Making the Origins section of Character Creation more engaging.

[UltraAlt]

13 hours ago, Herotu said:

When given a costume creator and no boundaries, I find I am very definitely affected by  decision paralysis .

 

But you are given a bunch of options if you want to the easy way of finding a look in addition to the randomizer.

 

 

 

Full listing of options clipped together.

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by UltraAlt

[Herotu]

10 hours ago, biostem said:

Why pigeon-hole anyone at all?

For comprehension. Why have genres of movies, or of music, for example? Why pigeon-hole a superhero, what is a Speedster, what is a Brute? Why categorise them at all? Stereotypes give people a quick idea of what you're referring to. If I say my character is a Rocketeer, for example, you know I'm talking about someone with a jetpack and trousers. Pigeon-holes are for comprehension.

 

10 hours ago, biostem said:

An imaginative person can [..]

We're not all imaginative. In fact, I'd suggest that most of us really struggle with imagination. There's no such thing as creativity, instead we combine existing ideas - we stand on the shoulders of previous mixers. As Picasso said, "good artists copy, great artists steal". I think people will benefit from having ideas presented to them for them to add their own ideas to, rather than give them a blank page and expect divine intervention to provide a miracle.

[Rudra]

6 hours ago, Herotu said:

There's no such thing as creativity, instead we combine existing ideas - we stand on the shoulders of previous mixers.

This statement is false. A person can creatively come up with an idea on their own despite someone else having also had that idea. Yes, creativity is typically using existing ideas and taking them in new directions, combining existing ideas as it were, but also branching out into new directions with that previously existing idea. And the fact something may already exist does not preclude someone being creative and coming up with the idea on his/her/their own. We are not omniscient, so we can't know if someone else has already come up with the idea that just popped into our heads, usually because something we saw or heard triggered that "what if" moment in our heads.

 

If players want ideas for their characters, they can Google it, they can use the preset costumes already available in the character creator, they can talk to their friends about it. There are options for sparking ideas in others.

 

6 hours ago, Herotu said:

For comprehension. Why have genres of movies, or of music, for example? Why pigeon-hole a superhero, what is a Speedster, what is a Brute? Why categorise them at all? Stereotypes give people a quick idea of what you're referring to. If I say my character is a Rocketeer, for example, you know I'm talking about someone with a jetpack and trousers. Pigeon-holes are for comprehension.

Pigeon-holes are limitations placed upon concepts. They are not for comprehension. Genres give people an idea of what they can expect, but are not pigeon-holes unless someone else decides to pigeon-hole their creativity within the genre.

 

Sci-fi drama? You can expect advanced technology of some type and likely the presence of space ships or star ships, all of which is based on existing or theoretical science, with an emphasis on personal interactions. That advanced technology could just be what is expected in the next 20 or 50 years with no star faring capabilities. It can be cast thousands of years into the far future. That technology can organic in nature. It will always have at least a loose basis on current known or theoretical science with an emphasis on character interactions though.

 

What is a speedster? Someone who is faster than others in some way, shape, or form. Too often understood as being a "Flash" or "Quicksilver" runner with a focus on machinegun punches. It can also mean someone who is a shooter that is trained to be faster than anyone else. It can actually also mean a teleporter that uses precision, rapid teleports to gain the advantage in combat. (A concept where speedster and teleporter overlap for combining both elements.) It can be a flier with pinpoint precision control over their flight re-positioning faster than their opponents can keep up with. So on and so forth.

 

What is a Brute? Someone that uses violence to achieve their goals and is often but not always resilient to the violence (s)he employs. That brute can be the typical bar room tough or a martial artist that uses his/her/their skills to get what (s)he wants. That brute can be a bare fisted fighter, use heavy weapons or light weapons, or even use ranged weapons, though the use of ranged weapons is pretty rare for the trope.

 

Those are guides, not pigeon-holes. When you pigeon-hole something, you place it in a confined space that limits what it can do. This came from the use of pigeon holes for carrier pigeons. It very much explicitly means to constrain, not provide guidance. (So that speedster must run fast and use rapid punches to defeat foes when pigeon-holed. That brute must be a muscle bound near mindless belligerent prone to rage like the original Hulk when pigeon-holed.) It is why everyone I know is opposed to being pigeon-holed for what they can play. "No gentle giant brutes allowed! They are raging engines of destruction only!" "No, rangers can't be urban! They're hunters in tune with their environment. Why would you think they could be attuned to urban environments?" Pigeon-holes suck.