Something worth considering... I think...

[Leo Luncid]

What knowlegde do you think your character has automatically once he or she is spawned/born/created in a place? This would be something worth considering because of some people assuming their characters know the place they were spawned in automatically, for example. They may think of that since they are to be "twenty years old." Maybe others think that it means that they, the characters, are in comparison to those in real life; in other words, they think that their characters just look like as if they're twenty years old. There could be others who think... Er, that would be the only example I could come up with right now.

But still, do you think your characters know everything that wouldn't make the Capital Rule Breach? Or do you think your characters only know what they experienced?

Err... Maybe I should be more specific... Like, for example, how you set goals for your character. Do you think those goals are setinto the character's mind automatically once that character spawns, or do you have to do something in order for that character to do what you want him to do? Like, for an example for an example, for a player making an evil character; would that character know that he should attain power for his own desires once he is born, or does he have to really experience something in order to get that in his mind? I think that's what I mean along the lines of that.

...Sorry I couldn't put this all in simple terms.

Well, of course you can choose what you characters should know and shouldn't know; it's your character. Nonetheless, I guess I'm just wondering about this so... Do as you will.

[formerly known as hf]

A new character should not know anything about the place and the people where they spawn. The only way they could, as before spawning they were not there, is via out of character information - which is a CR breach.

Pre-spawn stories can be very good is done well, but they're difficult to pull off as they can never involve any knowledge about any events in the Cantr world - which is why most people just gloss over it...

How much your character knows about manufacturing / items etc. is down to the player...

[chadpants]

I have one character that's a blacksmith. Making new objects comes easily to him, as he simply has a knack for figuring that kind of stuff out. Yet he can't read.

I have another character that's on a boat, but he never steers it, and can't seem to figure it out, even though a couple of my other characters do.

I think it's more interesting for me to have my characters know a lot about some things and little about others. That way, I can keep some balance and justify talents with shortcomings. That's how I can live with the fact my characters have more knowledge about some things (specifically manufacturing) without having done them before.

[Doug R.]

how you set goals for your character. Do you think those goals are setinto the character's mind automatically once that character spawns, or do you have to do something in order for that character to do what you want him to do?

I had one character that I knew I wanted to make into a pirate before I even spawned them. I found it quite humorous playing a sailor in the middle of a forest.

My next one, I know they have pirate tendencies, but they won't be triggered unless they experience some sort of trauma. Until then, they play nice.

[Leo Luncid]

Heh, I see this thread has been viewed about 150 times, yet there were only three replies... Yeah, it happens...

[HoH]

I understand what you're saying. Often times I create a character, and then go from there deciding what they want to do. But, I always make sure my characters change from certain events. So many of my characters started as playful, fun-loving people, and now are much more serious and inclined to do more serious things.

[Nick]

Pre-spawn stories can be very good is done well,

Aren't those explicitly forbidden somewhere on cantr.net?

[Russell of Los Angeles]

A new character should not know anything about the place and the people where they spawn. The only way they could, as before spawning they were not there, is via out of character information - which is a CR breach.

Pre-spawn stories can be very good is done well, but they're difficult to pull off as they can never involve any knowledge about any events in the Cantr world - which is why most people just gloss over it...

How much your character knows about manufacturing / items etc. is down to the player...

You haven't addressed one part of Leo's question, about motives. At some point, a character's words and actions must come from the player. So, at what point is it not okay to base the motives of a character on your own motives as a player? It must be okay some of the time, right? I happened to just post some stuff about this myself:
http://www.cantr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6737

[Doug R.]

Aren't those explicitly forbidden somewhere on cantr.net?

I'm 75% sure that they are.

[thatsmartguy]

Characters should have a bit of knowledge. They should know a bit about what resources do what and how to make certain things, some of those are pretty much intuition. Otherwise, why need a backround story? Just make a basic foundation of a personality, and make the "backround" story through your actions as a character.

[Shaderon]

I feel that anything you can find out while playing the game, e.g. how to make a bone knife or how to cook food is instinctive, anything you have to find out you should ask other characters or look for information on. With each character I have, I use the manufacturing menu to work out how to make things, this is in the makeup of my character therefore in my opinion, instinct. Therefore, if I can see I need some wood and a hammer of some sort to make a shield, the character will ask how to aquire the materials if it's not obvious to them, and set about making it.

I can't really see any other way of doing it, unless you want to take some of these instincts away from your char.

We have certain instincts we need for survival, I think on Cantr they just have different ones.

Motives and roles I play differently, I spawn each char with an instinct to aquire things and information, they sometimes move around and sometimes stay where they are. The ones that move around become travellers or traders, the ones that get lucky and stay where they are tend to be home-lovers. I let each character "think for themself" meaning I "become" that person while I am playing them. I know nothing about the thoughts and feelings of the others and I even put myself in the background.

I know it's not easy for some people but I have meditated from being a child also and find IRL role-play very very easy. I've had to do it for class simulations in work training.

[Lauren]

I give my charries about a year in their spawning location to figure out what they want to do with their lives. They tend to have a sense of adventure at first, but the vast majority of them decide to travel maybe a town away and settle down.

I think Cantrarians are spawned with the inate knowladge of their ages and that you need to eat to live. Sort of like primal instincts, and as their lives go on, they sort of 'evolve,' if you catch my drift.

Wowza...this is my first post. THANK YOU OASIS!

[Shaderon]

Wow another Pratchett Fan!! yea! Someone that might understand the little Pratchett sideline jokes that I keep refraining from

[Lauren]

Naturally! T. Pratchett has got to be my favourite author ever. Times about...a billion. He bypasses even Mervyn Peake, which not many people read...but anyway! I haven't been to the library in ages, but luckily I'm on break for the next week. Hmm hmm hmm!