Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Creating a Persona


Dungeons and Dragons, in its most recent editions, has lent itself to un-imaginary mechanics. That's not to say the game was designed to do this, oh no. In my experience of 30 years+ of gaming, I have seen a change in the way Dungeons and Dragons is played. Prior to the second edition, where the use of table-top miniatures was introduced on a large scale, most encounters were handled strictly through role-playing. There were no detailed mechanics in place to handle many of the types of scenarios which a DM was required to adjudicate. Thus, everything was acted by the players and by the Dungeon Master. This turned out to be a weakness in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, because, to the dismay of many players, sometimes the DM would already have a need to have an encounter end in one particular way, no matter how many sound and reasonable precautions a party took. This is why the introduction of many of the 3rd edition core mechanics was welcomed by players and dungeon masters alike.

The drawback to having comprehensive rules for just about every action a PC could devise is that the rolls made for skill checks, ability checks etc., have become a crutch. Now, when younger players hear the expression "Role-Playing Game", they interpret the phrase to be "Roll-Playing Game". There is a big difference between the two, and, those who play in accordance with the "Roll-Play" method, are missing out on the most rewarding aspect of the game: Creating a persona for yourself and becoming your alter-ego during your gaming session. It is one thing to have a vague image of what you think your character looks like. It is an entirely different thing to be able to portray your character in such a way that your fellow players are able to see your character come to life. Accomplishing a new persona makes for a much richer and memorable character, and, in turn, makes your gaming sessions more fulfilling.

The big question then, is, how does the novice fantasy role-player go about creating a persona?

1. Choose a Culture
Try to learn a little bit about the game world in which your character resides. Knowing a little about an area’s history might help, but, if that is not possible, have your character’s culture mimic a culture from Earth’s past. Let your DM know what it is you want to be, and perhaps he or she can help you find a suitable country of origin.
2. Select a Name
Once you have selected a culture, you are ready to select a name for yourself. Each culture has its own naming practices, or manner in which names were given. To fit into the persona you are creating, and if you have the time, you should investigate the culture, read history on the area, and see what kind of names people associated with that era utilized
3. Fleshing Out the Details
Having a good back-story is a start. Some people confuse the idea of having a back-story with having a complete personality, but, no matter how good the back-story, it is, and can only ever be, a foundation. If I were to meet you for the first time, and say, “Hello, my name is Bob, and I was born in New York 20 years ago and I was orphaned at birth.”, does that tell you anything about the kind of person that I am today? A back-story should give your character drive and motivation. It should leave a few details open to the possibility that the DM might incorporate your story into his campaign. Ask yourself though a few things:
Does my character have an accent (If so, practice speaking in this accent)
Does my new persona have a weakness
Is my character quick to anger or more measured
Is my character likely to be swayed by beauty
Does my persona have any fears
What is it that my character likes most in other people
What does he/she hate most
Does my character have any habits
Does my character use catch-phrases or quote others

The key is, when you think of a good character from a book, movie, or TV, you will always find that the particular character has a number of strengths, weaknesses etc. In fact, I have suggested to a number of people that a good way to create a persona for your character is to borrow from TV or movies. The key is, you will never know how good you can be at becoming someone else, until you give it a try.

1 comment:

  1. Page 110 of the Player's Handbook has some good suggestions as well. There is a whole chapter, 5, starting on page 129 of the Player's Handbook 2 called "Building Your Identity" that offers many helpful suggestions. Both are good reads. These are 3.5 edition books I'm speaking of.

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