For many players, both new and seasoned, one of the most daunting experiences in a LARP setting comes before the Storyteller even calls, “Game on!” Character creation can be an intimidating prospect, and often, the math is the least of a player’s worries. Putting dots on a sheet is one thing, but creating an interesting character with a backstory and motivations can be a challenge. Some chronicles choose to remove this aspect of the creation process entirely by handing new players a character that already has a developed story.
However, it is more likely that players will be expected to craft their own characters, with a history that they find personally compelling. Creating a healthy, thriving LARP experience requires many moving parts: story, scenery, costuming, rules. But perhaps the most important aspect of any game—the aspect that is essential to the health of the in-game community—is its characters. Without well-developed characters that have unique voices and motivations, even the most visually stunning and story-rich game will fall flat.
It is important that players strive to create characters with depth and vibrancy, as these characters help to drive a chronicle from start to finish. In a World of Darkness game, most characters will have a supernatural template, but before she was a werewolf, vampire, or changeling, she was human, with all the benefits and flaws that accompany the mortal coil. When creating a new character, it is critical that a player view her character as a whole, rather than just the supernatural template that has been stacked on top of her.
When describing a new character, she is more than just a “gun bunny,” “necromancer,” or “Ahroun.” Sure, those terms offer a very broad overview of what the character does, but it doesn’t do much to describe who she is. Where did the character grow up? What was her life like before she slipped into the World of Darkness? How does she view the world she now inhabits, and how does she view the world that exists above it? These are all questions a new player should explore before embarking on her first game.
When creating a new character for any game, there’s no right or wrong way to go about it. Some players find inspiration in media—music, photographs, movies, or books—and they create the story behind the character before building the sheet. Other players might find that they need a sheet before they can explore the character’s personality. For some, a character’s backstory might be something they wish to explore as the chronicle unfolds, so they leave most of the details bare. Regardless of how a player finds their way to the heart of its story, giving a character a breath of life will ultimately lead to a more fulfilling live-action roleplaying (LARP) experience for the player, as well as a more robust world for the entire chronicle.
Who? The first step in the character creation process is discovering who the character is. This question encompasses the basic aspects of a character’s story, and will begin to define her personality and goals. Often, this step involves deciding on an archetype for the character. This brief concept offers a broad view of who the character is and what she does. Is she a hero or an anti-hero? Is she a loner or a socialite? Is she a leader or an introvert? Deciding on an archetype offers the player a framework before continuing on to delve into the character’s story and motivations.
Once you have a basic concept in mind for your character, it is time to start exploring the details of her life. While these questions are by no means exhaustive, they can help paint a picture of a character, providing a starting point for the creation process. Some questions you might ask yourself as you begin to explore your new character are:
• What is your character’s name? Does she have any nicknames or commonly known titles? Does she keep her real name a secret?
• Who is her immediate family? Are her parents or grandparents still alive? Does she have a spouse or children? What is her relationship with these family members, and how do they affect her life?
• Who are her friends and allies? Who are her enemies? Who does she socialize with? Has she maintained friendships from before her time as a supernatural Breath of Life Douglas “You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are.” — Joss Whedon creature? If so, how does she balance the monster that she is with those relationships?
• What does she do for a living? Did she hold this job prior to her Embrace/First Change/etc.? How does she feel about what she does for a living? If she doesn’t have a job, how does she pass her time?
• What is her social class? Does she have an education? How does she feel about her wealth—or lack thereof— and how does it affect her? What? Once you have determined who your character is, it is time to determine what she is and what she does within the World of Darkness. These questions allow a player to explore her character’s supernatural aspects and how they affect the character. Consider these questions:
• What is her creature type? What is her clan/tribe/ auspice/seeming/court/etc?
• How did she become supernatural? Describe the moments leading up to her Embrace or First Change. Was this transformation willing and welcome, or was it forced on the character?
• How does she feel about what she is? How has her supernatural template changed the way that she views the world? Does she fully embrace the darker side of humanity, or does she long for the days when she was a mere mortal?
• How does she feel about other supernatural creatures within the World of Darkness? Has she had any interaction with them?
• What is her traditional purpose within the World of Darkness, and how does she feel about the role she has been cast into? These aspects of a character help a player determine how she will interact with the other denizens of the World of Darkness. Conflict is the heart of every LARP experience, and a supernatural backstory allows conflict to be considered and explored. Perhaps the character lost her mortal family to werewolves, or she was unceremoniously Embraced before being dumped by her sire. These conflicts may help to drive roleplay and create dramatic tension for the player and the chronicle as a whole. When and Where? When creating a character, it is important to remember that this character is more than the dots on her sheet. She, like any person you encounter on a daily basis, is the sum of her experiences. Once you have an idea of who and what your character is, it is time to consider the experiences that have shaped her life. While some of these aspects will rarely, if ever, come into play, they help shape how a character reacts to the world around her. Some questions you might find useful are:
• When and where was she born? What were the circumstances of her birth? For example, was she born in a manor house to wealthy aristocrats or a girls’ home to a single teen mother?
• When and where was transformed into a supernatural creature? How was she introduced to the World of Darkness?
