Character Questionnaire

[Scorpion]

"The map is not your friend."

Hm. Something occurred to me: what if, instead of answering all the questions, the players chose the five or so questions that interested them to answer, or the five questions for which they had cool answers. So, one character would talk about his love life, another his technical expertise and what he knows how to pilot, another his opinions on differing cultures.

The immediate practical upside to that is seeing what people choose to answer will tell you about the game they want to play, what kind of stuff they want to do or affect with the character.

This is a nifty idea!

Generally, even if I (strongly) ask the players to fill out the questionnaire, I reward the players for the trouble taken in doing so (a free Advancement, or some such). In practice, though, some folks will give short answers with little substance to most of the questions, in exchange for the shiney baubles I offer them in return.

This way, some detail is added to all characters, in exchange for less time taken making the character, and fewer mental gymnastics required for the less creative players.

Nice compromise between questionnaires/none ... thank you, Tatterdemalion King! If anyone has a chance to try this before I do, /please/ let me know how it works out for you.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Yeh; it occured to me because I don't really like filling out these huge things, and you don't really find them doing that in, say, TV show bibles. But at the same time, having a format to point out certain stuff makes things easier.

Which brings me to something kind of similar. If you're going to write a three-page character backstory, bold the important parts. Trying to suss out the meaning out of a short story-sized bio isn't exactly easy. Actually, maybe that's the point: If you're saying something definitive about your character, be it that they have a wife, a child, a rage issue, or a history with the Romulans, decide what it means.

[Evan van Eyk]

I always felt that those questionaires are more ways to actually be a guide for the players and not so much for the narrator. Of course if in the questionaire it comes out, that a character fears XY, you can use that in your games, but I tihnk most of the ideas given in such a toool are more to allow the player a consistent way of playing that role. I think it is a good way to make gaming more serious for the players and more accurate.

[Phoenix]

Tatterdemalion King
Like I said before, I've never had one of my questionnaires finished. I do not require one to be filled out, we use it as an aid to understanding one's character. If the player has a strong concept on their character it realy not needed or used. Plus things have been known to change on the list during game play.

[Liquidator Queeg]

I'm not comfortable using questionaires (not that there's anything wrong with them), but rather I typically ask players for a half-page "background" on their characters. It doesn't have to be prose, it could be a list of things, experiences, or whatever the player wants. Basically, as long as I have a basis for writing adventures to suit the character, I'm satisfied as a GM.

Plus, I always tell them they get bonus experience for doing it. Works like a charm.

LQ