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History based Character Design

Started by June 24, 2005 11:50 AM
4 comments, last by robert4818 19 years, 7 months ago
I'm working on a character/world creation system that works by building a characters history. The player choose life experinces, and events that have happened during the characters life and that shapes the future choices they can make as well as their characters starting stats and world state. A life experince consists of a title, a description, and 3 hidden value changes. The player will be able to edit the description to their hearts content. The idea being that when they are done they will end up with a fragmented journal of their characters life. A characters life is divided into 4 stages birth, childhood, adolescence,and adulthood. During each stage their is a minimum and maximum number of experinces that the player can choose. So far I haven't figured exactly what the effect choosing less then the maximum number of experince will have, so ideas are welcome. What I really need are some ideas for types of experinces for childhood, adolescence,and adulthood. The setting is near future cyberpunk. What I have thus far is this: Birth: Junkies +low, +urban, +addiction, Life was hard from day one. But that’s what happens when both your parents are dream tech junkies living in a burnt out hotel. They weren’t bad people, it’s just that when they spend most of their time tripping or trying to earn their next fit it doesn’t leave a lot of time to raise a child. Suburbanites +middle, ++family Being born into a middle class suburban family to parents who love you, is the start that many people have come to want for their child. One of my parents was always around and I spent many a day admits tall tress and green grass. Urbanites +middle, +family, +urban The city’s been home from the beginning its soaring towers of commerce and crowd streets where my playground. With parents juggling family and career the day care was where I spent my days but there was time for family in the evenings. Wealthy +high, ++wealth Born into a life of luxury and ease I wanted for nothing. But with parents preoccupied with other interests I ended up being raised by a nanny. Childhood: Run away +urban, +addiction, +low Disowned wealth > 0 Boarding School wealth > 0 Delinquent Kidnapped Parents Divorced Parents won the lottery Parents Bankrupt
Quote:
Original post by TechnoGoth
A characters life is divided into 4 stages birth, childhood, adolescence,and adulthood.
To be clear, do your characters stop developing after age 18?
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I think he means a characters life before the begining of the game is divided into 4 stages
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Quote:
Original post by Iron Chef Carnage
Quote:
Original post by TechnoGoth
A characters life is divided into 4 stages birth, childhood, adolescence,and adulthood.
To be clear, do your characters stop developing after age 18?


This is just a way to create your character. The idea is that rather then fill in a character sheet you create the character by choosing the events in their life that have lead them up to the point where the game begins. Does it sound like an interesting way to build a character?
For an idea on how to work this out... Check out a Pen and Paper RPG by the name of Fading Suns. (Preferably 2nd edition and not the d20 version) It has a very good character history system for creating characters.

Granted its Sci-fi but hey its worth a look

Ideas presented here are free. They are presented for the community to use how they see fit. All I ask is just a thanks if they should be used.

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