Character sheets? Yeet or skeet?

[VALEN T.]

Lmao don't @ me for my thread title I was initially going for "yeet or neet" (( which, by the way, makes no sense but neither done this one so :-/ ))

N e w a y s.

I've seen a few "OC dumps" and "Resuable OC" threads here and there, as well as in a few public roleplays where the people put in so much time and effort into designing their characters and going deep into the dynamics and whatnot. The coding's pretty neat I'll give you that (( I did html back in 7th grade does that count :') pls praise me ))

Ok ok back to the topic

So people put in a lot of thought into their OCs and I'm not opposed to it 'cause you do you but... doesn't that limit you? And where you want to take your character?

I like starting off with basics ((just a simple name, age and appearance description - I'm not even that big of a fan of using face claims, I leave it up to my partner's imagination)) and developing my character as the story progresses, slowly fleshing them out, revealing their back story in bit by bit, letting my partner piece together their personality type and all that shazzam.

I mean, I don't know, some people do it for the aesthetic, I get it, I used to do the same ! But then it started getting tedious and becoming more of a chore than anything so I stopped. Now if I'm really feeling it, I'll design a character mood board, make it all pretty n stuff uvu (( I like to think they look good (': ))

Also ! Some people have pre-made OCs? That they incorporate into their stories? I like changing my character up depending on the plot.

So uh ((I never know where I'm going with these oof))

What do you like doing? Long character sheets? Recycling OCs, using pre-made ones? Let me know !

 

[rae2nerdy]

I do essentially an elevator pitch. If you aren't familiar with the term the idea is that you pitch something (in this case a character) in the time it would take you to ride up or down on an elevator. So basically like a five minute outline on your character to get your partner excited.

When I first heard the term the GM had a specific word limit attached (I think 250 words or less) but I don't go that strict cuz I'm too lazy to character count your post.

So basically what I ask for is

Sample CS

Name
Age
Gender
Occupation (when applicable)
Ethnicity
Special Skills (when applicable)

MEET THE CHARACTER
A few paragraphs that describes the characters general back ground and personality.

APPEARANCE
A written description or face claim, I don't care which.

Now the reason I allow for a "few" paragraphs ties into that whole, I'm too lazy to word count thing. I am not going to crawl up your ass if your meet the character section is one paragraph or ten. Write whatever you think is necessary to get the relevant information out.

Further the reason I have the meet the character at all? Because I want to make sure my partner understands the setting and the plot. You would be surprised how many times I've realized that apparently my partners hasn't listened to a word I've said in the entire planning process because they make a character that doesn't remotely fit what I thought we had agreed on.

But if I'm working with someone who I know is a good roleplayer (like a close friend) I don't even ask for a CS at all. I still make one because I have a crap memory and it helps me keep details straight, but I don't require it.

 

[VALEN T.]

Because I want to make sure my partner understands the setting and the plot.

Oh I'm sure that'd make me revert back to my old ways too .-. fortunately for me, I haven't really had that many problems when it comes to matching characters with plots so :"D

 

[rae2nerdy]

Oh I'm sure that'd make me revert back to my old ways too .-. fortunately for me, I haven't really had that many problems when it comes to matching characters with plots so :"D

Yeah I mean it's happened enough times that I'm like... so is this just me talking to myself? Cuz if I wanted to do that I don't need a keyboard and internet access.

Plus I tend to do like real world building centric plots so I like to have that last check to make sure we're all on the same page.

Although if my partner was like "No I don't want to" I'd probably be like "Okay cool, I'm doing it anyway but you can just like read a magazine or something I guess."

 

[Idea]

So people put in a lot of thought into their OCs and I'm not opposed to it 'cause you do you but... doesn't that limit you? And where you want to take your character?

Quite on the contrary. This is actually quite a common misconception about character sheets, which in turn comes from what is a fundamental misunderstanding of character development. Still, I'm getting ahead of myself.

There are several reasons why I make and ask for character sheets. Information, making sure the character fits the roleplay without breaking it, functioning as a sample of the person's work, pratical reasons like that are why I would ask for them, so I won't go into a lot of detail in that regard. Instead I will go into why I personally use them even for my own sake.

