User Blog:
What's in a Game? Character Options

Have you ever played a game where after reading the book, you weren't entirely sure what you wanted to play? That's probably not by any fault of yours. The general purpose of an RPG book should be to make you want to play it. Technically, the goal may be to sell the product or to educate about setting and system. But if the game can't inspire a desire to play, and an idea of what specifics you'd want to interject into a game, it falls flat.

Too Many Characters

"The setting is 2010. With our rules, you can play anyone within the setting." I would have to pass on this one. If the game is open enough that there are seven billion completely valid characters, I'm never going to settle on a coherent character. My group will fight over what we're playing. The characters will fight over their lack of cohesion. There's something to be said for a toolkit that allows a group to come up with its own setting. But if a game book doesn't at least give an idea of what makes a great character, it's practicing simulationist masturbation more than it's trying to tell interesting stories. Sure, you can make a system to accommodate bag men from Nepal, but do they really need to be represented by a high-tech espionage game?

Books such as Steve Jackson's GURPS [Link to http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG31-0004] allow for that level of general character design, while giving plenty of character options that help inspire very specific ideas. If you come in thinking, "I'd like to play fantasy," GURPS offers plenty of character traits that help define fantasy characters. While open, it helps to focus your game. That's ultimately what a gaming book needs to do.

Not Enough Characters

On the other side of the fence, some games don't offer enough character types. Players like a bit of variety. Everyone has their particular character types that they enjoy playing. While stretching and trying something new is a wonderful thing, players have comfort zones and there's nothing wrong with that. If players enjoy moral dilemmas and gray areas, a game that doesn't address anything but characters representing pure good and evil will fall flat.