character sheets...

[Soma Fel]

Excuse me while I rant again....


why do people need character sheets....i understand its to validate a character and make sure that their not to powerful but when you open a book or watch a movie. it doesn't give you a full run down of the characters..... why??? because that would be called spoilers!!!!! movies and books would suck is they did that. it's much better to get to know a character through the story rather than having to write up a huge freaking 20 paragraph with all its special rules,cs just to play a rp that may or may not last for very long!!!!

 

[JayTee]

Jesus fucking christ...


Okay, first and foremost, don't ever, and I mean ever, post something in all caps. It doesn't help your point at all and only makes you look childish and idiotic. Not saying you are, mind you, just pointing out that's how you come across as a protip for the future.


Secondly, and more pertinent to your question: There are a lot of reasons why people make a character sheet. Foremost is the ability to have an easy reference to the character in question in case you need to check something. I know several people who make dozens of characters and use sheets to make sure each character is distinct from each other, or to prevent them bleeding in to each other.


In dice games, character sheets are essential, if not mandatory. You absolutely need something to reference for any given action of importance, be it your Charisma score when attempting to bribe someone, or a Strength score when attacking.


Finally, in both cases, some people just like having a full writeup of the character They find it fun to put down an entire character's history and personality to paper. It also helps them fully flesh out and get to know the character themselves, so they can more accurately portray the character in questions.

 

[Soma Fel]

Then maybe for character sheets writing a long description of a character should be optional and not mandatory, some of us just wanna jump in and play. Not sit there for a day writing a character sheet, but I do get what your saying though

 

[JayTee]

It's only mandatory if the person running the game says it is. It's never always mandatory all the time. I don't know where you're getting that.

 

[Soma Fel]

It's only mandatory if the person running the game says it is. It's never always mandatory all the time. I don't know where you're getting that.

What I'm saying is, why should having a huge character sheet be necessary? Why not just have the basics of what you need like appearance. And just let the rest come through the story.

 

[JayTee]

Reread these parts of my post, and you'll have your answer.

Secondly, and more pertinent to your question: There are a lot of reasons why people make a character sheet. Foremost is the ability to have an easy reference to the character in question in case you need to check something. I know several people who make dozens of characters and use sheets to make sure each character is distinct from each other, or to prevent them bleeding in to each other.


Finally, in both cases, some people just like having a full writeup of the character They find it fun to put down an entire character's history and personality to paper. It also helps them fully flesh out and get to know the character themselves, so they can more accurately portray the character in questions.

 

[soular]

It's probably because a character sheet forces the roleplayer to be consistent. That way you don't have a character who is gentle and shy in one post, and then blunt and cruel in the next. However, I can see where certain aspects of a character sheet can be unneeded or even superfluous. For example, I feel like likes and dislikes can sometimes be tedious and a bit stupid, but it also is a good exercise because it puts you into the mind of your character.


Without a character sheet, there's really no way that you (and definitely everyone else) can understand your character completely. Without being forced to dig up details before hand, you can forget key details or even run the risk of contradicting yourself.


Side note: if I were to create a roleplay, I would enforce character sheets that way I can get a handle on each person's writing style to see if someone is not advanced enough for what I feel like a "Detailed" roleplay calls for. It's a way of narrowing down choices if you aren't doing first come first serve.

 

[Idea]

Character sheets are a reference to player and character alike. On one hand, you have the fact that it allows you to have a safer approach at the level of detail you want: larger character sheets take more time and effort as a rule of thumb, implying you can probably trust that player to be on your thread (which you want to be long-running) on more than just a whim. The style in which a character sheet is made, by my experience, is also quite explanatory of how invested someone is in your roleplay, since people tend to be more creative if they are more immersed.


For characters, character sheets work as a form of estabilishing firmly who those characters are for both players, thus preventing random personality shifts (in theory) and a whole bunch of Deus Ex Machina, while also keeping multiple characters distinct and reducing by a lot the chance to have mary sues/gary stus.


Finally, the finner details of a character sheet have two purposes: To help other players have better and more productive interactions with your characters, because they know more or less how those characters will react, and to help the player that made them have a list of "Normal behavior" to deviate from and quirks they can insert making their character unique without having to think of it on the spot.