What a proper character sheet does is lay down the foundation of the character. It forces me to make a solid existance that is the character at the present moment of time. This in turn forces me to consider aspects of the character I might've otherwise left unchecked, creates an information bank for those aspects, allows me to showcase the character in a sort of "pitch" and to settle my place in the RP. It's not just to me character sheets provide information though, as GMs can use it to help involve me in the RP and to communicate to partners info about my character. Furthermore, one aspect which I think might be the most contested but which I find absolutely crucial, writing down and exposing how the character is forces one to compromise with that cannon of the character. The GM that accepts it has a duty to be loyal to their word in accepting the character and I in turn have a duty to be loyal to the depicted in the sheet.

This part is where the confusion of it being "limiting" often comes from. People will sometimes say "but with character sheets, you can't develop, your character is stuck as what you depicted it in the character sheet". I'll start with a small analogy. Let's imagine a character, in the whole of the roleplay, is film. It is a continuous string of still images which, when combined, create a sensation of moving and changing (even though each individual image is static).

A movie reel composed of a character without a sheet would then look like this:

Spoiler

It isn't entirely impossible to tell what the character is like, but the vision of what the character is like will tend to be blurred at best, if at all even existing. What creating a character sheet is meant to do is turn that into

Spoiler: This

Now obviously the analogy is skewed and oversimplified, but the point I'm trying to make is that this is the start of what making a character sheet is meant for to me and many others. I'm not preventing the film reel, I'm just making sure at least at some point you can actually tell what the image is like. Yes, the character has to start as what they are in the character sheet, but then they change from that fixed point organically, because how they are is impacted by their experiences and relationships with other characters. That is something which only possible however, if "how the character is", is something which exists in the first place. You can't change what doesn't exists, you can't develop what doesn't exist in the first place. Having a fixed point isn't something which prevents character development, it's what allows it to exist at all, and having a point to work from actually helps both in achieving creative and organic paths for development, but it also helps you orient yourself regarding the very creation of character arcs.

There is only one way in which character sheets are limiting, and that way is what I said earlier, you are incurring the duty to actually follow the character sheet. This means that your compassionate sword fighter, can neither turn out merciless just because that would be "logical" nor can they pull magic out of their ass when it's convenient. That said, this barely qualifies as a limitation. If your character is just changing for whatever is convenient for the plot, that's terrible writing. A text book case of contrivance and more often than not Mary Sue characters, the kinds which wreck entire plots by stumbling across the solution. If your character isn't bound by strict limitations where are the stakes, where's the logic and the "natural" about any of it?

Now, after that small rant, I do want to say, there are legitimate reasons not to want to make a character sheet. Specifically, there is one reason, and that is there is info you don't want to spoil. However, much like in msytery, where the questions brought out by impressive answers are far better than questions like "what's behind the door/inside the box?", which only spike the curiosity for a while and only if you don't know the answer, so are characters bettered by your ability to display and really flesh out the given information as opposed to just keeping it hidden from me and hoping it won't be twice as disappointing. There's only so many times someone can unveil secret lockpicking skills and destroy the entire locked in a room scene/plot or reveal to have the most insanely coincidentally plot-related backstory that doesn't seem to match anything up until that point or seem to flip flop between character traits before you start getting a little tired of opening mysterious boxes and random cat-based jumpscares.

Also ! Some people have pre-made OCs? That they incorporate into their stories? I like changing my character up depending on the plot.

I usually make a new OC for each roleplay, but I do have a few pre-made OCs, specifically fighting OCs or OCs that eventually developed into full-fledged characters before really belonging to a specific RP (or after they expanded far beyond that). That said, there is a degree of specificity in my OCs and it really irks me when someone tries to bring what I call "multi-purpose OCs" into a roleplay. I talked about this more in detail in another thread, but to put it in a perhaps crude fashion, the character never feels like it actually matches the plot or story at all, there is always a big disconnect, and furthermore if I know about it it also feels like the work I took to make an actual OC is being spit on by someone who can't be bothered to do it, which isn't factual, but it is a feeling I get, hence I wouldn't do it to someone else.

What do you like doing? Long character sheets? Recycling OCs, using pre-made ones? Let me know !

My general approach is for each roleplay make a new OC (unless I am specifically roleplaying to use a given OC, in which case I will make double and triple sure the OC fits on their own) using concrete and complex character sheets. I also tend to use a lot of coding, mostly cause I really like adding coding to my stuff.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

It ultimately depends on how complex the plot is. More detail? More detailed OC. I handle things on a case by case basis. That noted, I love detailed OCs...