• Name three events from the year of her birth that might have influenced her life.
• Name three events from the year of her supernatural transformation that might have shaped her new life.
• What is one modern event that currently affects her?
• How does her personal history shape her thoughts, goals, and values? Players should explore world events during the character’s history. Some of these events may be intensely personal, while others may have affected many others. This is a perfect opportunity to tie a character’s backstory to the stories of other characters in the chronicle. Perhaps the characters went to school together or are related. These interpersonal relationships can add depth and richness to character interactions, as well as offer characters something to discuss during roleplay. Why? As you continue to expand on your character’s background, you will have to answer some difficult questions such as “why?” Why does this character do the things that she does? These questions will often refer back to the archetype you picked in the first step. Here you can further explore the reasoning behind what makes this character the way she is. Some questions you might ask yourself include:
• What compels this character to remain active with her fellow supernaturals? What drives her to continue her existence?
• What does she seek in the World of Darkness? Is she motivated by power, money, glory, or knowledge?
• What would she do to gain the things she desires? What would she risk?
• What secrets does the character hold? How would she react if other characters discovered them, and how does she hide her secrets from others? Often, when we create characters, we forget to focus on this aspect of the creation process. Players may automatical assume these reasons are simply captured in the fact that this character is part of the chronicle, because the player wants to portray her. But exploring her motivations provides another opportunity to explore a deeper facet of the character, to dig for the reasons a character might act the way she does. Small details, such as these, help to complete a character and make her a real person with depth and personality. Driving Force No character is complete without a driving force: a series of goals that she wishes to achieve. Distinct from past motivations, these goals offer players something to strive for, while giving Storytellers a carrot to encourage ongoing story. When considering goals for a character, it is important to look at the projected length of a chronicle. If a game is expected to run for five years, and all your character goals are easily obtainable within the first six months of game play, you might find yourself getting bored without the driving force of these goals. As you create your character, you should consider setting at least six goals for her. These can range from something simple—such as purchasing and establishing a territory— to something extraodinary—such as achieving the rank of Legend. These goals should vary in difficulty, but they should be something that will always encourage your character to move forward. The following is a sample list of goals that can be set for characters:
• Two goals that can be accomplished within a year (or single game, if the chronicle will be extremely short or a one-shot.)
• Two goals that can be accomplished within three years (or within the first half of the projected chronicle length.)
• One goal that is the primary overarching character goal for the entirety of the chronicle.
• One nigh-impossible goal that may not ever be achieved. This achievement should be something that is highly risky, with an equally high reward. It is important to remember that character goals will often change throughout the course of a chronicle. Part of the fun of LARP is seeing the way our characters are influenced and changed by the people and experiences they encounter during play. These encounters can cause a character’s goals to shift and evolve. Players should occasionally revisit their list of goals to update or add to the list. Character Backgrounds in the World of Darkness The World of Darkness can be a violent and terrifying place, filled with the most depraved aspects of society We can safely explore many of these ideas in LARP. Violence, intimacy, abuse, and trauma are just some of the themes that can potentially affect a character who exists in this world. However, it is important that these themes are handled with care and sensitivity. While a compelling story can be crafted by putting a character through all manner of horrors, players must always remember that they are part of a larger whole. Most Storytellers communicate topics that are forbidden in their chronicles. When in doubt—ask! It is fun to see our characters suffer in the World of Darkness, but it’s not fun to see our friends suffering when they encounter something during play that is potentially harmful to them. What might be a compelling and interesting story to one player could be harmful and upsetting to another. In these situations, communication is key, and it is vital that players discuss sensitive topics with one another before they arise in game. Conclusion One of the greatest appeals of roleplaying games is the opportunity to explore things we may never encounter in our mundane lives. We have the opportunity to create grand stories and wild adventures in worlds different from our own. We use the details of our characters’ backgrounds to help us drive the story forward and build the shared world that the characters in a chronicle inhabit. The character creation process can be intimidating as it ranges from researching historical facts to ensuring we handle sensitive subjects in a delicate manner. But for many players, this process is part of the excitement of the game: the opportunity to sculpt the life of a character and give her flaws and foibles that make her more than just dots on a sheet. We have the chance to bring our characters to life through their experiences and stories, weaving intricate and diverse backgrounds. Of course, you can portray a character with minimal details or background stories, but part of the fun of LARP is creating and portraying different characters that represent an entirely separate persona with their own desires and needs. Ultimately, it is these characters, the ones that have been fully brought to life with stories, goals, and motivations of their own, that help drive a chronicle forward and create and exciting experience for the players. Biography April Douglas has been gaming and writing for fifteen years. She is a contributing writer to Werewolf: The Apocalypse. In addition to her work with Studios, her fiction has appeared in Zombiefied III: Hazardous Material, Hoofbeats: Flying with Magical Horses, and in The Bloody Key Society Periodical. When she’s not chasing after her son, she can be found at her computer, writing romance novels and diving into freelance work.
Originally published in Mind’s Eye Theatre: Immersion Secrets by By Night Studios. Presented here under Resources for chronicles and live play.