Hey everybody. This post is primarily about the process of drafting 'good' characterS. The reason why I highlight the last letter is because a good character is really only good when even when not shown to do something, you'd understand how'd they react, or be surprised if they reacted in another way. So I'm drafting the 'cast' for an RPG plot I plan on at least doing the story conceptualization for and I was wondering if anybody could contribute some feedback on the little blips of characters I will be supplying below.

Before I do post though- I learned a lot about character designing from this website: http://www.celebritytypes.com/

They helped me discover 'archetypical' personality patterns for developing characters. "In the absence of life experience how would a given person act?". At any rate, if you're developing good characters I recommend you check it out.

I'll try to keep the information about each character to a minimum. I just want to know whether or not they are constructed well relative to each other, or if the band of folks seems somehow... Unstable.

At any rate:

Party Members

Protagonist: In his 20s. Intelligent and a former aspiring academic who quit when he realized that he could be doing more at this point in time by taking action into his own hands. A half-elf but has had his ears convincingly surgically altered. His elven family is renowned for having 'revolutionary' impulses despite the fact that all elves care not about any conventions or human traditions. His development revolves in part around his family, in part around his raison d'etre. He has the inborn desire to change things- but is countered by an enemy who believes all change reduces to a single moment in all history.

Protagonist's initial partner: A woman in her early 30s. Leader of the mercenary squad the protagonist finds himself a part of. Cynical, atheistic, and witty (see the ENTP page on celebritytypes). She has a pedagogical streak and is good to the core- but not unwilling to kill. Does not believe in the efficacy of academic work but would actually be really good at it if she tried. Her development comes in the form of finding 'a cause' to take seriously. She becomes a highly beautiful personality under those conditions and she complements the other protagonist well.

Prince character: A tightly wound, quiet, austere fellow in his 20s (See the INTJ type on celebritytypes). A member of a noble family in a far off country- think of the Ottoman Empire. He wants power so that he can effect the change he desires but the political situation there is not ripe. Comes to the country to enlist aid in taking the throne. He has all the makings of a good ruler but one- that he wants and lusts for the power. His youth belies a wisdom, but his arrogance in that wisdom blinds him to some of the essential realities that being a ruler involve.

His development involves combatting somebody with even more credentials than he has- would it be wrong to deprive the land of that candidate just so he could rule?

Female Aristocrat: An 18-year old who is young but eager. Growing up in a protected environment, she yearns for freedom but is afraid of those first baby steps into the real world. When she gets her chance to go 'out there' with the party she does so, but secretly holds reservations that are quite normal. She loses much in the course of the game which is where her development mostly takes place.

Cleric: A highly developed intellect rests in the heart of this 40-year old who detests the fact he has a good brain. He embraces the orthodoxy of the main religious instutition with zeal- but also has a good eye for assisting the unfortunate. The ideal religious man who is plagued with doubts and self-flagellation. Development occurs in line with main protagonists because both hail from at least one extremely intelligent parent.

A half-dragon traveller: A woman who is roughly 1,000 years old (like in Fire Emblem Awakening but with lore-related differences of course). She is experienced yet always eager to learn new things. Tough under stress and good at pulling through difficulty. Very loyal to her mother (the dragon) who also yet lives. Her father is one of the central antagonists of the game and she is the one that ends up killing him. As an aside, the mother also helps in the fight, cutting off her 'husband's' arm (is this too star wars?)

A Bard: A rather colorful character with tons of humorous asides that he claims 'Escape his mouth like an inmate from an unlocked cell". Ridiculously entertaining and at times sentimental. He can be goofy but also possesses a sapient insight (see celebritytypes ENFP). Well-read, so some of the exploits of the villainous parties are known to him (for they are all storied heroes of the past). Development comes in the fact that he slowly becomes a very kind character to the party who holds them together in good spirits. You find that it's stressful for him though because of his own reservations about fighting storied people and seeing the world as it is.

Historian: An important character who is also older, 40s. A professor at the central academic establishement of the country, he is also a rather intrepid explorer (a bit like Indiana Jones but with much less overt machismo). Has a large historical knowledge base, so like the bard (even more so really) he is the one doing a lot of the 'piecing together' of much of the game's plot. His development comes in the fact that his entire field of study is basically defused by the course of the game's plot. How would he cope when his entire life's work is already done?