 

[Redfork2000]

I always like to make character sheets. In my opinion, it helps for several things:

1 - It allows my partner to know what kind of character I'm using, so he/she can make a character that works well with mine, and viceversa.

2 - It allows us to be clear about what we're roleplaying. I've always been a fan of planning out the RP before starting. I like to first plan out the plot, and then proceed to character creation. What happens is that I need enough info to work properly. If you don't introduce me your character through a character sheet, I feel the character as a complete stranger I know nothing about, and it's kind of hard for me to work with something like that.

3 - It helps me get to know my character before the roleplay begins. I make several different kinds of characters, and before I begin roleplaying, I like to make a character sheet so I can learn the basics about who my character is and how to roleplay him/her. If I skip this step I'll just end up being confused about how to RP my character, and might make a bland character with no defining personality traits, or perhaps a character that's inconsistent and erratic. I need a character sheet as a way to tell myself who my character is, and how I should roleplay him/her.

One thing is certain though: I don't like reusing characters for different roleplays. I prefer to make new characters for each roleplay I enter. Granted, I do have my specific favorite character types, so a character from one of my RPs can be very similar to one I used from another RP; but it's never the exact same character. I just reuse the basic concept, and make a completely new character out of it.

 

[Saccharine Cyanide]

For me, less is better when it comes to character sheets, but only when it comes to sharing them. For your personal reference, I think it's better for them to be as detailed as possible. Otherwise, you run the risk of being inconsistent.

On the other hand, when it comes to sharing character sheets, I don't want to read paragraphs of backstory and personality and bulletpoints of likes and dislikes. I want to learn about a character organically. I want them to surprise me.

I know it's impossible to not have character sheets in group RPs, since the GM has to vet the characters. But with the group RP I'm working on, I'm actually thinking of just having the players send their sheets to me without posting them publicly. Which sucks for me, but I hope it'll be good for the RP as a whole. We'll see if it works out, I guess, lol.

 

[VALEN T.]

Having a fixed point isn't something which prevents character development, it's what allows it to exist at all, and having a point to work from actually helps both in achieving creative and organic paths for development

Ah, I've never thought about it like that before but now that you're saying it, yeah, you do have a point. I've always thought that if you state your character to be the "broody, closed-off, empathetic" type then it can't really... go past that? Like, it won't make sense if I write that they're sending love letter and roses to their lover. Unless I develop the character that way - as a "soft crackhead on the inside". So I agree with you: having a base to start off with is always nice, keeps things more organised and prevents you from losing track of the character.

 

[Onmyoji]

I usually don't use cs for 1x1, unless they're something very basic like "name - appearance - short backstory - abilities/weapons (where applicable)".
For groups I wouldn't want to go without a cs, as there are more characters to interact with that you need to remember. So it's easier to forget stuff, and character sheets provide much-needed reference.

My only gripe about extensive character sheets is redundancy. Are all those details really necessary for everyone to know about your character, will all these things be used in roleplay? Really? Really-really? Then it's an exception of a roleplay. Because in my experience a lot of info stated in character sheets was never used ever again.

However, when I want to develop a character I also use redundant information, just that I don't really share with other players what is not needed for them to know. In my mind I can have as much redundant info as I need to understand the character, but I don't think other players need that info. It will only confuse them while I can still use that info as some character development milestones.
So if I do extensive character sheet it's usually just for myself. For public view it's something more basic.

 

[VALEN T.]

Are all those details really necessary for everyone to know about your character, will all these things be used in roleplay? Really? Really-really?

That's what I think too ! Like I don't need to know your character's past if we're doing something short term and fluffy. I don't need? To know? Their? Medical history?

 

[VALEN T.]

I hope it'll be good for the RP as a whole.

Well, I wish you the best of luck with it !!

 

[Idea]

"name - appearance - short backstory - abilities/weapons (where applicable)".

My only gripe about extensive character sheets is redundancy. Are all those details really necessary for everyone to know about your character, will all these things be used in roleplay? Really? Really-really? Then it's an exception of a roleplay. Because in my experience a lot of info stated in character sheets was never used ever again.

While I can see your point for character sheets that go on and on with stuff like "zodiac sign", "weight" and such, I did notice you didn't list "personality" in your in your basic stuff. There are also other less common ones which I would argue you're roleplaying the character wrong if it is in your sheet and you're not applying them, such as skills/talents.

