[RP Discussion] Multiple Characters

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

So something that becomes more and more commonplace is people using more than one character in an RP. Either they start with one and decide they want another or they from the start can't choose just one.

 

This discussion is to talk about this trend. Is it good or bad for an RP, and an RPer, to do this? How can it be done right? Wrong? And a big one...when should it even be allowed, if ever, anyway?

[ÆƵ–]

I think for an experienced RPer it's a fine practice, but personally I have trouble channeling in on just one and sticking with it for an RPs duration (sorry, btw). 

 

One of the biggest flaws in multicharing I see is that the chars either interact too much, are too in synch (unless that's like their thing), or aren't as fleshed out as they should be. 

[Yui]

As probably the biggest offender of having multiple characters in an RP, I'm here to contribute with some insights.

 

Is it good/bad for an RP?: If done properly, it can be good unless the RP specifically states it wants/needs a small cast. Provided the RPer in question is committed and more importantly capable of handling multiple characters, it allows the size of the cast to increase as wanted/needed without the risk of adding new RPers that may or may not work out so well. It's a safe and reliable option, but I'd rather have new RPers than a bunch of characters from more experienced ones; how else will they git gud? Failing that option, however, and especially if interest in the RP is smaller than anticipated, a slightly inflated cast can be beneficial.

 

Is it good/bad for an RPer?: It's only good for an RPer if they can handle it. I'll use me for an example. I'm in about ten RPs at present, but due to rules, I only have one character each in the vast majority of them. In the others, however, I've been able to juggle the need for multiple characters. If the RPer is experienced enough to juggle multiple characters, it can be a good way for them to get multiple viewpoints on the same events going on in the RP itself, not to mention it can get them more experience more quickly. For newer ones, however, it's probably best to stick to one character per RP, so as not to overwhelm oneself. Additional characters also means more time needed when reading and posting in the IC, so particularly busy folks may not do so well to have lots of characters all in one thread either.

 

How is it done right?: The only answer I really have to this one is to not do any of the things that lead to it being done wrong.

 

How is it done wrong?: The greatest example of multiple characters being done wrong is if your characters are hard-wired to interact with one another and are in the same group. For instance, say it's an adventure RP where it's stated that everyone will be in one big group. Players A B C and D all do two characters each with no real connection to each other. Player E, however, plays a pair of twins who've been inseperable since birth. This will lead to a lot of somebody RPing with themselves, and potentially barring out external interactions. At that point, it would be better to just go to CW and make your own independant story. This can still be pulled off well in cases where the characters in question are in different groups. For instance, Kazo and Denku in Pokemon Gijinka: The Fallen God. They're brothers, but despite that, each one can and has functioned perfectly well as individual characters. The trick is to not tie them too tightly together, and ideally, put them in different groups.

 

Another case of doing it wrong that I'm very guilty of is making apps that don't really serve any purpose. This happened in Yu-Gi-Oh! Skies, where I made five apps that didn't really contribute to the plot in any tangible way. The result was a poorly-inflated cast, and in more recent weeks after I got promoted to co-host of Skies, we all agreed to just get rid of all five of those apps since they did funk all. Don't do this. Every app should contribute to the cast or plot in some form, and I've done a spectacular job in Skies of demonstrating how not to do that.

 

tl/dr make every app count and don't anchor any two of your own characters together.

 

When should it be allowed?: I believe the only time making multiple apps shouldn't be allowed is when the host very specifically states that they want a smaller cast. This has been done in a lot of the RPs I'm currently in (as well as the next one I'm making), and as a result, everyone who signed up agreed that they would be given one app. Otherwise, it's best to instate a limit of two apps per player, as two is the ideal number of characters in my experience. It's enough to keep you from being tied down to just one character in a thread, yet is also fairly easy to work with. RPs that want moderate to large casts can benefit from a few people who are comfortable with it making multiple apps, so the possibility should by no means be ruled out by default.

[Sethera]

Personally, I've become more and more a proponent of "one character only" or even zero characters if you're the host (I still want to try that one out). I like it, since it forces people to focus on one character specifically and their interactions. The more characters somebody has, the more likely they'll neglect one character in favor of another, which just leads to having multiple mediocre characters.

 

If you know what you're doing, that's good, but I'd usually recommend people starting out with one and the host letting those they know can handle it making another app later on if they want. Also, more than two is usually asking for trouble, unless you're the host or cohost, but even then, there should be a good reason for it.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

I actually think from my experience in RPing so far that almost always people should only have 1 character.

A small cast can be wonderful and the only problems are people getting bored with the 1 character they have. But shoving in a second character just for that is a temporary fix.

I agree with Sethera in that a second character should not be allowed from the start at very least.

 

Honestly I have made multiple characters many times and believe I am pretty good at keeping them all going...However I find that RPs where I have one character I find it more fun and I rarely have a post where I go "Eh I don't really feel it but here's a thing".

 

If you want multiple characters you'd best be willing to give them both equal work put into them or there's no point.
I'm gonna be real and say that when I see someone do a "Well I will post for this character but not the other" I count it as not posting at all unless there's very specific reasons for it (like one being unconscious).

[Tesability Black]

An issue I would like to bring up is something specific with Yugioh RPs, and that's the concept of Duel Spirits.

 

It's possible for someone to sign up with one character, but playing with far more than that, due to not having been required to 'stat them out' as well. Case in point, one of my two characters in Forsaken Legends, Miero Tammabukku. While I originally only signed up with him and his friend, Kuria Bijorn, I'm technically able to play up to seven characters at once when he's on the screen alone, due to the six Duel Spirits he can summon. Mind you, those same spirits have a profound effect on him during a duel, but still even I think that such a thing is wild to get away with.

[mitchermitcher]

imo rp discussion should be moved to writing. didn't see this at all since it was in OOC and was buried by other threads.

 

The above post talks about characters with duel spirits and I'm not too privy on how that works but I would classify that as one character unit, even if it's technically two(or seven?). In such cases, yes I do think you should be limited to one character unit in any particular instance.

 

As far as multiple characters spread over multiple instances(like Gijinka and four different teams + eventual fifth), multiple characters is fine I guess? But in the first place I prefer having one instance instead of multiple. It sort of ruins immersion that you're roleplaying as one character when you have to get out of that role and write for a different role in the same post, or in the same RP in the first place. It certainly isn't hard to put in the minimal effort required to competently RP multiple characters but the ruined immersion I think hurts the overall roleplay more than it looks.

 

And going off seth I also agree on hosts having no characters, only in the sense that all NPCs are the host's characters anyway(or rather, all of the host's 'characters' are just NPCs in the first place) and I don't see the need to glorify them as player characters.

[King K. Azo]

I think that yes, having multiple characters is a wonderful thing! You have too many ideas, just release them all in one RP! