Sunbather
Le photographe est mort
Hello everyone,
so this is something I've been struggling with pretty much since the get-go. The first roleplay I ever participated in (which was a semi-detailed roleplay on this site, shortly after joining. I think it was ranked as Casual, back when we had the labels) had what I'd call the most "common" sheets. Basic information such as name, age, sex, date of birth etc., an appearance section, a personality section, and a background section.
So that, for me, became the standard, pretty much because it was the first style I've known, and that usually sorta manifests. But then, as I kept joining roleplays, I've seen a variety of sheets, some really extensive, and some rather simple.
Now I like to post detailed posts. I like describing little things such as the gait of a character in that specific moment, and I like reading multiple paragraphs per post. That's fun and engaging to me. That's absolutely not to shit on simpler/shorter-style roleplays, it's just my preference. But I also noticed that the application process feels like a paradoxical hurdle, almost.
I WANT to attract people with similar interests. I WANT to attract people who are willing to put time and effort into the roleplay. I WANT people who are immersed and engaged.
So how do I weed out the people who don't fit that group? Easy, right? A lengthy character sheet, with a couple of paragraphs. Shows dedication, shows how well people can conceptualize their characters, shows writing levels as well. It's all coolio.
Yeah, except it's really not, unfortunately.
The reason it is not--and this is only my opinion, so feel free to comment on that--is because if you make your players write out their character's personality over three to four paragraphs, they'll likely feel caged. They created this pretty detailed, clearly articulated person, so not only is it easy to organically add more traits to a character that don't feel like they water down the concept, but it also creates this sort of pressure of "staying in character". I mean, that's a natural reflex, I think. I certainly don't blame anyone for doing that. Why would you divert from your character and let them develop naturally if you spend so much time on working on your character already? Wouldn't it feel like wasting your efforts? Would that even be allows, some may question, since the GM accepted THAT character, not whatever you're making your precious baby into.
So then people feel constricted and discouraged to develop, and ultimately, the interest wanes, and the roleplay dies. And that sucks.
So how do YOU go about this? This thread is probably more aimed at people who like detailed roleplays, but feel free to chime in. How do YOU make this work? How do you build your groups and keep a good balance between the selection process being successful, and the players feel motivated to let their characters grow?
so this is something I've been struggling with pretty much since the get-go. The first roleplay I ever participated in (which was a semi-detailed roleplay on this site, shortly after joining. I think it was ranked as Casual, back when we had the labels) had what I'd call the most "common" sheets. Basic information such as name, age, sex, date of birth etc., an appearance section, a personality section, and a background section.
So that, for me, became the standard, pretty much because it was the first style I've known, and that usually sorta manifests. But then, as I kept joining roleplays, I've seen a variety of sheets, some really extensive, and some rather simple.
Now I like to post detailed posts. I like describing little things such as the gait of a character in that specific moment, and I like reading multiple paragraphs per post. That's fun and engaging to me. That's absolutely not to shit on simpler/shorter-style roleplays, it's just my preference. But I also noticed that the application process feels like a paradoxical hurdle, almost.
I WANT to attract people with similar interests. I WANT to attract people who are willing to put time and effort into the roleplay. I WANT people who are immersed and engaged.
So how do I weed out the people who don't fit that group? Easy, right? A lengthy character sheet, with a couple of paragraphs. Shows dedication, shows how well people can conceptualize their characters, shows writing levels as well. It's all coolio.
Yeah, except it's really not, unfortunately.
The reason it is not--and this is only my opinion, so feel free to comment on that--is because if you make your players write out their character's personality over three to four paragraphs, they'll likely feel caged. They created this pretty detailed, clearly articulated person, so not only is it easy to organically add more traits to a character that don't feel like they water down the concept, but it also creates this sort of pressure of "staying in character". I mean, that's a natural reflex, I think. I certainly don't blame anyone for doing that. Why would you divert from your character and let them develop naturally if you spend so much time on working on your character already? Wouldn't it feel like wasting your efforts? Would that even be allows, some may question, since the GM accepted THAT character, not whatever you're making your precious baby into.
So then people feel constricted and discouraged to develop, and ultimately, the interest wanes, and the roleplay dies. And that sucks.
So how do YOU go about this? This thread is probably more aimed at people who like detailed roleplays, but feel free to chime in. How do YOU make this work? How do you build your groups and keep a good balance between the selection process being successful, and the players feel motivated to let their characters grow?