 

[Idea]

Unless I develop the character that way

Yeah, one thing I see people confusing a lot is that character development is about how a character changes, not how you reveal the character to be. If a character shows that they are courageous that by itself is not development, a character developing means a character which becomes courageous having previously been timid or cowardly or anything like that. And the best development is always done by tugging into other existing elements of the character and making the change gradual and understandable.

 

[rae2nerdy]

While I can see your point for character sheets that go on and on with stuff like "zodiac sign", "weight" and such, I did notice you didn't list "personality" in your in your basic stuff. There are also other less common ones which I would argue you're roleplaying the character wrong if it is in your sheet and you're not applying them, such as skills/talents.

I think their point wasn’t that they don’t make more detail, just that they don’t share it.

So they might have personality in their own private version of the CS but the version they show their partner won’t have it.

Which I think is valid, unless the personality is somehow relevant to the plot your partner doesn’t really need to know it.

 

[Onmyoji]

While I can see your point for character sheets that go on and on with stuff like "zodiac sign", "weight" and such, I did notice you didn't list "personality" in your in your basic stuff.

That's because I forgot to mention it. I usually include 'personality' but with very broad strokes. Just about enough for my rp partner to understand how my character would behave most of the time. As in "grounded person" or "delicate wallflower" or "reckless to a fault, never thinks of consequences", something along these lines. While yes, for myself I define personality more specifically, I just don't share every detail, as rae2nerdy noted, unless it's indeed important for rp for whatever reason. Like, if my character is a yandere, I won't keep that secret XD Or if my character is someone else's character's childhood friend, I will naturally include more info for the other player to play along with that.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I usually don't use cs for 1x1, unless they're something very basic like "name - appearance - short backstory - abilities/weapons (where applicable)".
For groups I wouldn't want to go without a cs, as there are more characters to interact with that you need to remember. So it's easier to forget stuff, and character sheets provide much-needed reference.

My only gripe about extensive character sheets is redundancy. Are all those details really necessary for everyone to know about your character, will all these things be used in roleplay? Really? Really-really? Then it's an exception of a roleplay. Because in my experience a lot of info stated in character sheets was never used ever again.

However, when I want to develop a character I also use redundant information, just that I don't really share with other players what is not needed for them to know. In my mind I can have as much redundant info as I need to understand the character, but I don't think other players need that info. It will only confuse them while I can still use that info as some character development milestones.
So if I do extensive character sheet it's usually just for myself. For public view it's something more basic.

Exactly!

Most of the time I just read backstory, basics (name/age/etc), appearance is its written, and special skills. I might read personality it depends on the plot.

The rest I ignore because it tells me nothing about the character that I need to know.

Unless I am meant to be playing the other characters best friend and need to know all these details I just consider it filler personally.

But that’s just my opinion and I know other people disagree.

 

[Idea]

Which I think is valid, unless the personality is somehow relevant to the plot your partner doesn’t really need to know it.

I would respectfully disagree. Well, I do want to be clear, it's not like it's impossible to roleplay without knowing the personalities of others. However, it is a net gain, highly beneficial. Even sweeping aside the countless examples of people who claim they know their character but are actually make stuff up as they go, or the difficulty of the two characters actually working together in the plot given particular pairs of personalities, there is still the fact that knowing a character's personalities can help set up scenes, organically guide certain events and appreciate the display of character.


Anyways, while I was typing Onmyoji did state they do have a personality after all, so I'll leave it like this.

 

[Onmyoji]

Yes, sorry for the confusion, I just wasn't very attentive while typing.
Of course, knowing a character's personality is important, just that the level of detalization may vary. And in that, I prefer to not be too detailed either, unless roleplay calls for it.

Sometimes rp partner would prefer to write against a character of a specific personality, so these things are always needed to be discussed in advance.

 

[Redfork2000]

What I do is create brief character sheets that only cover the most important things I need to know. Usually, when I choose the character sheets, I only add in the following:

-Name:
-Age:
-Gender:
-Appearance: (I use descriptions instead of faceclaims)
-Personality:

This is the basic character sheet I use for my RPs. Depending on the RP I might add in something else, but most of the time this is enough for me to work with.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I would respectfully disagree. Well, I do want to be clear, it's not like it's impossible to roleplay without knowing the personalities of others. However, it is a net gain, highly beneficial. Even sweeping aside the countless examples of people who claim they know their character but are actually make stuff up as they go, or the difficulty of the two characters actually working together in the plot given particular pairs of personalities, there is still the fact that knowing a character's personalities can help set up scenes, organically guide certain events and appreciate the display of character.


