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/performance.* And for those who are worried about experienced players finishing chargen first, have them help the newbies** (although make sure that they don't confuse them or inundate them with choices). Most will welcome the opportunity. And if not, obviously these characters obviously have some experience in the appropriate bureaucracy, admin, and training skills... [* I prefer to think in terms of being a director of an acting company rather than an author or storyteller. I find it a better fit for the role of gamemaster, in that you are coaxing the best performance you can out of the company of players in your care. Most of whom forgot to read the script. Again. ] [** Although this can get out of hand if you don't keep a close eye on it. One Pendragon game played in a semi-public place got slightly out of hand when people asked if they could play the squires and other players not currently occupied helped them generate actual characters. The end result is that over the course of the nine hour game it went from 6 to 19 active players. Lots of fun, and one of my fondest gaming memories, but rather exhausting. ]
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/performance.*
And for those who are worried about experienced players finishing chargen first, have them help the newbies** (although make sure that they don't confuse them or inundate them with choices). Most will welcome the opportunity. And if not, obviously these characters obviously have some experience in the appropriate bureaucracy, admin, and training skills...
[* I prefer to think in terms of being a director of an acting company rather than an author or storyteller. I find it a better fit for the role of gamemaster, in that you are coaxing the best performance you can out of the company of players in your care. Most of whom forgot to read the script. Again. ]
[** Although this can get out of hand if you don't keep a close eye on it. One Pendragon game played in a semi-public place got slightly out of hand when people asked if they could play the squires and other players not currently occupied helped them generate actual characters. The end result is that over the course of the nine hour game it went from 6 to 19 active players. Lots of fun, and one of my fondest gaming memories, but rather exhausting. ]
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