Character Descriptions
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I always try to keep it simple. Just the first few things you would recognise about my particular character at the time.
I try to avoid long winded backstories, or comments like "returns your gaze" since it doesn't really make all that much sense to me.
If I saw the above in a description I'd approach the character with a "Why are you staring at me?"
If I'm about to chat to somebody, I will normally examine them first, if I see a massive story of their life I tend to ignore it. The best descriptions in my mind a brief, literal ones that open doors for role play.
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RP FOR MOAR
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IMHO it's best to go for a short one that discribes anything easy to notice about your character. Long ones get ignore, blank ones surgest your character is rather bland.
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Thanks Seter :)
I fully understand people wanting to let their characters get known ic'ly, but having even a 2 line description of "Blond hair, baby blue eyes, stern voice" can help and be nice. How often do people walk down the street and look at some one "My god that chick's hawt" without ever talking to her, or use that as a precursor TO talk to her.. ya know?
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RP = hardcore
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I just give a general rough discription of how they look.
Peaple with 15 paragraphs of boring background story i just don't bother reading. -
I like to see a quick rundown of age, eye color, general appearance - especially if you are using a custom portrait that not everyone has. If your character smells bad or is cross-eyed or whatever, these are things that the engine does not allow us to notice unless you tell us it is there.
For goodness sake, we dont need to know your character's whole life story - it's a DESCRIPTION - it should tell us what your character looks like, not that his parents abandoned him and he hates the world. That, we should get through RP.
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What the character looks like does nothing for me. Give me a sentance or two of something significant about the way he looks or personallity and i like.
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Personality should really be roleplayed. Gruff voices in description.
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Personality should really be roleplayed. Gruff voices in description.
Yah, stuff like ''likes chicken'' should be done IC rather than via the description. I see more people with customised descriptions than without them, though
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(RP for more info) powerquests all the time
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I have always thought that there should be no "floating names" above characters, only descriptions.
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This has been discussed to death before but I'll add in nonetheless.
I prefer the two-three paragraphs long descriptions that I can read in <1 minute. Preferably less. Tl;Dr is essential to me here as I'll get distracted or otherwise forced to move on before reading it all. Most of my examinations are 'drive-by' of people I just pass by in the city while walking the opposite direction.
My personal opinion of descriptions:
- Short and to the point (feel free to add Eraamion-esque fluff afterwards but don't expect me to read it unless you're a Verk-level typist)
- Descriptive (physical features, appearance, hairstyle, smell, etc)
- Non-story (NO LIFESTORY OR MORALS/IDEALS!) << Really, this part is silly. I will disrespect you if you do and walk away out of spite.
- Origninal/interesting (this is bonus)
My descriptions varies between two sentences and roughly one page (such that you don't have to scroll). If the description is long enough to need scrolling its too long IMO.
Adding 252 lines with nothing, only to write "MADE YOU LOOK! LOL" at the end might lead to surpise axe-up-your-ass if I happen to be in a bad mood. Just saying. -
really i was playing this day and they had a character description longer then the 5 page report i had to hand in last week. After two paragraphs i just can't be bothered to read a character description especially those people that put novel in.
At this point i just think your nick picking at anything
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This has been discussed to death before but I'll add in nonetheless.
I prefer the two-three paragraphs long descriptions that I can read in <1 minute. Preferably less. Tl;Dr is essential to me here as I'll get distracted or otherwise forced to move on before reading it all. Most of my examinations are 'drive-by' of people I just pass by in the city while walking the opposite direction.
My personal opinion of descriptions:
- Short and to the point (feel free to add Eraamion-esque fluff afterwards but don't expect me to read it unless you're a Verk-level typist)
- Descriptive (physical features, appearance, hairstyle, smell, etc)
- Non-story (NO LIFESTORY OR MORALS/IDEALS!) << Really, this part is silly. I will disrespect you if you do and walk away out of spite.
- Origninal/interesting (this is bonus)
My descriptions varies between two sentences and roughly one page (such that you don't have to scroll). If the description is long enough to need scrolling its too long IMO.
Adding 252 lines with nothing, only to write "MADE YOU LOOK! LOL" at the end might lead to surpise axe-up-your-ass if I happen to be in a bad mood. Just saying.Seconded. Also, voice and regional accents, which can be hard to do with emotes and dialogue. I think that common mannerisms might be a good thing to include as well, as long as they would be immediately visible upon seeing the character, along the lines of "prances about with a confident swagger, thrusting his codpiece forward" or "looks shy and timid, with shoulders drawn and her hair in front of her face". Anything that can be used as a spring-board for interaction is good really.
And I always read try to read the descriptions, excepting those that are just too long.
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…....My personal opinion of descriptions:
- Short and to the point (feel free to add Eraamion-esque fluff afterwards but don't expect me to read it unless you're a Verk-level typist)
- Descriptive (physical features, appearance, hairstyle, smell, etc)
- Non-story (NO LIFESTORY OR MORALS/IDEALS!) << Really, this part is silly. I will disrespect you if you do and walk away out of spite.
- Origninal/interesting (this is bonus)
My descriptions varies between two sentences and roughly one page (such that you don't have to scroll). If the description is long enough to need scrolling its too long IMO.
......Seconded. Also, voice and regional accents, which can be hard to do with emotes and dialogue. I think that common mannerisms might be a good thing to include as well, as long as they would be immediately visible upon seeing the character, along the lines of "prances about with a confident swagger, thrusting his codpiece forward" or "looks shy and timid, with shoulders drawn and her hair in front of her face". Anything that can be used as a spring-board for interaction is good really.
And I always read try to read the descriptions, excepting those that are just too long.
Ditto to all that. And to those who only put something to the extent of "RP".. well, if you cant be bothered to describe yourself, I guess youre a non-descript boring person not worth interacting with.
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Time for my opinionated dick reply.
Descriptions are just that: descriptions. I come from non-graphic text-only RPGs where people took this stuff (way too) seriously. But it shaped my expectations. So here's what I like:
- To the point.
- Visuals only. Only what you can see. No armor or clothing as these can change.
- If you ever find yourself using a thesaurus to come up with a "cool" word for your description, I don't like your description.
There's a whole dark sub-world of RPGs where people go to to do weird things an and they are always overflowing with character descriptions that dig in the darkest depths of the thesaurus to come up with new ways to say "blonde" that nobody knows.
Also, your description should not include ALL of these words AT ONCE: sinewy, rippled, supple, muscular, shapely, statuesque, slender, zaftig, toned, hardened, steeled.
And never write "RP for more." - NO THANKS
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Before you stands a well endowed man.
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Before you stands a well endowed man. His sinewy body rippled in supple, muscular leather and shapely codpiece. Statuesuque in his slender portions, his steeled thighs are toned, hardened with years of running from screaming women.
This is Stooge.
And he is a man's man.
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I find that 3-5 lines usually do. Anything longer than that seems unecessary.
3-5 lines describing the characters stature and general demeanor are what I like to read. Along with any uniquely identifying characteristics.
Things I typically include are:
–In sight weapons (since you can't always display them, and since you may at times upgrade/change weapons)
--General physical description (my druid had twigs in his hair, smelled a certain smell, etc..)
--Holy symbols that might be in sight (Red twine on your wrist, a chess piece hanging from your neck, etc...)
--Unique characteristics that might not otherwise be noted (accents, for example)Things I hate seeing in descriptions:
--Character biographies. I don't know your life story by looking at you.
--Essays. I want to quick read it and get an idea of should I engage you or not. I don't want to take several minutes to read it.
--Forced insights/emotions. Don't tell me you are scary. Don't tell me looking at you makes me uneasy. It may not.