All of this leads me to conclude character sheets are a must for most RPs. Granted, if you´re doing a simple RP with one or two people at the most on a whim (so you don´t expect it to run for that long), there should be no need for one. However, the higher the product the more you need to spend to make it.

 

[Sarai]

I personally do not reuse characters so filling out a character sheet before a RP starts can be kinda hard sometimes. Because I'm sitting there going, "Well, I've never met you before, Colette Francis! What is your favorite color?!" I would find it easier to fill one out a few posts in. But, that is not always what a partner/s want and I did not join this site to have it easy. I was looking to help my writing grow and my writing skill level to expand. In the end we are all writers, we should be open to things that are harder because that is the only way we become better writers.

 

[Idea]

I personally do not reuse characters so filling out a character sheet before a RP starts can be kinda hard sometimes. Because I'm sitting there going, "Well, I've never met you before, Colette Francis! What is your favorite color?!" I would find it easier to fill one out a few posts in. But, that is not always what a partner/s want and I did not join this site to have it easy. I was looking to help my writing grow and my writing skill level to expand. In the end we are all writers, we should be open to things that are harder because that is the only way we become better writers.

well, thing is, with some characters/players, that moment of even talking may never happen unless you prompt it. And how do you do that without knowing what the character likes or not? You have to start nagging people for the info in another form or you go and see if it´s your lucky day...

 

[Sarai]

well, thing is, with some characters/players, that moment of even talking may never happen unless you prompt it. And how do you do that without knowing what the character likes or not? You have to start nagging people for the info in another form or you go and see if it´s your lucky day...

And that would be why I try to be more plot driven then character driven. If your characters don't know each other to begin with, it works. Characters can get to know one another in game. If your characters already have a relationship before game begins, well, shouldn't you already be working together OOC for plotting?

 

[call me rae]

Well the very short answer to your questions : because the GM requires it.


And people can make whatever requirements they wish to their own roleplays as long as they don't contradict the site rules.


Now more broad as other people have said it's a way to monitor effort and experience level of a potential applicant. If someone is willing to put the work into a Character Sheet it shows they are willing to put that same effort into the roleplay.


It also lets GMs make sure people are following the rules and not making over powered characters or characters that don't fit into their world.


But just as other people have said Character Sheets do vary in complexity and there could very well be roleplays that don't require them at all. It's all up to the GMs preference.


If you prefer to not "spoil" too much of your character I would look for roleplays that have minimal or no character sheet requirements.

 

[Idea]

And that would be why I try to be more plot driven then character driven. If your characters don't know each other to begin with, it works. Characters can get to know one another in game. If your characters already have a relationship before game begins, well, shouldn't you already be working together OOC for plotting?

Well, if you are making those plans (thus taking the effort of doing them) you´re only a short distance away from making a character sheet. Saying you don´t need character sheets and then going to plan every detail (so to say) is rather hypocritical, no?


Sure, characters can find out more about each other in game, but when you consider the endless amount of possible personalities, many of which aren´t exactly receptive to random strangers, having SOME ground to work with is rather useful...

 

[Sarai]

Well, if you are making those plans (thus taking the effort of doing them) you´re only a short distance away from making a character sheet. Saying you don´t need character sheets and then going to plan every detail (so to say) is rather hypocritical, no?

Errr, when did I say I was necessarily anti-character sheets? (I still use them for my novels, character sheets no one on this site will ever see.) Your jumping to conclusions. Yeah, that does put you one step away from making a character sheet. No duh. Your making sure the character that eventually ends up in the sheet fits well with the plot.

 

[Idea]

Errr, when did I say I was necessarily anti-character sheets? (I still use them for my novels, character sheets no one on this site will ever see.) Your jumping to conclusions. Yeah, that does put you one step away from making a character sheet. No duh. Your making sure the character that eventually ends up in the sheet fits well with the plot.

I apologize, I misunderstood.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Honestly, while I agree with most of the comments here, I would also add the reason I require character sheets in the things I GM is, frankly, because I want to know the person making said character is invested. Very few people are going to spend hours filling out a sheet for something that they aren't then going to post in. That said - I DO see a lot of character sheets that go a bit overboard. There is no reason you should have 19 paragraphs for backstory or personality. No one is going to read all that. No one. And it's never going to stay consistent, because that would be boring.


