As a GM, time spent during character creation can seem dull. You don’t get to join in until it’s over. That doesn’t mean the players aren't having a rich experience.
True, but ... players complete character generation at their own pace. The longer the process, the longer some players will be twiddling their thumbs, along with the GM.
It's not just the length of the character creation process, but the speed at which individual players go through the steps of character creation. And sometimes how fast they scribble! :)
I have to ask, Viktor, have you ever created a character for Desolation, where it's important to know stuff about the character during the Before so as to have the perspective on the character during the After?
As a GM, time spent during character creation can seem dull. You don’t get to join in until it’s over.
What, are you kidding me?
Character creation is when you as GM get the information you need to personalize your campaign to the players. The character abilities, backgrounds, and personalities all give you vital clues as to the types of challenges to throw at them, what kind of stories they want to pursue, and what kind of hooks you can use to draw them in.
During player character creation, a GM shouldn't be twiddling his thumbs. He should be taking notes.
As a GM, time spent during character creation can seem dull. You don’t get to join in until it’s over. That doesn’t mean the players aren't having a rich experience.
I really have to disagree with you about this, Robin. As a GM, part of the character generation process is for the players to create their characters in concert and with the assistance of the GM. It's also the time when you, as GM, see what the players are creating character-wise, and individualise the campaign to suit the player characters being created, as well as coming up with inspiration for stuff that you can do with, and to , the characters they've created.
By anecdotal evidence only, most of the female gamers I've known over the years have viewed character creation as their favorite part of gaming. I've known a couple men in that category, but they're in the minority.
I find the character creation process to be one of the more interesting parts of the game, both as player and gamemaster. It should be a cooperative process, as fully interactive as play, not only between the gamemasters and the players, but between the the players themselves as well. It's how you first get to know the characters. It's where people can first try and fit together some backstory, regardless of the system you use (it's just easier if it is a life-path system). It's quite possible to drop characters straight into a situation and then watch them generate a background, but every time, in every game? It only seems boring because as a gamemaster you want to hurry up and run the adventure you wrote/bought and that you want to tell. In doing so you are forgetting that your players have already started telling a story when they start contemplating their character. So why wait for them to stumble down individual paths before you start doing your job and weaving their stories and yours together into a cohesive narrative/
( ... )
Comments 15
True, but ... players complete character generation at their own pace. The longer the process, the longer some players will be twiddling their thumbs, along with the GM.
Reply
It's not just the length of the character creation process, but the speed at which individual players go through the steps of character creation. And sometimes how fast they scribble! :)
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Reply
What, are you kidding me?
Character creation is when you as GM get the information you need to personalize your campaign to the players. The character abilities, backgrounds, and personalities all give you vital clues as to the types of challenges to throw at them, what kind of stories they want to pursue, and what kind of hooks you can use to draw them in.
During player character creation, a GM shouldn't be twiddling his thumbs. He should be taking notes.
Reply
Reply
I really have to disagree with you about this, Robin. As a GM, part of the character generation process is for the players to create their characters in concert and with the assistance of the GM. It's also the time when you, as GM, see what the players are creating character-wise, and individualise the campaign to suit the player characters being created, as well as coming up with inspiration for stuff that you can do with, and to , the characters they've created.
Reply
Reply
I find the character creation process to be one of the more interesting parts of the game, both as player and gamemaster. It should be a cooperative process, as fully interactive as play, not only between the gamemasters and the players, but between the the players themselves as well. It's how you first get to know the characters. It's where people can first try and fit together some backstory, regardless of the system you use (it's just easier if it is a life-path system).
It's quite possible to drop characters straight into a situation and then watch them generate a background, but every time, in every game?
It only seems boring because as a gamemaster you want to hurry up and run the adventure you wrote/bought and that you want to tell. In doing so you are forgetting that your players have already started telling a story when they start contemplating their character. So why wait for them to stumble down individual paths before you start doing your job and weaving their stories and yours together into a cohesive narrative/ ( ... )
Reply
Leave a comment