Character Generating

[imported_Magman]

Reading through the Min/Max thread I was wondering if anybody has or would play a game where the GM fabricated all the characters for the players?

This obviously, giving the GM was fair and knowledgeble, would eliminate the min/max and any abusiveness of the rules for character building.

I know the GM I normally have is quite strict about what a character can and can't do. If your background doesn't justify a skill/attribute, then you simply can't have it. There have been times where we needed to prepare backgrounds for the guys first, then generate the character from there. Before gameplay, he takes a high interest in going over all characters. I salute his method as so far whatever he has been doing, the groups have been top notch players and characters.

Nothing wrong with this method as I know it helps him by providing extra content that he adapts within the story he is running. If he knows your family was killed in a bus accident and while in game you take note of a bus accident - he wants you to play out your character as one might think you should with that background.

[Crusis]

Sounds like a very good GM to me. I think it's fair to say that if a player has a problem with gamemaster style, he can find another group that suits his needs. It's not like RPGs are impossible to find. We have stores here in Indy that allow you to post GM or player notes looking for a game.

I know my group for AD&D has some contention with spellcasters, so my next game will be fighters and rogues only. Eventually, if they can't behave, I'll have them playing janitors.

[Whill]

I'll have them playing janitors.

Cool! Can I play my janitor with his vorpal mop! :)

[Kalzazz]

Sure, as long as it is indeed fair and such Im cool with it, actually, I encourage it heavily . . . it removes the annoying chargen process from being something I have to do, and often people come up with fun things to roleplay that I wouldnt have thought of strictly by myself

The process you described though sounds like a lot of a hassle . . . if Im going to have to make a character, let me plow through and get it over with expeditiously. Otherwise just put one down in front of me

[Kansas Jim]

Reading through the Min/Max thread I was wondering if anybody has or would play a game where the GM fabricated all the characters for the players?
I've actually had players that work that way, they'll explain their concept to you but they leave it up to you (the GM) to build the character for them. Usually though it's less about being fair then it is about them not being interested in learning the chargen mechanics. Never done it with an entire group though, there's usually at least one player who likes playing around with the chargen system and wants to make up the character by himself.

[asmkm22]

This can work very well if you have a very tight group of players who know each other. Good roleplayers would welcome the challenge of playing another character, but don't get put off if someone honestly feels like they want to explore one they are creating.

[Whill]

As stated I like the interactive approach, but I think I have only nearly-completely created a PC one time ever and that was because the player was an unexpected addition that showed up right before the Star Wars game session was to begin and the other players were ready to play with their previously-created PCs. Template selection, skill dice allocation, bada bing bada boom, PC. The player did create the character's name and jot down a brief description.

Once I played in a Chuthlu adventure in which the GM just passed out pre-generated sample characters for the players to play because we were all just playing it as a one-shot adventure for the helluvit (I think it was on or near Halloween). That was ok because it wasn't a campaign.

But I feel that for a campaign in which the character will be played over and over again, it is best if the player is at least partially involved in the creation of his character. At least that's how I would do it as GM of my game. If I was a player in an ongoing campaign, I feel I would probably like to have at least some input into the character creation myself.

[Kalzazz]

I dont really enjoy the 'tell DM concept, and DM makes character based on concept' approach . . . if Im going to come up with a concept I want to stat the character up to match said concept

If the DM is going to make the character, I prefer to have little involvement with the project beyond possibly picking the letter the characters name should start with

With one DM I played for though was more collaborative in that I statted the character and came up with a name, and the DM came up with a good background to fit how he envisioned character fitting the game (which is granted totally opposite of how I DM, but it worked)

[The Game Guy]

I don't create their characters for them, but I will look at the players characters and make comments and suggestions if there is a problem with the character.