Hello fellow readers! Let’s take on the Darkside Personality Traits this time. These are the traits usually embodied by the bad guys. However, they could also be used by other characters to indicate a “fall from grace” or brush with tragedy, especially considering that people are playing in darker settings like Ravenloft and adventures like…
Welcome again fellow adventurers! Let’s take creating characters further yet. In the last article, we discussed backgrounds, personality, and appearance. Now we will discuss some of the other details like objectives, connections, and how to bring it all together. Details, details, details… Objectives You already know a bit about where your character came from and…
Welcome fellow adventurers! Let’s take the process of on creating characters a bit further. In the last article we discussed length, breadth, depth, convergence, and divergence and how those qualities affect character. Now we will discuss some of those qualities in a bit more detail. Details, details, details… To create deeper characters, first you need…
Welcome all again to the Scrolls of the Studious Sage! This time let’s take on creating characters. What are dimensions regarding character? Statistics can provide a base for character development but to get real depth or layers you need nuances, personality, mannerisms, and even flaws. All these things make a person unique and give characters…
This is going to be a weird #RPGaDay entry, so I apologize in advance. But I need to process a few things and the topic for today “Most memorable character death” hits close to home. (Missed yesterday, but I think you’ve seen some of the old games I still go to on a regular basis,…
Ok, now that we’ve taken a look at Didius in the last post, let’s see what we can do with those details. Let’s take your typical NPC… What’s their role? Protagonist (plays a major role, potentially helping the characters)? Antagonist (presenting a challenge or obstacle to the characters)? Foil (offers a contrast or other point…
As I look at what makes characters interesting and addictive in RPGs, I have been looking at taking techniques from fiction and seeing what might apply. Character analysis is a big part of every literature student’s life from an early age, so why not leverage a similar approach for figuring out what works and what…
Though I’m not really a fan of April Fool’s Day, I like to think I appreciate the fools that exist in our stories. Clowns and jesters all have a place. But where is it? And how can we use those characters? Fools have a part to play in all great historical endeavors. Some have had…
What do you remember most about your favorite campaigns? I bet it boils down to one of three things… characters, plot, or encounters. Maybe setting could go into that pot as well. And of course none of it is possible without friends to play with. But mostly it’s those three key pieces. I’ll probably talk…