A Communist ideologue (of sorts): In a foreign kingdom, he is one of the masterminds behind the current communist organization in a republic in another country. He holds very different values to much of the party but is smart enough to know that aggravating certain people is not the most fruitful enterprise. The trouble for him comes in the fact that a main villain who ostensibly would not do something the revolutionary wants actually does- which forces this communist dude to reflect on what it is that he wants- which results in him joining you. Another party member from the official government joins as well- and they hit it off to a rocky start.

____________

My current problem is that it seems too many of the characters are 'smart'. I feel like I need to diversify it with characters who *don't* care or don't understand what's going on. But doing that without making it obvious is a challenge in designing the cast. The current list is subject to revision as well.

What is your story about? It could be beneficial to draft the general premise beforehand, that way you'll know what types of characters you'll need and how to develop them (they must be affected by the story in some way). I gathered that government is involved, but it's not clear exactly how.

Protagonist: In his 20s. Intelligent and a former aspiring academic who quit when he realized that he could be doing more at this point in time by taking action into his own hands. A half-elf but has had his ears convincingly surgically altered. His elven family is renowned for having 'revolutionary' impulses despite the fact that all elves care not about any conventions or human traditions. His development revolves in part around his family, in part around his raison d'etre. He has the inborn desire to change things- but is countered by an enemy who believes all change reduces to a single moment in all history.

I believe that giving characters at least one goal/motivation, and at least one obstacle to his or her goal, is enough to jump start characterization. Generally speaking, you don't really want to give more than one main character the same role in a role-playing game. That said, diversifying your cast might just be a matter of revising your descriptions (I color-coded the more vague portions of your description). The players care about who the characters are as individuals and why they're doing what they're doing. Here are a few suggestions for clarifying this:

• Blue - I try not to use this word when describing characters, because it's a bit generic. How is he intelligent? Does he take a special interest in philosophy? Is he adept in science? Maybe he's good at using tools, and you could tie this into the story by making him a blacksmith. Whatever it is, try to change this to something more specific. I don't believe anyone is necessarily unintelligent; most people tend to be quite knowledgeable about certain things (video games, television, trends, fashion, programming, acting, music theory, psychology, etc.).

• Red - I think this is better termed as "former student," unless of course he is pursuing a specific field of study.

• Green - This is where a brief summary of your story comes in handy. What exactly is he going to do now, and why did he quit school to do it? That information would be a good revision here.

• Violet/Teal - Why did he have surgery? Is he ashamed of his family, or he is attempting to escape persecution and prejudice by altering his appearance? You mentioned that his family is renowned for having 'revolutionary' impulses. What did they do? Renowned implies that they're known and famous for this, but were their actions actually famous or were they infamous? Positive or negative? This is an important characterization note, as he might later accept his family and demonstrate to others that there's no need to fear or hate all elves, or he might demonstrate to other elves that not all humans are bad people.

• Orange - He wants to find his purpose in life? Why is that? Perhaps this is his goal/motivation, to make a name for himself beyond his family's reputation (good or bad). This could be a place for backstory. Following this, you mention that he wants to change things. What does he want to change and why?

Generally, I would recommend writing out the what and then elaborating on why. That way, every character's motivation is more clear.

A very good example of character development is Sanji from One Piece. Read this excerpt from http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Sanji/History:

Sanji was Zeff's protégé and sous-chef, and the two had a long history together. Nine years earlier, when a young Sanji was working as a ship'scook on the Orbit in the East Blue, the pirate Red Leg Zeff and his crew attacked the ship. However, both ships were caught in a sudden storm, and sank. Zeff managed to save the young Sanji from drowning, losing part of his leg in the process and the two were washed onto a rock outcropping, high above the sea. Before the storm tore the boats apart, Sanji cried out his dream to find the All Blue, and was saved by Zeff after.

Sanji realizing that Zeff has lost his leg.

