Difference between revisions of "Player-Created Characters"

Revision as of 10:03, 26 May 2011

Characters whose creation players' have had some influence over.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

Most Tabletop Roleplaying Games (see Univeralis for an exception) support explicit rules for Player-Created Characters, although many scenarios include pre-made characters to allow gameplay to begin more quickly. Ars Magica and GURPS are examples of such games where players spend points to determine attributes and other important characteristics, while Dungeons & Dragons and Mutant use dice. Fallen Reich and Traveller make use of dice as well, but here to create background stories and through these the attributes, skills, etc.

Fallout series

Dragon Age series

Using the pattern

Can Be Instantiated By

Designing so that games have Player-Created Characters consists of creating rules for how players can affect Characters. Although the most obvious way to do this is through Initial Personalization such as Avatar Personalization, Construction, or Naming before gameplay begins, Player-Created Characters can emerge over time through the use of Character Development combined with Creative Control or Freedom of Choice. These process can be affected more or less through the use of Randomness, e.g. rolling initial statistics in Dungeons & Dragons or using the Life Board in Fallen Reich.

Although it may be most natural that the pattern Player-Created Characters is used to create Player Characters, some games make use of the pattern to let player create Non-Player Characters, e.g. Companions in roleplaying games such as GURPS.

Interface Aspects

In computer-based games, Player-Created Characters are constructed in Secondary Screen Interfaces.

Consequences

Attributes Skills Equipment

Games supporting Player-Created Characters gives players Freedom of Choice and Creative Control in constructing Characters, which may not only be Player Characters but can also be Non-Player Characters such as Companions, although the level of control and freedom may depend on the level of Randomness involved in the process. This increases the possibilities for Identification and Emotional Engrossment as is likely to affect Roleplaying if this is present in a game design. The personalization possible also allows players to construct Player Defined Goals for their Characters as they are created, and can give them the Exaggerated Perception of Influence over how the Narration Structures will develop. Given that player can consider and choose the way they want Player-Created Characters to behave while they are creating them, these Characters are more likely to have Enforced Agent Behavior even if the behavior is decided by players rather than by game designers.

The time spent on Player-Created Characters is an example of Player Time Investments and is likely to lead to Asymmetric Starting Conditions. For Late Arriving Players, the use of Player-Created Characters can be used to let them better fit the already existing Characters in Multiplayer Games.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Asymmetric Starting Conditions, Emotional Engrossment, Enforced Agent Behavior, Exaggerated Perception of Influence, Identification, Player Time Investments, Player Defined Goals

Can Modulate

Characters, Companions, Late Arriving Players, Narration Structures, Non-Player Characters, Player Characters, Roleplaying

Can Be Instantiated By

Characters together with Avatar Personalization, Construction, Initial Personalization, or Naming

Character Development together with Creative Control or Freedom of Choice

Can Be Modulated By

Randomness, Secondary Screen Interfaces

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

Karl Bergström