a truly good roleplay will not neglect the rest either, but rather try to incorporate all of these into something connected and cohesive.

I wasn't 100% clear on your question, but I tried my best to give a comprehensive answer. Hope this helps and happy RPing!

 

[cheeseburger90210]

i often over detail my character to much. I am an idiot.
but I'm better now then I was.......
ok