Despite their good fortune, there was little food for them: a few rations had washed onto the rock with them, but there was no vegetation, no animals, and no way to reach the water to fish. Splitting up what little rations remained, Zeff ordered Sanji to sit at the other end of the island, and look for a ship. Sanji protested that Zeff was keeping a large sack for himself, but Zeff brushed him off, saying that as an adult, his stomach was bigger. Days passed, Sanji had no more food, but there was still no sign of a ship. Many weeks afterward (the exact amount of time differs between the manga and anime), an emaciated Sanji decided to take a chance, and kill the old man for his food. He did not kill Zeff, however: when he slashed open the old man's sack in a fit of rage, he discovered that there was no food inside, only treasure. To his horror, he realized that Zeff had sacrificed his own leg to save Sanji.

Zeff confessed that he often lacked food on the high seas, and planned on opening a restaurant on the seas. Sanji, guilty over plotting to kill Zeff, agreed, but Zeff remarked that he was too weak to help. Soon after, a ship appeared, and they were spared from death. Because of this ordeal, Sanji pledged to never refuse food to a starving individual, no matter how evil or poor they may be.[7] In the manga, Sanji began smoking shortly after starting to work at the Baratie in order to impress Zeff, despite Zeff's warnings that it would destroy his taste buds, only for Sanji to reply "Now, I am a man!".

I hope this helps,

On Rye

No problem. I'd like to thank you for the link you posted (I didn't know about that site before). I found another site (albeit a bit less formal) about common elements in many different types of media. It can be confusing to navigate if you've never used it before. This is a more specific link about types of characters.

I have answers to a few of the questions you asked- but the questions themselves were pertinent because they encourage extracting more of the necessary incredients.

The thing is, the plot does not really settle into any moral trajectory. If anything, it is about dispelling any 'optimism'. Perhaps that doesn't make for a good game story.

Because, one of the ultimate points is that a diverse group of individuals such as the party can only come together in the midst of conflict- we can only lay aside our commitments when the world renders those commitments obsolete. At any rate- here would be some tentative answers to your selections.

Blue (Intelligence): The intelligence is actually plot factor meant to contrast him with his father who is rather dumb but big-hearted. He needed to get away from him. The plot irony is that his mother left him precisely because the father was just not up to her standards- and the protagonist feels ambivalence towards her for this (because he actually did the same thing by going to study). His intelligence is not scientific but human. He has a good 'sense' for things, and this sense lead him to abandon his studies when he realized that academia (for the most part) really did nothing but wage its own little private battles.

Red: Agreed.

Violet/Teal: This is because there is just a stigma involving that race. On the most part they avoid humanity, so having somebody fixed to both worlds makes it an awkward scenario for the child. The further irony is that his father was pretty much too nice to be bigoted, so when his mother found herself outcasted from her society he took her in. She had scientific know-how (which is why she was ostracized) and was able to modify his ears. The elves are meant to serve as a foil to the war-mongerers. They just don't 'care'.

Orange: The most germane point you made I felt. It's something that needs working out through the world itself, as you stated. He doesn't want to 'end war' or anything totally utopian like that- but you're right. I need to refine his character more, because I'm not sure how to marry his personality to the plot progression as I have it now. I guess by the beginning he wants revenge only to open up a box of contradictions that complicate his reaction. Of course, revenge is only potent when the player has an attachment to the same event as the protagonist. How shall I do this? We'll see.

I see. That's pretty interesting. If you do that for all of your characters, you'll have a diverse cast in no time. I read somewhere that it's recommended to create a foil for each character in a story. Not only does this produce a diverse cast, but it also allows for more compelling characters.

The thing is, the plot does not really settle into any moral trajectory. If anything, it is about dispelling any 'optimism'. Perhaps that doesn't make for a good game story.

It could potentially make a good game story. It depends on how you do it.

Of course, the most important thing in story-telling is how you show the player key elements of the world.

For what it's worth, I intend on having that elven family (your character hails from) be sponsored by the central government. Plotwise, this allows me to do a few things:

- An excuse to introduce them (The elven family) to the player.

- A time when the player can say "I hate elves." I want to use that dramatic irony.

- Introduction to sociopolitical world: elves have ostracized the family, and owing to their proclivities they are 'picked up' by the government. They work for the gov. and the gov. in turn keeps them afloat.

- Keep the plot 'moving'.

The problems I'm having are the disparateness of the plot. I need to find a sweet spot I can have the narrative 'beanstalk' grow from. Anyway.