Character Wheel: Attitudes

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/06/23 – 02:30 -

If Motivations describe what your character does, Attitudes describe what he says when he does it. Attitudes are the core of roleplaying, and are deeply tied to motivations.

This is where a character gets spunk, and where it becomes interesting at the table.  Other players don’t care as much about your character’s Background or Motivations as you do, but they will certainly respond to a well crafted attitude.

Apathy Games – Character Wheel Sheet

6 Page PDF

This Character Sheet includes sections for every part of the Character Wheel.  It is system agnostic, so feel free to use it with any character for any game.

I’ve Had Just About Enough Lip Out Of You

People don’t behave in just one way all the time. They react to things. Your character shouldn’t either. He should have a variety of opinions and reactions to various situations, and behave differently when experiencing various emotions.

Significant Details

As far as Attitudes go, the significant ones are those that are likely to land your character in trouble. “I get excited around fuzzy animals” isn’t a significant detail unless you’re addicted to fuzzy animals and also allergic. Instead, focus on things like, “I can’t help but spit in the face of authority figures.” That one will affect the story.

Simple Details

For Attitudes, I’ve included a seven axis alignment chart. This chart has been very successful in the past because it really only takes minute to fill out, but forces you to think about the character in several dimensions.

The various axis are as follows:

Introverted ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Extroverted

Selfish ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Charitable

Individualist ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Collectivist

Emotional ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Rational

Gentle ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Abrasive

Leader ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Follower

Libertarian ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Authoritarian

A note about the difference between the Individualist/Collectivist axis and the Libertarian/Authoritarian axis. While they are very similar, the former is aimed at how your character behaves, whereas the latter is more about how he believes society should be structured. It’s entirely possible to have someone who works only for others but believes that no man should have control over others, or to have a man who works only for himself and believes that all men should be controlled.

Situational Personalities

People behave differently in various situations. These are called personas, but I’ve chosen the more obvious Situation Personalities to describe them.

The most common persona is the one used around the Party Members, as this will be the one played ninety percent of the time. Take some time to consider how you want to play this, and then revisit it after you’ve played a few sessions. If you wish it to, this entry can help prevent you from always playing the same character.

Personas also change when your character is surrounded by various social situations, including Family, Close Friends, Lovers, Large Groups, or when he is Alone. He may also act differently when in Dangerous Situations than he does when in Professional or Unfamiliar Situations.

Handling Emotions

Emotions are complicated things, and they can have a wide effect on different people. Here is where you decide how you handle each of them. You’ll notice that each emotion here lines up with an Emotional Trigger under the Motivations section. Use this for your convenience.

Take some time to consider how your character reacts to Anger, Depression, Envy, Fear, Joy, and Lust. Make them interesting. Include any vices or rituals he may engage in.

Lastly, decide upon the character’s Pervasive Emotional State. Is he usually angry or afraid? Maybe he does casual meditation to keep calm.

Handling Life

Similar to handling emotions, some people have difficulty handling Stress, Loss, or Guilt. With your game likely being combat centric, these situations will occur regularly and might trigger the emotions listed above.

Personal Quote

This is where you can try to sum up your character’s general attitude in a single quote. Your elevator pitch, so to speak. Try to have fun with is.


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Character Wheel: Background

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/06/18 – 22:28 -

When most players think about character development, they think about background first.  Sometimes, it’s all they ever really consider.  I think that it’s actually the least important aspect of the Character Wheel, but it does have value in helping guide and inform your choices elsewhere on the wheel.

First, before we go any further, make sure you have a copy of the Character Wheel Sheet, so you can follow along.

Apathy Games – Character Wheel Sheet

6 Page PDF

This Character Sheet includes sections for every part of the Character Wheel.  It is system agnostic, so feel free to use it with any character for any game.

Hey, Good Lookin’.  Where you from?

A character’s background includes where he came from, what events have occured during his life, and how he got to be where he is today.

