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Tips For Making a New Character
Topic Started: May 13 2018, 11:04 PM (21 Views)
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Whether you're looking to get in the skin of your favorite DC character or craft a whole new creation, the goal here is the same: to tell compelling and collaborative stories with meaning. But finding a compelling character who fits comfortably within the milieu of our setting can be difficult, particularly if it's your first time. These tips can help you come up with a character you'll love.


Determine Your Preferred Style of Play


Rogue, warrior, wizard, or priest? If you've ever played Dungeons and Dragons or a roleplaying video game, you've probably encountered this question. And for good reason! The types may be generic, but they serve as a great template for finding a character that suits your play style. While Gotham doesn't incorporate the traditional fantasy class archetypes (or any formal classes for that matter), zeroing in on the types of scenes you enjoy can be the best way to settle on a character you can get some mileage out of. Do you like personal melodrama? Big, bloody fight sequences? Cutthroat politics? There's room for just about everything. Characters don't have to fall cleanly into the designation of hero or villain. Our characters include students, research scientists, doctors, and journalists along with the typical parade of costume-wearing freaks.


Consider the Focus of the Setting


While the DC universe is our playground, our main focus is on Gotham. Batman is in his third year, and he's still considered an urban legend. The mob is beginning to fall apart, the freaks first appearing, and the age of superheroes is still in its dawn. We have a list of restricted and limited characters, and while this is partly to maintain a tonal consistency and power balance, it's also intended to facilitate players. Characters scattered across the world or even the universe have a much harder time interacting with one another, and creating plots where everyone can feel included are difficult when you're dealing with threats on a global scale. Your character should probably live in or around Gotham, and the sweet spot is someone involved in or tangential to organized crime, Arkham hospital, or the superhero/villain community. That's not to say you can't branch out (and we have plenty of characters who do), but consider whether your character has suitable venues to interact with others in the community.


Reflect on the Goals of Your Character (and Yourself!)


The advantage of less freestyle forms of gaming is that they tend to have discreet goals. Rescue the princess, stop the alien armada, build the most dangerous roller coaster around. In Gotham, the only goals you make are the ones you make for yourself. It can be helpful to establish both one long term and a number of short term ambitions for your characters, which may or may not be related. Let's say you pick up Black Mask as a character. You've decided that he's inherited his family fortune but has more ambitious plans. His long term ambition (one that could take years) is to become the undisputed kingpin of Gotham. There are undoubtedly milestone goals that both lead to this path and sit tangentially to it. He decides he needs to make an alliance with an existing gang to get access to weapons and recruit soldiers to his cause, all while keeping up the social obligations required of a businessman. Maybe there's a woman he wants to court. Maybe he desperately wants tickets to Hamilton. All of these objectives add wrinkles to the character, but they also provide useful means to interact with other players' characters outside of random liaisons at a bar. These objectives can put him in contention with the Bat and other heroes, provide him with an excuse to attend high society gatherings where he can meet other privileged characters, and give him an excuse to network and barter with criminal characters. Your goals as a player don't need to align with those of your character either. Perhaps you want him to see the inside of Blackgate. Luckily, you have a trajectory. Chances are, your planning won't go to plan. Outside events and characters will add complications, but these ambitions will create fuel for your stories and an added layer of depth to your character as well as serving as a well-nurtured seed for spontaneous scenes.


Let Existing Stories Be Your Inspiration, Not a Straight Jacket


While our setting is inspired by DC characters, we aren't beholden to them. Of course, we want your take on a canon character to be true to the heart of the character (I mean, if you're going to play Dick Grayson as a robot ninja from the year 2270, why even play Dick at all?), but you have plenty of freedom to make your character your own. Our Talia Al Ghul is the respected trade ambassador from a foreign nation, trapped between her obligations to her homeland and a devil's deal with her father. Our Stephanie Brown (Spoiler) and Jack Knight (Starman) are married. Zatanna Zatara is a punk rock magician performing in Vegas. We aren't looking for people to simply copy and paste bios from Wikipedia. We want you to take a character and breathe your own personality into them.


Look For Hooks


Gotham is a collaborative setting at its heart. We don't bite, and we'll be happy to help you find a place for your character. At any given time, we tend to have multiple plots in action, and they're generally broad enough to pull in a wide range of characters. But even if you can't find a foothold in an ongoing plot, we can help you find your niche. Got a gentleman thief? Captain Cold or Selina Kyle might be able to use you on a job. Fresh new superhero first appearing in Gotham? The Titans are looking for new talent. Vicious vigilante cutting your way through the criminal underbelly? Batman would like. a. word. If you're having trouble figuring out how to fold your character into the game, just ask. You might even be able to weave your character's backstory into someone else's (with their permission, of course).


It's Okay to Change Your Mind


Sometimes an idea looks good on paper, but it doesn't work out in practice. That's okay. We've all been there, and the only way to know what works and what doesn't is to take them for a spin. No one will hold it against you if your new character doesn't click with you. Just pick yourself back up and try again.
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