Character Development

By David "Onion" Ball
The character you play is probably the most crucial part of your PBEM role-playing experience. Your character will be your outlook onto the fictional world of your game, and how you interact with it. It is your character's actions that you will write about, so they should be interesting!

Choose a Name

One, of many, ways to categorize PBEM posts is to see if they are driven forward by the use of characters or by action. While both types are perfectly valid and accepted, players often find themselves being more comfortable with one of them. They do, however, present different possibilities and problems.

It is just like when comparing movies. Some movies, often European, are strongly centered on a character and the camera follows it around. Other types focus on the action and let it bring the story forward.

Once you have started to get to know your character, the game setting and your writing is flowing, it is time to start thinking about what your plans are for the future.

A PBEM game can continue for several years, so if you do not plan ahead from the start, you may very well be painting yourself into a corner. Just like with us, our characters never stay the same. They have a life of their own and their lives tend to take the most unlikely directions. In what direction do you want your character to evolve?

The character you play in your PBEM (Play By Email) role playing game is the most basic foundation of your participation in the game. Your character sets the boundaries for what you can do and how you can act. One of the first things someone notices about a character is its name. A name can send many signals, it is therefore important to carefully consider your choice.

In your game, there are probably at least 5-10 other players. They all have characters, just like you do. But what makes your character stand out? It is hard enough for you to describe your character in your own posts, even harder for the other players!

Your character’s background is something that will follow your character and influence the way it acts. Therefore, it is important that you have a solid background already thought out for your character.

our character's background is something that will follow your character and influence the way it acts. Therefore, it is important that you have a solid background already thought out for your character.When writing the background it is important to keep it believable. Although we have to remember that we often play characters that are among the very best. Therefore, we have to have the background true to who the character really is.

Most of us probably started playing a character that was rather similar to ourselves. No matter how it looked on paper, it was still played like an ordinary person. If you want to take your character to the next level you need to separate it from yourself!
Always remember who you are and who your character is. It is important to always keep in mind that the two of you are not the same. Make sure that when you write for your character you keep that in mind so that you do not project your own opinions and actions on to the character. Let it live a life of its own!