Character Class

What are the characters going to be doing in this game?

The GM plans to run a political game in the capital city of a country controlled by twelve great houses. The houses compete with one another for power and influence. The action will consist of political intrigue (i.e. high class social events, gossip), spying on rivals, sabotage and assassinations, and occasional skirmishes in back alleys or hallways.

What exists in this world?

The GM explains that the world is around a mid-eighteen hundreds technology level. Battles are fought in distant lands by the military. The population is human and, with few exceptions, the natural world is much like our own. A portion of the population is gifted with hereditary magical talents. Magic is tightly controlled and using magic outside of the great houses is a crime.

The Characters

Phil hears that it's going to be a political game and then ignores everything else about the setting. He knows that politics means violence. Phil also thinks character driven, science fiction, puzzle based, romance, and cooperative mean violence. He needs to play a warrior. He needs to play Sir Awesomesauce, greatest swordsman in the land.

This is obviously a faux medieval European setting, so Phil decides that Awesomesauce is the long lost rightful heir to the throne of the Undying Empire, recently crowned. In his veins flows the blood of dragons, trolls, and kings. Ancient prophecy foretold his victory over the lords of Hell. Women the land over swoon for him and his kingdom is filled with his conquests, on and off the battlefield. Everyone wishes to know about the mysterious Awesomesauce and the secret of his manhood.

There are a lot of problems here. Phil isn't actually interested in playing in the game that is being presented and instead has decided that he's just going to play the way he wants to. He is an armored knight with dragon blood in a world where one of those no longer exists and the other never did. This is guaranteed to cause problems and is a jerk move.

Mistake 1: Play the game you're in If you don't like the game that is being played, don't play. Do not make a character for a different game and try to force what you want.

Phil has decided to create his own setting and story. He threw out the government presented by the GM to replace it with a monarchy (with himself at the lead), he introduced lords of Hell and an ancient prophecy, and dictated how everyone in the world feels about him.

Mistake 2: You are NOT the AUTHOR You do not get to control the setting, decide how the story will play out (everyone does that together with the dice), or decide how NPCs act. Don't decide how other people feel about your character, describe traits about the character that would make people feel that way. While author GM's can be irritating, author players are much worse. There is certainly room to talk with your GM about things you want in the game, but most of the time your role is limited to making decisions for your character.

Mistake 3: Be respectful Whether or not Sir Awesomesauce's Manhood and sexual exploits are appropriate depends on the table, but the strong undercurrent of sexism in the character description is not appropriate for any table.

You need to respect other players and be a decent human being. Making a racist character so you can tell all those racist jokes you know and claim you're just playing in character is not cool. A roleplaying game is also probably not the place to explore your kinks; ESPECIALLY, if you're meeting people to play for the first time.

The game is not Kevin's usual style, but he decides to give it a chance. He likes the idea of a character with a secret and a special birthright to claim. He decides that his character will be the illegitimate child of one of the Great Houses and raised in a wealthy, politically connected family. He names his character Lady Deboe.

How does your character overcome this game's challenges?

There are four things to do in this game: political intrigue, intelligence gathering, stealthy destruction, and urban combat.

Sir Awesomesauce can do all of those things and better than anyone else. If he is in a social situation with a political rival, he'll kill the rival. If he needs to get information, he'll beat and kill people until someone talks. If something needs done in secret then he'll just kick down the door and murder any witnesses. If he ever has to fight unexpectedly, it will be fine because he wears his plate everywhere and always has at least three swords.

Mistake 4: Don't be 1-dimensional Making a character that only functions in one situation is a recipe for disaster. You will end up bored and ruin everyone else's fun by trying to subvert everything into your specialty area. Think through ways to be a supporting character as well as a star.

Lady Deboe presents herself as non-threatening so that people underestimate her. She is skilled at manipulation, but doesn't get her hands dirty. She does not sneak around to spy on people, but if the group needs to learn something, she'll do the records search. If the group is going to sneak into the night to do sabotage, she'll be a look-out or distraction. When it comes time to fight, she's tough but hardly an expert. She has a few tricks up her sleeve to get away or confound foes while her allies deal with them. Maybe some simple magic, since she has the blood of one of the great houses, but could not have been properly trained to use her gifts.

