Balance of Character Types

[bnlphan]

I'm not sure how else to explain this besides calling it a balance of character types.

I wonder how many people balance their character types out.

With how the game is with so much reliance on other characters, I think it is only fair to other players to balance out your players. I.E. for every character you have that is a town leader, then you should have one or really more characters that are happy being followers. Sometimes I wonder if everyone is out trying to make all their characters town leaders or pirates or some exciting character with a lot of power and expecting all the other players of the game to bow down to their wishes and be their minions.

This is why I have my share of mostly dull but charries that do nothing but just try to help out and ask for nothing in return. I really only have one..maybe two characters that are the ambitious type that most people want to play. The rest are either just the worker type with little ambition in relation to the exciting roles in the game. I enjoy playing them because these are the ones that get to do more just random role play interacting with other charcters. In addition to these I even have a sort of "village idiot" character that I really just play for the amusement of other players.

[freiana]

In some way, I do balance out my char types: They are all very different in their essence. But that doesn't mean I feel like I have to play "dull" chars. Although some of my chars do work without asking anything back, I would not call them dull at all. Even though they are not ambitious, they do have a "complex psychology", emotions, limits, and thoughts they don't share. Some of them may -seem- dull because they are silent, but that doesn't mean they are just simple worker-bees. In reality we don't have much of those either, right?

[Estaar]

I have been wondering something along the same lines this morning, but it had to do with looks: how many people make a completely unattractive female character for every stunningly beautiful redhead they have?

[Reaction]

I only have two characters comparable to town leaders at the moment, and it's a very loose sort of comparison.

This may seem a little strange, but I have two characters that really are the same character? You can't tell anymore, because most of my characters are products of their environments, but at their spawning point, they were essentially tests for a creative writing assignment. Two considerably attractive women, one with more consideration for pride, and the other for selflessness. They rapidly grew in different directions, both seem to be doing well.

I play a total of seven characters, five of which are female. The two mentioned above are the ones I consider to be most beautiful, physically. I have one reasonably attractive, and one average. Then my final one- her initial description ran along the lines of her being scrawny, that her hair was matted with knots, she had wide eyes and was constantly dirty. This scrawny girl of mine has had more in the way of suitors and that sort of attention than most of my other characters combined.

[Chroma Key]

All my characters are one of a kind. They are nothing like each other. One would be horrified by the other's actions, and the other would look down on another's values, etc. Whilst challenging at times, the variety keeps me interested in my own chars, to me, which comes before my interest in others' chars.
It pains me to see copycat characters. Same reactions & values & behaviour with each char... *yawn*
Thank goodness there are so many chars/players around who pull off the variety and spice business. I am thankful to them.
Right, the 'elitist me' has had her say... so...
I have just one stunning character. Yes, she happens to be a redhead, albeit of a very specific kind.
As I said previously in another thread, my girls get attributed the beauty element upon them. I don t consider them to be pretty, etc.
Oh, and I played 2 -very- fat girls at different times. I had a lot of fun playing both, but sadly they had to be sacrificed in exchange for me not quitting (They were killed off because they were the youngest, not because they were fat ). I now have another young one, whose description is part of an experiment, and I can't wait to see how she fares looking the way she does.
With regards to their roles, those vary as well. Only one of them is a leader. A second has to step into a leading role at times, but the rest have no interest, and have made their own way in life. The youngest is happily working for stuff, and being a leader does not factor in her future plans at all.

[EchoMan]

I loved one of your redheads, maybe two.

Personally I don't have time to RP any more, so I just play simmers and explorers at the moment. What annoys me is that my chars (or me) are to soft to not accept leadership because of age. It's totally stupid that it is that way. More wakeful and active characters should be made leaders.

[computaertist]

Personally I don't have time to RP any more, so I just play simmers and explorers at the moment. What annoys me is that my chars (or me) are to soft to not accept leadership because of age. It's totally stupid that it is that way. More wakeful and active characters should be made leaders.

Same here.

[Rugila]

The description of one my characters was like this: This girl reminds you of a mysterious sphinx. She has almond-shaped eyes the color of burnished iron. Her fine, curly, very short hair is the color of the midnight sky, and is worn in an utilitarian, dignified style. She has a curvy build. Her skin is cream-colored. She has a high forehead. "

She spend her life exploring, traveling, trading and drawing a map.

[freiana]

...This girl reminds you of...

Ohhh, this can annoy me so much! How do you know what she reminds -me- of?

[Doug R.]

Best written: This girl is reminiscent of...

[Chroma Key]

...This girl reminds you of...

Ohhh, this can annoy me so much! How do you know what she reminds -me- of?

Seconded, although in my case, it -does- annoy me. It's not a possibility but certainty. I hate it when people try to mind read/force thoughts on you. There are a few offenders out there.
And Doug's version is of course more acceptable.

[Doug R.]

Or better: This girl could be reminiscent of...

[saztronic]

I only play two characters, because it's all I have time for. They are different.

One of the other times I played the game in years past, I played a town leader, a pirate, a trader, a crazy mute who lived in an amazing overgrown tomato patch... etc.

But to be a good town leader, for example, requires a rather extraordinary commitment. You always have questions or trades from 5 different people every time you log on. If you have long term plans you need a spreadsheet to keep track of the logistics. People keep dying on you and replaced by new ones, so you have to keep briefing new people, cultivating them, making sure they are engaged and loyal. You're constantly dealing with thieves, chasing after them, or managing crises. You have to -- or you have to delegate the responsiblity for -- getting newspawns involved right away, or they just fall asleep or wander away. And you can hardly ever take a week or two break, because catching up when you get back involves reading a novel and making a to-do list a mile long.

To a lesser extent with some of those other roles too.

I don't have time in my life for that stuff, so I play a small number of characters who only require a significant amount of attention, input or roleplay about once a week on average, give or take. I know they don't make or break the game, but hopefully they contribute to it in unique ways that, at least in one case, will eventually be appreciated by many.