Significant Details

The mistake many roleplayer’s make is giving their character’s too much history for their power level.  While a character should certainly have some interesting things in their past, these should be things that can have an effect on the story going forward.  All your character’s history doesn’t matter if it has no impact on the game.  Thus, you should start by picking a handful of things that will come back to haunt your character.

Simple Details

In some regards, these questions could go on forever, but there’s only so much space or time.  Instead, I’ve included the things that are significant moments to most people.  These include your Hometown, Greatest Success and Failure, First Job, and stuff about First Lovers.  Feel free to think of your own questions as well.  Additionally, there are a few questions about things that may never have happened to your character, but if so would have a dramatic impact, such as committing a crime and saving someone’s life.

Strangely, perhaps, I’ve included your character’s First Kill as something that expected to have happened.  That’s because most roleplaying games are violent by nature.  This may say something terrible about all of us, but I’ll leave that for another topic.

Complex Details

As you go over these five sections, there are three basic questions you should ask yourself:

  1. Where did my character come from?
  2. How did my character learn his skills?
  3. Why did my character decide to become X? (Where X is whatever the setting assumes your character is, Adventurer, Hero, Criminal, Revolutionary, etc.)

I didn’t include these exact questions on the sheet, but you’ll notice that they align pretty closely with the sections Childhood, Scholastic, and Professional.  Those words simply take up less space and convey the same idea.  The questions above are meant to guide you in makeing decisions.

I’ve also included Romantic history and Accomplishments & Awards.  The impact of these depends on the setting, but both provide opportunities for adventure.

Momentous Occasions

These are the moments in your character’s life that are still remembered to this day.  Some are Jovial, some are Tragic, and some are Inspirational or Life Changing.  Don’t fill all of this out yet.  Most of these should occur during the game.

That does it for Background.  Tune in next week when we cover Attitudes.


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Character Wheel: Description

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/06/03 – 00:00 -

As was foretold, the Character Wheel has returned to us. This time I begin a series of posts going over each hub of the wheel in gruesome detail. In addition, I have rebuilt the Character Wheel sheet. It is now completely system agnostic, and has just a touch of color. Check it out, as I’m quite proud of it.

Apathy Games – Character Wheel Sheet

6 Page PDF

This Character Sheet includes sections for every part of the Character Wheel.  It is system agnostic, so feel free to use it with any character for any game.

Can you describe the perpetrator?

Let us start by going over Significant Details. These details are supposed to have an effect on the game; you want the Game Master to utilize these during adventure design.

Look over this section of the sheet for inspiration. Perhaps you have a distinctive tattoo that will cause conflicts. Perhaps your love of a particular drink will eventually become unhealthy. Or, maybe, the ultimate piece of your car emblem collection has been discovered, and it’s a race to discover it. Essentially, consider how some of the entries could be used in an adventure, and build a detail from there.

Simple Details

The simple details for description are rather obvious: Tattoos, Piercings, Scars, Birthmarks, Oddities, Allergies, Health, and Fitness. Only a couple explanations are in order. First, Health is what your doctor would judge, whereas Fitness is something your personal trainer would keep track of. Lastly, Oddities are simply distinctive character features that don’t fit elsewhere.

Complex Details

Complex Details consist of the following: Physical, Clothing, Lifestyle, Home Furnishings, Home Life, Hobbies, Collections, and Habits.

These deserve a little more attention, or have more than one entry. They can consist of complete sentences, or simple lists. Whatever you desire is alright. Of them, the most valuable is probably Habits. These will come up in a game fairly often.

Hobbies and Collections are fun, and I think every character should have a few. The difference it subtle, because most collections are hobbies, but it made sense to separate them so that your knife collection isn’t in the same list as your micro-brew operation.

Tastes

Tastes fall into the following categories: Food & Drink, Art & Architecture, Entertainment, The Opposite Sex, Colors, Favorite Places, Other, and Eccentricities.

These could also fit comfortably under Attitudes or Motivations, but they’re less about personality and more akin to simple descriptive features. Under each of the above categories, you should list your favorite and least favorite items, as well as anything else the character might feel passionate about.