Kevin has set himself up for a starring role in the political intrigue scenes, a major supporting role for intelligence gathering, and minor roles in stealthy destruction and urban combat. He'll get to shine some of the time, help other players shine at other times, and very rarely be left with nothing to do.

Why are you sticking with the other characters?

Sir Awesomesauce doesn't need companions. He is a dark and mysterious lone wolf. People are drawn to him and beg him to take them into his service. He has chosen a lucky few to travel with him to record his victories, carry his loot, and hand him his spare sword.

Mistake 5: Do NOT be a COOL LONER. This is the second biggest mistake new players make. They want to play a cool loner that doesn't need anyone and plays by their own rules. That's a cool archetype in fiction, but you have probably met loners in your real life and you may have noticed they don't get involved in stuff. No one cares enough to push through their bad attitude. There are other players at the table, find a reason to participate with them!

Lady Deboe trusts very few people because of how cut-throat the political world is, but those that she does trust she holds dear and would risk anything for. The other players are those that she relies on and who know her secrets.

Kevin has set up a reason to stick with the other characters that is very flexible and implies a shared history that can be adapted when he sees the other characters. Also, it gives him a lot of leeway to either accept the strange behavior of other players and or object if other players are doing things Lady Deboe (or Kevin) doesn't like. Kevin has also avoided another mistake here.

Mistake 6: Do NOT have a mysterious past Having secrets for your character can be fun, but no one else at the table is as invested in your character's story as you are. You are going to end up disappointed by their lack of interest. And if you hint you know something they don't know, they are going to get irritated. If you want to play a character with secrets, let the other players in on them and play with them together.

What does your character want?

Sir Awesomesauce wants to achieve his birthright to become the one true king of the world and then conquer all the layers of Hell and become immortal. Then as the immortal king of the world he will assault the heavens and slay all the gods. All will worship and serve Awesomesauce or die.

Mistake 7: You are NOT THE protagonist. This is the number one most common mistake, probably because people want to be like characters from fiction they like. You are A protagonist alongside the other players, but do not design your character with the expectation that the game/world will revolve around them.

Fiction protagonists are the star. Everyone else is a side-kick. They almost always succeed, no matter what the odds. All events center on their actions.

This doesn't work. There are other players at the table and they do not want to play your side-kick. You are not going to succeed against all odds. In fact, usually you will fail against bad odds, because success in roleplaying games is determined by rolling dice not by an all-powerful author (unless you're being Railroaded).

Lady Deboe wants to increase her standing within the world. She has big ideas for her nation and wants to be in a position to implement them. This could be gaining acknowledgement as a member of House Laurent, positioning herself or a close ally (such as another player) on the Council, or growing the wealth and influence of the family that raised her.

As a player, Kevin enjoys feeling like the things he does in the game have a meaningful impact on the game world. Kevin is communicating to the GM that the way to motivate him is to provide opportunities to shape the world. By keeping the objectives vague, he's allowing the GM to present opportunities that are of interest to the character and advance the story without trying to dictate the story.

What does your character care about?

Phil saw a roleplaying horror story on the internet and so he knows that any sort of connection is just a means for the GM to control your character. The GM is out to get him, but Phil knows the answer: Awesomesauce cares about nothing. Sir Awesomesauce has no family. He was an orphan that trained himself to fight and has never had any human connections to anyone ever. He is not weighed down by any morals or ethics.

Mistake 8: Don't assume bad faith Everyone at the table is trying to have fun. If you think something will be an issue you should talk with the GM about it. If you don't want a GM to mess with your character's family, tell them. Do not try to ìwinî in character. If someone is acting in bad faith at the table, DON'T PLAY WITH THEM.

Kevin realizes this is a cloak and dagger game and wants to be able to justify doing some shady stuff, so Lady Deboe cares about people, relationships, and loyalty. She is willing to break the law and do unethical things if it means helping those closest to her.

By putting more value on personal connections, Kevin will have a lot of freedom to play the way he wants without playing a sociopath. Lady Deboe's loyalty is also a way to draw the character into action and means that she has people to call on when she's stuck.

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