Character Theory Too much work on a single character?

[St. Clover]

So for a while now I've been working on a character of mine, inspired from a session way back when of DnD. Currently a Brass Dragonborn by the name of Milly, she's went through no less than a dozen different iterations. First she was a one off NPC idea, then an actual character on the tabletop, then I ported her as a side character to an old worldbuilding project named Neon City Nights. In recent times she went back to the tabletop in a homebrew game for 5e, which got her on the track for where she is now. Cue three more transition phases and a full reboot, she's now in what I hope will be her definitive form, that of a low magic wielding explorer and taco devourer extraordinaire in a more original setting.

All this is to provide context for my question; is it possible to do too much work on a single character? Is there a point when you should just toss the character sheet in question in the trash, rather than constantly updating and amending it? Have any of you ever experienced this, if so, what was it like? What did you do?

 

[Leon The Needled Riolu]

All this is to provide context for my question; is it possible to do too much work on a single character?
No! I have worked on my OC, Foxen for 2 years now, and he STILL isn't complete.

Is there a point when you should just toss the character sheet in question in the trash, rather than constantly updating and amending it?
In my opinion, if you like the character to that point, keep it.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I rarely get too attached to characters but I do a lot of extended world building for settings that I come up with. I like to flesh out little things and ask myself questions about the day to day lives of the people in my world (which I guess could be kinda like character building only not with one specific person).

My thought is that as long as it's not coming to the point where it's negatively affecting your ability to function in real life just keep at it. Even if the only person who ever sees the information is you it's still a fun way to pass the time. Plus I find it's a relaxing hobby for whenever real life or roleplay drama gets you down.

 

[Shotagonist]

My OC Enilias is someone I kept around for 13 years and while I haven't changed his personality in years, I only recently rounded up his character by giving him a twin sister.

If you love playing a character and keep coming back for them, there's nothing wrong with making changes.

 

[Idea]

Well, it's possible to do too much work for an OC, but this depends on the kind of OC and kind of work we're talking about. An active OC whose sheet is just being updated by the events and development in roleplays makes sense to have continuous work. A roleplay-specific OC probably should never take more than a couple weeks to complete, and even that's stretching it, while not-RP-specific OC can afford to take a lot more time depending on the exact degree of detail intended (though I don't personally recommend it because when a player works in an OC's details for too long they tend to be become less able to be reasonable and flexible where it matters).

Of course, the #1 rule is pretty much always the same: If it is being a problem for your IRL life, quit it or at least tone it down. Beyond that, other than the requirements of given circumstances, nobody's gonna fault you for working on an OC for a long time, as long as you are aware of the implications of focusing all your work on a single entity.

 

[kibou]

I think I'd only say yes if you were struggling really hard with some part of a character, rather than naturally changing it as you gain experience as a writer/story-teller and as your OC goes through different iterations. Your tastes and skill level aren't static, and tbh if you've been playing DnD or rping for years and your OCs stayed totally the same I'd say that's a bad indicator and that you might not be improving.

If you still enjoy the character then keep going at it, because at the end of the day what you're doing is a for-fun hobby and if continuing to re-use this OC is what makes you happy and is fun for you then why would you stop?