Lastly, take a look at Eccentricities. These can be very oddball things about your character. Maybe he has a penchant for painting everything red, even though he hates it, because it’s what he’s always done. Maybe he always eats his dinner from the inside out. Maybe he has to read twelve pages before he can sleep. I’m sure you can come up with better ones.

That’s it for today. We’ll be bringing you the rest soon, so you have been warned.


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Romance, Marriage, and Player Characters

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/03/24 – 00:00 -

Tyson has betrayed you, loyal reader.  He promised, in Take on all Comers, that he would write a post for every suggestion, in order, and without stopping except for previously scheduled posts.  But he is taking today off to write his vows.  Apparently, he’s getting married this weekend.  But I must ask:  how can he make a commitment to one woman for a lifetime, when he couldn’t even keep a commitment to you for a few weeks?

I suggest leaving him a comment congratulating him on his upcoming marriage.  That will show him just how disappointed you are.

While We’re on the Topic

As my fellow players and I have grown older, more and more romantic elements have seeped their way into our games.  Long gone are the days of, “If there are any girls there, I want to DO them!” Instead, we’ve attempted to take a more mature approach to sex and romance.  But it’s very difficult and often awkward.  But, when done well by two players who are able to figure it out, it can be very rewarding.  In fact, our last long-term campaign (30 levels in Third Edition D&D) ended with some of the characters getting married.

What follows are some tips to employ, and some pitfalls to avoid if you want to add this element to your games.

  • Step back to the thirty mile view. It isn’t uncommon for players to get very deep into their characters and to act out many of their interactions with the world.  Combat is generally brought to life with detailed description, and most dialogs are acted out.  When approaching romance, try to back out of this a bit.  At least for a while.  Instead of flirting with another player or NPC, simply say that you’re flirting with them.  This gives the other player, or the game master, a little removal from the situation.  Over time you can get a little closer to the action, easing in to it as both players get comfortable with the concept and have had a chance to discuss it outside the game.
  • Discuss it outside the game. This allows the entire group to have and idea of what is going on.  You’ll probably talk about this romance is likely to lead, or not lead as the case may be.  Discussion is not only valuable because of player comfort levels, but also because a romantic story is more fun to play if everyone at the table is anticipating developments.
  • Keep it subtle.  You don’t always have to approach romance wh0le-cloth.  Sometimes it’s more fun to just have a little hint of it here and there between characters.  This can also prevent the storyline from derailing the campaign while still influencing character actions.
  • Fade to black. If two characters are at a point where they may become physical, and especially if that involve sex, just fade to black and imply that it happened.  Unless you think you’re mature enough for the Book of Erotic Fantasy, which I’m pretty sure nobody is.
  • Don’t use gaming as an excuse to hit on someone. It can be easy to do.  The level of separation between player and character might let you be more comfortable flirting with a player who otherwise wouldn’t engage in that activity with you.  This will only make the group, and the other player, very uncomfortable.  Also, don’t hit on the Game Master’s girlfriend.  He can do things to your character that are far worse than death.
  • Be willing to back off.  If a player isn’t comfortable, and isn’t likely to become comfortable, just let the entire matter drop.  It’s really not worth it.
  • Don’t hyper-focus on it. It’s definitely possible to take the romantic part of roleplaying too far by focusing too much time or attention on it.  It’s simply an element of the game, not the focus.

Going on Dates

This can be a fun interlude during a campaign, and it provides two valuable opportunities for you and your character.  First, it’s an excuse to explore areas of the game’s setting that combat or intrigue are unlikely to deal with, such as social customs, fancy dress, nightlife locations that aren’t seedy, etc.  Secondly, it provides you the opportunity to plan date ideas that you could never afford or otherwise accomplish in real life.  This can actually be surprisingly fun, and utilizes the creative portion of your brain that drew you to gaming in the first place.  Have you ever watched the fireflies during a midnight walk in a forest city?  How about dancing under the stars in the observation dome of a space station?  Or perhaps you just want to give your date a necklace forged from the bones of your mortal enemy.

