Opinion on pre generated characters wanted - OG Myth-Weavers

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Opinion on pre generated characters wanted

   
Opinion on pre generated characters wanted

What are your thoughts on pre generated characters? I have a game in mind with certain roles that I want filled. There is also a particular power level involved as well. To get the best results I am thinking of designing them myself. It would give me some control over a powerful group. Not to mention the pleasure of making the characters myself.
Pros
I get the pleasure of making the characters.
It is a control measure for powerful characters.
Certain roles will be filled in the group.
Cons
Will anyone be interested in playing characters that they did not design?
This is a creative group of individuals. Will they feel stifled?

Has anyone tried this approach? Designed a character posted it on the board and asked for a player?

I've done it before. Never really enjoyed it, but I'll usually take a pregen when playing a new system/theme the first time. After that, I want my own.

My experience is that most people don't like playing pregenerated characters. I usually don't.

If you just stick them with the numbers but let them "re-fluff" the character, that goes a long way to mitigating the "I don't like it!" factor.

+1 to Law.

Make the statblocks, and let them come up with the fluff. You can, of course, include a few suggestions to explain whatever quirks you gave the characters.

Most players have difficulty associating with characters that they themselves didn't build. Unless you're players are all actors and the main point of games played with them is to polish those acting skills, it's generally a bad idea.

While I agree that all of the above is sound advice, I will maintain that usually most first time players are conned into whatever the DM pushes and makes for them, which is the same thing as a pregen (except maybe they change the color of the eyes and the name), and further, that as an advanced player, taking on a role I didn't create makes me feel like an actor *puts on Hollywood shades*

While it's not something I want to do all the time or commit to a campaign that runs several years for, taking on a pregen for a one shot is usually a fun challenge for me

It forces me to play different kinds of mindsets and types of characters that I might not otherwise ever do on my own, and that's opportunity for me to grow as a gamer

For MW though, I would normally recommend against it. The better option is to have tight rules on what is allowed.

See the MW GUIDES: Vol. 4 for more info about creating adverts (that's where that stuff is).

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Not to mention the pleasure of making the characters myself.
Players like doing this as well =)

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Most players have difficulty associating with characters that they themselves didn't build.
I think this kinda nails it....especially for a tabletop game. Not sure if its as critical in a PbP game.

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Originally Posted by Cassiel View Post
Not sure if its as critical in a PbP game.
I think it probably is as critical in PbP, but you may be right, depending on the player.

In my experience, PbPers like building characters almost as much as playing them (which is not my experience with RL players--your mileage may vary).

This is the ultimate problem with pregens. If you have players who really like to embody their characters, pregens are a disappointment. If you have players who really like to crunch numbers, pregens are a disappointment. If you have "normal" players, who are some combination of the two, pregens are a double disappointment. :-)

Pregens are great for quickly getting new players off and running. Who wants to spend an entire gaming session creating character just to find out you don't like the system once the game gets going ... next week?

In general, I think experienced players would prefer to be given the limits of what is acceptable and create their own characters. Statblocks is going too far, in my opinion. Slap down your parameters (e.g., standard array, Level 3 characters, standard starting wealth but only magic items from PH1, no dwarves, nothing from PH3 or Dragon), stick with them and see what happens.

OK the general consesus to this is no. What I had in mind was a high powered Werewolf the Apocalypse game with one Mage. I have specific roles I need to be filled. With the high end characters I needed a control of some type. I am aiming towards an active input towards character generation. This will probably be the best route. Thanks for the input.




 

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