Anyways, while I was typing Onmyoji did state they do have a personality after all, so I'll leave it like this.

To be be clear I am not saying don’t add personality to a CS, just that if it’sa specific section or a bullet list I won’t read it.

For my own roleplays I tend to ask more for overviews of the character, so personality is usually folded into backstory.

And tends to be more what Onmyoji was talking about.

Character A is a shy athlete that loves working with animals.

Something like that, usually as a part of a larger paragraph just describing the highlights of their life.

So enough basic info that you get a feel for the character but not like a list of pure personality traits or a long paragraph specifically going over their personality.

 

[obieblu]

I make character sheets, even if I don't strictly follow the system rules or put in every stat. If I don't, the temptation will be too hard to create their on the fly as the need arises. I define, especially their powers, then that gives me a framework to flesh how how they generally operate.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

I don't tend to make a lot of characters, as it takes time to get into their heads, and understand how they work... I cannot just properly roleplay someone new on the spot, so I reuse OCs all the time. My current roster is around a dozen of characters, some being more versatile than others, and can be put in different universes with little or lots of effort.

Anyway.

When it comes to character sheets, I have very dubious views. On one hand, I really hate the stupid templates they give you that look like a teen quiz thing that covers such things as aliases, likes and dislikes, sexuality, etc. Depending on my role, I'd like to see the partner's character, however, in more or less detail. The basic coverage of their apperance, short bio and a few words about personality and mannerisms in a free form would suffice. If I narrate, I'd like to see longer, backstory-heavy sheet to create a suiting story for the character. If I do not, I don't want to see many "spoilers" about certain important life events that they keep secret (albeit I can absolutely live with spoilers). If nothing else, knowing tidbits helps you to add dramatic effects into your games and lead the story where you want it to go , using stated triggers, if that makes any sense.

I also believe that making a character sheet might help in finding partners for the game, who might see a character they like, and ask for a game session with them. I did this numerous times, and this was done to me numerous times as well.

 

[Punkie]

Personally, I like doing a little of everything, depending on the person and my interest level.

Usually when it comes to new partners in RP, I have a very loose idea for a character concept, and build around that foundation as I RP - no character sheet, no faceclaim, just a concept that I have in mind and roll with it while I write.

Sometimes I have a plot with a specific character in mind, and so I'll be more apt to actually use one of my actual OCs. For example, I have an OC I created for Fallout, so she actually has a developed personality and even some art I've commissioned, and every once in awhile I'll use her for a RP that isn't actually Fallout related just because she fits perfectly for the plot in mind.

The only time I really go all out on a character sheet with tons of detail is when I'm creating characters with other people that I know will be a long term thing. For example, some of my closer friends and I have a handful of OCs we've created together and role played with, and after so long and so much development, we finally put everything down that we've built together in writing. Personally, character development, backstories, commissioned art, etc. All that good stuff.

So I guess the TLDR is usually I'll anyways wing it, and the only way I'll write out a genuine character sheet is if I've developed a character over a long period of time and feel the character is worth keeping.

 

[Punkie]

An additional thought on this post; on the topic of "Is creating a character sheet limiting?"

As someone who has been writing for 10+ years, I'd say that's a loaded question, but the simplest answer is no. Both creating and not creating character sheets have their own advantages.

Just winging a character is nice because you can build from scratch - it's a blank slate of a character being placed in a story, where you're able to build who they are as you go along. This allows for the more open mind, freeform writing, you can do whatever you want with it.

Having a character sheet/ specific character that you're using doesn't have that same freedom, but it has its own advantages too. It poses a challenge for writers; you have a character with a set personality, your challenge is to decide exactly how they'd feel/act in a particular setting and with particular characters.

Sometimes I like building from scratch, but other times I do find myself wanting to play with already existing characters for the sake of the challenge. It's a lot of fun to try and play out a person true to their already existing character, figuring out what kind of actions they'd take for whatever plot you've decided on. It really helps with character development skills, if that makes sense.

Personally, I don't think that one is better than the other, it's all just up to preference and what you like to do best!