Getting Married

Weddings have been used in stories since before the written word.  They’re a powerful symbol.  The represent unions, new life, dramatic change, or the end of the turmoil of courtship.  It isn’t uncommon for novels and movies to end with a wedding, leaving everyone feeling good at the end.  It can work that way for your game as well.

Moreover, every advantage I mentioned about going on dates is extended to weddings.  In a fantasy game, you could conceivably be married directly by your god in his own planar cathedral.  In a cyberpunk game, you could be wed in an abandoned shed by drug crazed priest with only your battle-hardened compatriots as witnesses.

Marriage can also have a dramatic effect on a character’s adventuring life.  Vows represent a responsibility that may interfere with your mission objectives.  If you marry an NPC, perhaps you can’t stay away from home for long.  Or maybe your spouse is the reason you leave on a life-threatening journey, because anything is better than staying home.  The added level of complexity having a spouse, and even children, can add to a character is exhilarating.  At least, if you like that sort of thing.  For example, our artist, Hillary, had a character with a rocky marriage.  She rolled every session to see how things were going with her spouse.

A Formal Conclusion

To be honest, we’re all still learning about this.  The complexities of a RPG group make the whole subject a bit of a minefield sometimes.  Everything stated above is merely what we have gleaned in our experiences.  So now I turn it to you.  How have you handled romance and marriage in your games, and has it felt satisfying?  Also, don’t forget to congratulate Tyson.  His adventures are about to get very interesting.


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Savage Worlds Rule Guidance: Bennies Part 1

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2010/01/07 – 00:00 -

I asked the great folks over at the Pinnacle forums for advice on using bennies, and they blew my mind with the amount and quality of their discussion. I can’t thank them enough. They’re all brilliant.

In this part we’ll be discussing:

  1. What bennies are and why they matter.
  2. As a player, how best to manage your bennies.

And in Part 2 we’ll be discussing:

  1. A system for a Game Master to handle giving out bennies.
  2. Various house rules for bennies.

Bennies: Making your own luck

For the uninitiated, each player starts a session with three bennies (and the game master gets his own), which can be spent at any time to do one of three things:

  • Re-roll any test. If you roll a test and don’t like the result, you can roll again and keep whichever result is better.
  • Recover from being Shaken. When a character takes damage, he is shaken and has to recover before he can act. This usually takes a Spirit roll, and can eat up an entire turn. Not with a benny.
  • Soak damage. Getting hurt sucks. A benny lets you roll to reduce the number of wounds you take from an attack.

These are not just tacked onto the system, either. Management of your bennies is a critical part of Savage Worlds strategy and character power. In fact, there are hindrances and edges that can give a character more or fewer bennies.

It is also expected that the Game Master will give each player somewhere from three to five additional bennies throughout a gaming session.

Common Problems

Most experienced role-players aren’t used to having a system like bennies be integral to a system or their characters, and thus several problems occur.

  • Players hoard their bennies. Some players are afraid to spend their bennies, thinking that they may need them later, but in doing this, they make game challenges harder on themselves and more frustrating. This can make the game less fun for them.
  • Players run out too quickly. Lets face it, players like to succeed. Often, a player will blow through all his bennies re-rolling failed tests, and suddenly not have one to soak a death dealing blow, killing their character and ruining their fun.

How to manage your Bennies

Guidance for how to spend your bennies really isn’t complicated. It follows a fairly simply progression.

  1. You may freely spend one benny per encounter or scene. You’ll probably receive more from the Game Master at this rate.
  2. Be cautious spending a second benny in the same fight, but do so when you believe it’ll make a significant difference.
  3. Never spend your last benny except to soak an attack.

Come back tomorrow for part 2 on our suggestions for managing your benny economy!


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Introducing a New Player – Engage Him Gradually

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2009/12/29 – 08:00 -

You’ve done everything to get to know the new player and make him as comfortable as possible, but now the time has come to start playing. Everyone jumps in, becomes their characters, and the dice start rolling. But, of course, the new player is silent and uninvolved. What do you do?

