🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <17318@mindlink.bc.ca>, Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow) writes:
|> mathers@sibelius.trl.oz.au (Steven Mathers) writes:
|> 
|> > When you sit down to `roll-up` a character for a given game, you generally
|> > have in mind the type of character you would like to play during this
|> > particular session.
|> 
|> Hmmm, I guess you haven't been reading the "random vs allocation" thread.
|> The point I keep bringing up is that your statement above only applies to one
|> group of gamers, _not_ all gamers.  Some of us do not have a type of
|> character in mind when we start a campaign; we like being surprised.

Actually, I think I may have started it.  I wrote the message above
about two weeks ago.  
|> 
|> When I roll up a character, I don't care if he's a scientist, a musician, an
|> army logistics officer, or a farmer who kept failing to enter university; I'd
|> equally enjoy role-playing any of them.  I'll give any of them an interesting
|> personality, based on their attributes, education/career history, personal
|> history, and anything else randomly determined or chosen at a whim.

Id say you were in the minority here, at least among the gamers that I
know.  In any event, a random character generation system imposes the
game designers philosopy on the player, whereas a 'design' type system
give the player the choices.  Im pro-choice, and in more areas than
character design.  The random profession idea is limiting.  The player
is restricted to whatever professions included by the designer are
in the table (assuming a table is your mechanic).

Lets say you have a design-based system, with the option of including
some random elements (at the players choice)  You could use the random
'take a flaw/problem, get some extra points ' option, and vv. 'Take a
special ability, loose some points'.  There are other OPTIONS you could
add to give a little randomness to the procedure if that is the players
desire.  Sure, giving the players the chance of designing the character
means that some players are going to take the 1-dimensional munchkin
route, but that's OK...they like being munchkins.  If you want something
a little more sophisticated, then thats OK too.  How many random
profession systems let players be butlers, hairdressers, telephone
sanitizers, piss-boys, village-idiots, etc..etc..