Viewpoint What you cannot stand in characters?

The guy who writes the 10,000+ word character sheet that uses all this annoying BB code and eye irritating graphics, explaining his character's past and all of his intricate superpowers, you know, cause that long winded backstory justifies having all those magical girl like superpowers... Of course, this guy's character is for a group roleplay, and no one else has a character sheet that is on par with his level of sparkles and sunshine. And when the GM or other PCs questions him about his character, guy gets defensive and rude, telling them they don't understand or some other snide remark that is carefully worded to insult their intelligence in a round about way... The worst is when the GM, maybe out of pity, lets the guy join the RP... but when something happens to the guy's character that isn't "legal" according to him, guy is barking at the GM calling foul.. and then a perfectly good RP dies because the GM gets put in a bad mood.

...That's my pet peeve, heh.
 
"Fun, light, bubbly, defensive of her friends and family, hates prejudice"

I think I threw up a little in my mouth reading this.

So much that and for the love of pete, please make characters appropriate for the RP and its setting. I should not find anime loli girls in a medieval fantasy, or edgelord teenagers with super powers in a realism based WWII rp, but it continues to happen.
 
They said cruel, and they said calculating.

Edgy best friend =/= protagonist.
I said almost.

Also, I have proof that I'm right on the firts front.
340

"Cold and calculating but very protective of people he's close to"
 
This comment section got a helluva lot livelier during my hiatus. 👀
 
Just curious. We have search threads, we have RPs in their own, pet peeves, but I'm curious: when it comes to creating a character and starting a game, what makes you look at the CS or any description, and think to yourself "Well. I'm not playing with that, bye!"?

kevintheradioguy kevintheradioguy

Hello!

So this question is in regards to information on character sheets in new games, and those elements that have me looking elsewhere instead of joining? O.K.! I have definitely been roleplaying long enough to know what I like and don't like. Seeing the following elements on a character sheet or in a game description often brings me to search for other games.

1. Evil alignments. Reasoning: As a longtime role player, I have simply never enjoyed campaigns based around evil.

2. Character descriptions that inform you how you are supposed to feel. I.e. "My character has the perfect body. Everyone that sees her drools and so will you!" Reasoning: I think this borders on God-modding. I am a player who is capable of, and enjoys making, his own decisions.

3. Plagiarized characters and plagiarized names. Reasoning: Here in RP Nation, the creator is the sole owner of their intellectual property. I feel a person who chooses to plagiarize has no respect for other players, and those who promote or practice plagiarism lack in creativity and originality. There is more to it than that, but that is enough to make me select another game preferably with honorable and creative people in it. I also can't stand cheaters.

4. Characters that are not made with much care or are sloppily-done. Reasoning: I believe the more you put into a game, the more you get out of it. I like playing with people who care about the game and the people playing it. I want to spend time playing and sharing, not trying to repeatedly decipher someone's words.

5. Characters whose ability scores do not match their stories (this presumes the player chose to write one). Reasoning: It is difficult for me to take seriously a character who possesses low ability scores in intelligence (say, for purposes of min-maxing), but in their story their character is absolutely the most brilliant person you can imagine. It makes me wonder if the player made a mistake and wrote for some other character of theirs; if it becomes clear that this is not the case, I lose my desire to play in that game.

6. Extremism. Reasoning: There are some players out there, that for them, something in their life demands some fanatical devotion so intense that they feel they must display it when they roleplay. I don't think I get along with extremists of any kind, especially in roleplaying. I enjoy spending my time with more level-headed people.

7. The player does not seem to be able to tell the difference between themselves and their character. Reasoning: Some players do this out of habit, but some players have such inner troubles that sometimes they seriously confuse the two. I believe these folks should stop roleplaying and get professional help. Were I to come across this in a starting game or on a character sheet, I would definitely not join.

Disclaimer - Players with genuine PTSD, ADD, autism, and the like tend to get a lot of benefit of the doubt from me as do some beginners and players who simply do not have the time and opportunity to put into the game as much as they would like. If the game in question involves players where these troubles are present, I tend to be very willing to lend a helping hand. Some "very bad" characters on paper have been made by people who were generally doing their utmost and failing. Who am I to walk away when they clearly need the help?

Honor and fun,
Dann =)
 
An age-old no-go issue for a lot of people I’m sure, but Mary-Sue characters.
A recent example that I’ll keep vague out of respect since this did happen on RpN:
-Personality section was: buzzword, buzzword, buzzword, tells me literally nothing and includes no flaws, buzzword, buzzword.
-Abilities: A literal female version of the main protagonist’s fighter with the same abilities as the protagonist, the antagonist (we’re talking time/space manipulation bullshit), and another side character’s ability.
Now I’ve seen (and made) a lot of poor Oc’s in my years as an RPer, so I try to be understanding and I try to help nudge people in the right direction. So I asked about personality flaws, ability weaknesses, and the history of the Oc since all they told me was that their Oc was the daughter of the antagonist (something that would be impossible for reasons I can’t disclose without revealing the fandom).
They literally only answered the weaknesses question and the answer was subpar. I kept asking THREE MORE TIMES about the character’s history! Nothing. No answer. Dodged.
They haven’t logged in for a while now, so I might be able to be more open about it in due time.
 
Attention all people who do this, a normal person with extremely pale, almost white skin is not pretty! She is instead likely in need of some serious medical attention and should be rushed to the nearest hospital!
 
Attention all people who do this, a normal person with extremely pale, almost white skin is not pretty! She is instead likely in need of some serious medical attention and should be rushed to the nearest hospital!
Maybe she's Irish.
 
Maybe she's Irish.

Lol reminds me of an interview one of the True Blood actresses did where they had to hide some injury she got shooting and her natural skin color was like corpse white.

She did look pretty pale but she was supposed to be a Vamp so I figured it was lotsa make up.
 
Oh! I remembered another one (thanks to another thread) -

8. Something on the character sheet or game information basically demands more posts than I am willing to provide. Reasoning: I know and am comfortable with my own pace. I feel I am not the only one with that pace and so it's more fun to join people whose "post-pace" match what I'm willing to give. An RPG is a game, not a job or career. Some folks lose their marbles if they don't get a post a day while others, due to life, are lucky to post once a week. Harmony is key to a fun game together. I feel post-pacing is part of that harmony. =)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top