  • Let him watch. Give him a little while to watch everyone else play for a bit, even after you’ve introduced his character. He’s learning the way people play, something you can’t teach and the rules don’t describe. You don’t have to push him before he’s comfortable.
  • Solicit questions Throughout the game, and especially during combat, the gamemaster should stop and ask if the newcomer has any questions. New situations are coming. Monsters that the experiences players know may confuse the newcomer. Make it clear that he can always ask for more info, but don’t wait for him to do so.
  • Don’t do all the player introductions at once. He won’t remember all the characters in detail. Instead, do the introductions throughout the session. Invite the new player to write down names and notes of things he finds interesting about the other players.
  • Have each player engage the newcomer at different times. Throughout the session, each player should take time to interact with the newcomer in character. This is in addition to the introductions, which may be done in or out of character. This lets the newcomer see each character’s personality, and keeps them involved throughout the game.
  • Don’t ask too many questions about his character. The newcomer doesn’t know his character yet. Don’t ask for that information during the first session. He’ll divulge what he’s got in his head, and that’s enough. Too many questions will overwhelm the newcomer.

Make sure to come back next week as we conclude Apathy University: Introducing a New Player.


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Introducing a New Player: Provide a Simple Tailored Objective

Written by Tyson J. Hayes on 2009/12/22 – 09:07 -

The object of any game is to have fun, and your new player needs a moment of that all to themselves. You’ve already taken the time to get to know the player, what kind of character they want to play, and given them an overview of the rules. Now it’s time to get the game going, but how do you hook them in and make them want more? One simple option is to give them a personal win–a chance to shine in their first session.

  • The Butt Kicker: For this player, it’s a simple matter of setting up a bar fight, extra monster, or purse snatcher who needs his head bashed in. Have the character get the drop on them in a fight or lower their defenses to make them easy to hit and voila! When the final blow is being dealt, let the new player dictate what happens to the enemy. This allows them to feel that they are a part of the action and gets the creative juices flowing.
  • The Talker: Give the talker a chance to show off his bargaining skills or talk the local law enforcement into letting someone off the hook. In a modern setting let them talk their way into a local night club or past a security guard into an office complex. When talking for the NPC, first play up his reluctance to give the player what he wants, and then emphasize his change of attitude, giving your new player a strong sense of success.
  • The Planner: This can be the easiest to pull off, because the planner wants to make this a success, but the most difficult if the player is still shy. Just give the planner a challenge to think through. Try not to get bogged down on the mechanics of getting it done. Have them talk through the entire plan, and then offer them help by telling them how easiest to do it within the confines of the game’s mechanics. Suggest ways to utilize other players so everyone can get involved. However, don’t let the other players grab the spotlight away and steal the new players thunder.

Coming up with this little moment will let the new player walk away from their first game feeling good about what happened. Even if they later run across a challenge they had trouble with they’ll still be able to look back with fondness.

What’s the best trick you’ve used to let a new player shine? What didn’t go over so well?


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Introducing a New Player: Introduce Only the Basics of the Game

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2009/12/08 – 08:00 -

There are three parts of the game that must be introduced to a new player: the setting, what the players do, and the rules. The first two have to be discussed with the new player before they make character choices. The rules, though shouldn’t be discussed until afterward. Remember, your goal is to give them what they absolutely need to know, but not overwhelm them. There is a lot to learn.

What the Players Do

This is more fundamental to the game than either the setting or the rules, but sometimes relies on the setting for context. If possible, explain what the players do first, but if you must, it can wait until after you’ve described the setting.

Make sure the new player has an idea of what the player characters are trying to accomplish in this campaign, and how they’re going about it. In some games, this is simple. For example, in Shadowrun, you are a professional criminal doing jobs for giant corporations who want to compete illegally without getting caught. You use stealth, planning, and skill to accomplish goals and try to stay alive.

In a fantasy game, you might discuss how the players have taken it upon themselves to protect a small village from an orc invasion, and are seeking out the leader to kill him before he can attack the village.