Change is good, in characters, which is why it's good to have flexible sheets, where the information required is only pertinent to the things happening in the roleplay.

 

[eclipsa]

I always require fairly detailed character sheets. It shows that the person is more dedicated to the rp and it helps me to make sure that someone isn't going to try and play op. It also helps me get a feel of the character. I don't ask for personality, because that can be determined in rp. But it's also good to know things about the character, such as quirks, interests, and their background. Just to help get a good feel of the character. I try for 3-5 paragraphs on bio, some likes and dislikes, maybe quirks, strengths and weaknesses, and of course their basic info.

 

[LegoLad659]

I'd like to point out something that was never brought up in this thread. You mentioned movies and such not needing to explain what each character is and what their deal is. The reason this works is because the author of said movies/books/media already know all of those things. We, as viewers - As simple bystanders to the action - don't need that information. And it would detract from the overall experience, yes?


In roleplay, every user with a character that is interacting and actively participating in the RP, is an author to the RP's story. We're all coming together to create a unique story that's fun for us to write together. That's why character sheets are so important; All authors of a story need to know this information, or everything about the story gets screwed up and falls apart because nobody knows anything about the characters they're supposed to be writing with.


Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[JayTee]

Well said.

 

[himetoki]

Character sheets are essential to some roleplays such as stats if you are sparring, or to denote abilities and talents unique to that particular person. While it may seem tedious and unnecessary, it does provide essential background information for people that are not familiar with your roleplay or would like more information before proceeding with being your writing partner. It is also proof that you spent time in developing and nurturing your character, and thus would be able to provide a promising investment for others to partake in writing with you.

 

[Muggles]

It's a personal preference. Some find them to be quite useful. Others hate them. Some just do a basic thing with just a few details.

 

[Sunbather]

Well, they aren't necessary. The GM can set that they are. You are not forced to join those roleplays. You can also make your own.


Personally, I like them for two reasons. One being that I have a good reference to play the type of character I want. The other being that I can see how willing people are to put effort into an RP beforehand. I have no real way to gauge who I should allow.


Actually, there's a third reason: I can rule out overpowered characters. If people set themselves up to be untouchable in whatever context, I can avoid facing that problem.


It'd probably be better, for future questions, to sound less attacking, too. You have an opinion, and that's fine, but it's not very wise to make out a matter of preference as fact.

 

[ManicMuse]

There is something that came to mind for me when reading everyone's awesome responses. I have seen this happen before, someone's character becomes favored by another party. With no character sheet to keep people on target; I have seen people start to shift. Changing their character for X, Y or Z reason.


Even another evil, the jack of all trades. I find role plays to get painfully lame, really fast, when someone is a Jack of all trades.


Need a can opener? They have one in their purse.


Need a wielder? Odd, they have that too.


While character sheets cannot prevent this sort of God-modding entirely, it certainly cuts down.


Plus, as many have touched on, having many characters. I have collected almost every character I have ever played. Most of them are uploaded to a website now. With over a dozen characters that sometimes are reused, character sheets are a must, for me!

 

[Paranoid Android]

It's probably because a character sheet forces the roleplayer to be consistent. That way you don't have a character who is gentle and shy in one post, and then blunt and cruel in the next. However, I can see where certain aspects of a character sheet can be unneeded or even superfluous. For example, I feel like likes and dislikes can sometimes be tedious and a bit stupid, but it also is a good exercise because it puts you into the mind of your character.
Without a character sheet, there's really no way that you (and definitely everyone else) can understand your character completely. Without being forced to dig up details before hand, you can forget key details or even run the risk of contradicting yourself.


Side note: if I were to create a roleplay, I would enforce character sheets that way I can get a handle on each person's writing style to see if someone is not advanced enough for what I feel like a "Detailed" roleplay calls for. It's a way of narrowing down choices if you aren't doing first come first serve.

I disagree with the Likes/Dislikes part. It's boring to make and I just end up picking random things that won't change the course of the roleplay whatsoever. Besides, the personality section is already there to know hiw your char behaves.