We too have noticed that, @Song Book. "You must mention X in your sheet." tends not to filter away the bad ones. You get good sheets without it included and bad sheets with it included. For ourselves at least, we found that it is far too better to be strict in sheet review. If it takes an extra week for someone to write a good sheet, then so be it.

Short and sweet.

A lot of people seem to think that a complex application is immediately better but it's really not. A good writer can outline what the goals of their character is in the application and then jump into achieving those goals in IC.

Aye, @Chapatrap. Long can be better, but it can also be a lot worse.

I'm not a HUGE fan of writing character descriptions, I like being able to face-claim. But describing a character's features is still good practice I think.

@MenageAUne You know I used to hate face claims. It drove me nuts. Now, I adore them. Don't get me wrong on my Character Sheets I want specifics as well - you know, height, weight, build, eyes, hair, style, scars, tattoo, piercings, and so forth - but I enjoy a face claim these days because what I describe doesn't always translate the way I wish it would, that is a short coming of mine. So having a FC really helps me with that and allows me to give my CS both sides of it.

I find, for 1x1s, I like something pretty short and sweet. (Name/Age/Appearance/Personality/Short Bio.) For group RPs, I'm fine with longer ones - that's what I first started RPing with, actually. Theme song and everything included.

I find I'm willing to go even shorter with people I've RPed with before - if I like their style and characters, I might not ask for a CS.

For 'faceclaims', I hate using real people. I feel very weird about it. I'd much rather use a drawing or a doll-maker image. (Preferably the doll-maker for customization options.)

Arise dead topic! The thread necromancer approaches!

For me, a CS should give the GM everything they need to help guide that character through the story, and ensure that all the characters are diverse. If everyone's characters are mercenaries, mine will usually be militia. If everyone's bloodthirsty killers, I'm going to be a saint.

I think some core things that should be on every CS are the name, age, sex, occupation, and skills the character possesses. If combat is a focus, knowing their weapons and fighting styles is always a plus. Appearance isn't necessary, hopefully you'll give a decent description of them when they appear in your first post.

The bio field is probably the most misunderstood part of the entire CS. At least for me it is. It's important, but how big or how small should it be? Do I need to include my character's upbringing by wolves? The loss of a loved one? What about particulars I'm unsure about? I like to reveal the story behind my characters in the RP itself, but obviously it is nessisary to give the GM an idea of what drives your character. I usually choose to settle on what most people should generally know about the character, keeping more personal details covered until the opportunity to reveal them shows itself.