(no subject)

[igpayatinlay]

Question:

When you're creating a character/writing an app/starting a game, do you consider how they might grow over the course of the game? Not necessarily pre-plotting, or establishing relationships in advance, but maybe more like, establishing where they are in their life at the start, and how they'll grow if things go a certain way? There's no way to control the other characters, so obviously this can change as things happen, but I'm curious - do you apply the idea of a character arc to roleplay, or do you make a character to have fun with and then wing it? Sometimes one or the other? A mix of both?

Comments

[aardwolves.insanejournal.com]

I know I always go into a game with a basic character arc in mind, much like going into writing a novel. If I don't feel like a character has any room for development, or winds up stuck in a rut, I lose interest fast, so I feel like it's important to start out with plenty of room to grow.

Re: invol, I have Jude, who is starting out as a deliberately emotionally stunted and flippant character who is pretty sheltered, but who I hope will grow with the acquisition of friends and finding something to stand for. He's not a stupid guy, and can probably do something with himself once he quits with the self-loathing.

As for Anton, he's already grown a great deal more than Jude: he started off shy and mumbling at his feet and totally frightened of all the new people around him, but already he's met a lot of people and started a club and is on his way to becoming the person he as before being disowned and homeless. He'll probably eventually make a good leader, and his arc has taken off a lot more quickly than I'd expected, so who knows where he'll end up.

But uhhhh, TL;DR... pre-planned character arcs: yes. But there is a lot of wiggle room for how fast these arcs happen and what will affect them, and where they'll end up is never set in stone. I'm rambly.

[chthonian.insanejournal.com]

I love everything in this comment.

[igpayatinlay.insanejournal.com]

But there is a lot of wiggle room for how fast these arcs happen and what will affect them, and where they'll end up is never set in stone.

This for me, too. I'm not like "Harlow will do XYZ by Halloween" or anything, I just kind of have a vague idea on the horizon line of how she might react/grow over her time at IVI.