The One Character Limit?

[Kagamine]

There is another reason to only allow single characters. Sometimes you have that person who wants to join the RP that is terrible. They can barely write, their ideas are painful and everything about their character is excessive and annoying. You can say no, you can't join the RP. But personally, I'd feel like an asshole. Like that jerk on the playground who tells certain kids that no, they aren't allowed to play with them. So you let them join, you can handle one person throwing up posts that make you roll your eyes, but you sure don't want them doubling the number of posts they are putting into the RP.

That's a pretty sad reason to not allow decent roleplayers more than one character.

You shouldn't have to feel like the bad guy for not letting someone into the RP if they aren't good enough and their bad quality turns out to be problematic. You're the GM and you have every right to set quality standards. How do you deal with people like that? Tell them to get better about it or just don't let them in. But putting in a character limit for it is... weird. There are other reasons for a character limit which I can understand, albeit disagree with, but the logic here is just completely faulty. Below-quality roleplayers will continue to be below-quality roleplayers regardless of how many characters they have, it just doesn't make sense to deal with them that way. Just don't let people in who don't meet your quality requirements.

[Foster]

Well, if a player who's controller multiple characters and NPCs quits you RP you just lost a lot of characters, lol. Unless of course you have players waiting to join your RP as backups for those who quit!

This is usually the case, where the dropper can appoint replacement-players to RP for them for a spell.
-They may or may not be consulted on character-development.

It's how I got control of Natasha Rez and Elias Santos in The Walking Dead: Northwards.
-But I'm Co-GM, I do that. I also have experiance doing that. (sorta)

After getting control of 3 or more players, I start using a more comical -less serious- narrative.
+None have broken the 4th wall, yet.

OTOH, I've never been comfortable RPing a shred of romance between any two characters I happen to play at the same time (although I do sometimes imply some backdoor-romance), unless ofc I crank-up the silliness.

[KnightShade]

I've added a poll to the thread now I've seen some of the positions opinions people hold on this.

[Hellis]

Honestly. I'd allow more characters. but never off the bat. Nobody gets that much of leeway. Burned more then once. Besides, if you are in advance, your posts usually have a certein level, with people writing a decent amount and dwelve into their characters far more then I've seen in casual. I havea feeling if everyone played 3-4 cyharacters, they'd either have to write massive posts, or cut back alot on the characters face time. Stunting development for all 4.

[Brovo]

So I was browsing through some of my RPs putting off posting and this occured to me and I thought it might make for an interesting discussion. Why do RPs vary so much on the number of characters you may play? Mainly I'm talking about major characters that you might consider PCs but NPCs qualify to degree as well. I feel looking through mine a one character limit can be a measure of safety to stop anyone player becoming too powerful and this will of course apply more in RPs focus more on a small group of characters and their dynamic. The added advantage might be to get a player to invest more in their character so they consider their decisions, both in how their character would act and the acts consequences, more. I think on the otherside allowing multiple characters gives them a larger stake in the RP and makes it so that a story can be told on a wider scale. Anyway I'd love to hear people's ideas and feel free to break off into sub topics as well.

Once upon a time I made a role play called Legend of Renalta. It's lasted nearly three years. It's still going.

At first, there was no character limit. It was a cluster!@#$. Nothing was getting done. Nothing.

Then I imposed a limit of one character per person with exceptions to those who already had multiple characters. This resulted in narrowing creativity drastically to rather stale, cardboard cutouts that could stand on their own... Flimsily. Things like the typical assassin, or the typical barbarian, or the typical mage, etc.

So I opened it up to two characters per person. Things started getting interesting again, whilst remaining fairly in control.

I allowed three for loyal players because I knew they could handle it.

So, I've found the nice balance is...

Public Players: The "newbies", the ones you don't know well. 2-3 Characters should be their limit.

Loyalists: The ones you know well, who have been around the block a few times. 3 Characters should be their limit. Maybe four if they can justify why they would need four. (Example: Kadaeux in Legend of Renalta has a scorpion to ride for his goblin shaman. You could argue that it's a PC as well since he has complete control over it on top of his orc and second goblin, but it's justified well enough to allow. So, technically speaking, four entities controlled by one player.)

/Thread.

[Jannah]

I feel that one character is best mainly so that the one can be well-developed. I'm a believer in quality over quantity. However, I am willing to make exceptions if there's an important temporary character that needs to be played in order to progress the RP.

[Kestrel]

I've added a poll to the thread now I've seen some of the positions opinions people hold on this.

Then you've got an entirely different question up there, which I really can't answer. I'm currently allowing multiple characters per person (up to 3 to maintain my sanity) but who knows in the future I might work with a much more focused RP. Or one weaving itself into collaborative story territory with plot>characters and dudes die by bushes. Or a nation RP where people will have control over hundreds and I expect multiple PoV's.

So basically, I can't vote and feel comfortable, because the poll is a generalisation.

[Brovo]

I feel that one character is best mainly so that the one can be well-developed. I'm a believer in quality over quantity. However, I am willing to make exceptions if there's an important temporary character that needs to be played in order to progress the RP.

Who says one cannot have the same level of quality with 2-3 characters as they have with 1? That's a rather narrow view there, to presume that a person can only handle detail to one character and must sacrifice it in order to have more than one.

[Hellis]

Its equally narrow view offered by Kaga and the others who state "Players with more characters are better player" over and over. Its extremely circumstantial, depends on the level of the rp, the trust you have and the people involved. I can say I'd trsut one or two of my players with multiple characters of the bat becouse I know them. But should someone new come in I would force them to play one untill they can prove they work within such a limit. By limiting your numbers, I'll argue that it forces you to look deeper into the character in order to make things more intersting. Like wise with several, you can build up relationships and reflect personality that way. That does come with the risk of a circle jerk however.

[Brovo]

Its equally narrow view offered by Kaga and the others who state "Players with more characters are better player" over and over. Its extremely circumstantial, depends on the level of the rp, the trust you have and the people involved. I can say I'd trsut one or two of my players with multiple characters of the bat becouse I know them. But should someone new come in I would force them to play one untill they can prove they work within such a limit. By limiting your numbers, I'll argue that it forces you to look deeper into the character in order to make things more intersting. Like wise with several, you can build up relationships and reflect personality that way. That does come with the risk of a circle jerk however.

I'm not defending Kagamine or anyone else on the opposite end of the spectrum. Just calling out an illogical train of thought where I saw it.

Or, you just add onto the purple prose with a single character by forcing more inner narrative which makes less of the post relevant to the other players.

It's a duel edged sword. If you want a solid limit? 2 For pubs is fine. 3 For friends is fine. It doesn't force people who want to play one to play more, so.

Plus, a player who screws up with two characters, 99% of the time, will screw up just as often with one.

Oh, and most people participate in multiple RP's.

Ergo, they already control multiple characters already. So that kind of kills most arguments against multiple characters right off the bat.