The Setting

Keep to the very basics when describing the setting. If it’s based off of something that the newcomer will we familiar with, say so first. For example, D&D is a basic sword and sorcery fantasy setting with elves and dwarves, like Lord of the Rings. Legend of the Five Rings is based on feudal Japan. Mention some movies or shows that are similar, if there are any.

After you’ve established a baseline that the new player is familiar with, mention the important differences. For example, the Iron Kingdoms, by Privateer Press, is based on a classic fantasy setting, but it’s been moved forward to the industrial revolution. Magic has been industrialized, and steam engines power mechanikal creatures called steamjacks that do heavy labor and wage war.

You can then mention any details that are of importance to the current campaign, like a necromancer raising an army, or a dragon running for president of the United States.

Lastly, The Rules

It’s best to give the new player a character first. Then show him the core mechanic of the game by using one of his character’s skills as an example. You’ll probably want to do this a few times so that they’re comfortable with this. Go through the character sheet, explaining what things are, and letting the player ask questions. Don’t go into too much detail, he doesn’t need to know all the possible modifiers. Just make sure he understands his character sheet.

You’ll probably want to go over combat. Explaining initiative, actions, attacks, damage, and the like. Give examples and have the player make rolls. Of course, if the system is simple enough, like with Savage Worlds, you can just wait until combat happens in the game to describe these rules.


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Introducing a New Player: Provide Limited Character Options

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2009/12/01 – 08:00 -

Previously we’ve discussed Conversing Before the Game Starts and Being Well Prepared. Now as our series rolls on we discuss the next step.

Alright, so you’ve discussed the basics of the setting, and it’s time to create a character for the newcomer. Whatever you do, do not just open the book to the character creation rules and say, “What do you wan to play.” He doesn’t know, and he’ll feel very stupid for not knowing.

Instead, come up with a few simple character ideas, without rules or anything written down, and present them to the newcomer. This gives him some choice, without overwhelming him. When he’s made his choice, go through the character creation rules, a step at a time, but instead of having him go through the book, ask questions about what he wants his character to be good at, and make the rules decisions for him.

For things that the player has to choose, such as hindrances, edges, feats, or special qualities, don’t give him a the full list, but pick a limited selection of easy to use options to choose from. It’s okay to say that you’re doing this. He will probably understand and approve.

Let him change his character later. This may rub some gamemasters the wrong way, but it’s the only fair way to treat a new player. The last thing you want is for the newcomer to not enjoy his character after a few sessions, especially if it’s because you didn’t give him all the options.

Pre-built Characters

This is the simplest way to give a newcomer a character. Some players, if they’re familiar with RPGs, will scoff at this idea, but it can work well if you’re new player is completely new. Instead of going through character creation with the new player, give him the choice of a set of pre-built characters. Don’t include a name or gender, but you might want to give the pre-built character a one or two line description of their background and personality. Many games come with a standard set of pre-builts specificially for this purpose.

Even if you do go this way, give the player the option to change his character, or create a new one, at a later date.

Join us next Tuesday while we continue Apathy University’s series on Introducing a New Player.


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Everyone Should Play an Obnoxious Character

Written by Jeff Carlsen on 2009/11/19 – 08:00 -

Because it provides players with an opportunity to be someone other than themselves, role-playing can be a powerful educational experience, teaching us many valuable social skills. Which is particularly useful, considering that the majority of us grew up as socially inept geeks.

Over the years, I’ve seen numerous players make friends and become happier in life because of role-playing, and through that I have come to a conclusion: everyone should play an verbal, eccentric, and obnoxious character at least once.

Why? Because fear is a powerful enemy (I’m sure someone said that), and the role-playing environment is a prime opportunity to face that fear of acting out in relative safety. Once a player has done it there, it should help reduce anxiety in the rest of their life.

That, and everyone has a little demon in them that is just dying to be let out. We all want to be a jerk sometimes, and it can be refreshing to get it out of our system.

Of course, I still firmly believe that anyone who plays an obnoxious character gets what they deserve when the rest of the players chastise them, and if they make of habit of playing such characters, they should probably be shot. But that’s only fair.


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