Unused parts of a Character

[NuttsnBolts]

Thought occurred to me when I was going over old character sheets and that is how many had different parts to their character sheet that I never got to use in the particular RP.

So the question I present is have you made a character that has had abilities, weapons, skills, relationships, and any other thing that never really got used in the RP they we're designed for?

Were there any particular reasons? (Eg: Trait didn't suit the RP, ability was too difficult to use, the required situation never came up, etc)

[Vilageidiotx]

Hence why most of those intense laundry-list apps are useless. All an app is for is to make sure the RPer can write up to the standards of the RP, and to make sure that they make sense within the world. An app that has more than five questions is a shitty app; all you really need is a name and a bio.

[AuntFlavia]

For me, the unused parts of characters are less about traits/weapons and more about backstory/personality. I end up creating stupidly complicated backstories or secrets for characters and then never end up using them because the RP dies too quickly. Every first post I do I need to resist the urge to cram in a flashback, because I spend so much time fleshing out bits of a character that never see the light of day.

[Jig]

An app that has more than five questions is a shitty app

@Vilageidiotx

Disagree. A lot of the info might be completely sundry, but GM's who want to vet players' apps to make sure they fit the world and make sense need more than a name and a bio. Even stuff that doesn't manifest in the IC is still in the minds of everybody that read the app - it's useful material because it contributes to a canon of knowledge on which the game is based.

One thing that I almost never see on Apps, but which is absolutely the most important part, is Motivation/Objective. It's literally the reason the character is there.

[NuttsnBolts]

Hence why most of those intense laundry-list apps are useless. All an app is for is to make sure the RPer can write up to the standards of the RP, and to make sure that they make sense within the world. An app that has more than five questions is a shitty app; all you really need is a name and a bio.

@Vilageidiotx

Although I can see where you are coming from, I do have to disagree with that an App that has less than 5 questions is a better App than one with 5, especially when you say all it needs is a name and Bio. A character sheet is basically a source of data that other players can refer back to for information and help, and the process of placing this information under different headers is a way to simplify it for those that wish to find the relevant details.

But that's beside the point, I wasn't asking about parts of a Character Sheet that are pointless, but the contained information and what information doesn't get used.

@AuntFlavia I've had that happen before as well and due to that I've been a little more open recently about the character's history than what I have been in the past. It does help to paint a picture well when you keep things a secret and others start to wonder about your character and what lies under the outer shell, but often the process of playing that out never really works out and you're left with ideas for your own personal motives that never get used.

Personal Motives does bring me to @Jig's comment. My last RP that I started I asked for players to list a 'quest' as such that their characters would go on. Something that I've seen a lot on is RPs that go on a linear story driven path and characters that have been developed with no motive. Often the Bio will include their younger life and how they became the way they are, but rarely asks where the character wants to advance themselves to in the future. So it ends up being a mix of a sandbox RP where the characters are free to so what they like with a story in the background that is happening while they have that freedom.

So when we talk about parts of a character that never get used, a motive/objective is a part that would probably need further attention.

[A Man Is No One]

Greetings Traveler,

I find that in writing character development goes beyond the necessity for the role playing you are aiming to partake in. I have compiled a rather lengthy character sheet which I use to develop characters that may or may not be used for any particular role play. I will then subsequently alter the information to fit in to the creator required character sheet. However, I write out my own character sheet not because I abscond from chaos but because everything that is produced goes beyond merely creating a character but towards creating a life. There may be a multitude of things that we do not use that may be present on our character sheets - a long lost relationship, a hidden power, or even some tiny trinket that might mean absolutely nothing to the role play. These things aid in bringing life to a character even if you only use it to prefect your writing of that particular character. From the boots that they wear to the reason they won't walk into a particular store, these are pieces of a new personality we as writers are trying to build. Many times when we write character, while they are all different their personalities are not truly unique as we instill bits and pieces of ourselves into every character (typically the same bits and pieces) which creates the same character but with a different paint job. In providing those seemingly useless facts, items, powers, bits of history we are slowly closing the gaps exploited by our own personality to seep into characters that need to arise on their own to prove fruitful to a story.

As always concerns, criticism, and questions are welcome.

[ArenaSnow]

I find a long CS fits for a few reasons, to me at least.

-It shows effort was put into creating the character in the first place.
-Honestly, many of the questions are just extended backstory.
-They show (from a gm perspective) if the person making the sheet "gets" it. There's a problem if questions are answered and they don't fit the context. A simpler/shorter CS can make it harder to tell.
-For me, it gets me thinking about the character. I feel a little more attached to a char I've detailed rather than a random NPC or tiny bio char without much fleshing out.

That said, I've had as much as half of some CS's I have made not come into use ever, in any interpretation.

Sometimes I say F the CS and retcon my own writings. *shrug*