thread: 2006-01-17 : More Character Co-ownership
On 2006-01-17, Brand Robins wrote:
In many of the comments about limits and wiggle room, I think we may be looking at some semi-concious focus on the idea that the main source of creativity and pride in a game is the PC and you ability to create and portray them.
In many games, from TT to LARP, in which the emphasis has been on "role play" it is your ability to "Step up" with your avatar, with their story and with a convincing acting job around them is what has traditionally been defined as success. Good RPers are those who make coherent, compelling characters who have solid backstories and still manage to fit themselves into the things going on around the table.
So as you start to give others the ability to do the thing you are supposed to be doing, you are obviously refocusing the import of what play is "supposed" to be about. It no longer can be about this coherent, crafted character that you reveal to the table—as others have too much say to allow for that. Instead it has to, in some degree, become about the process of creation and collaberation.
In other words, it ceases to be about individuals crafting and then revealing/discovering individuals, and about groups crafting/exploring stories at a very fundemental level. Your character may still be your portal to the world, but they are no longer your focus nor your only tool.
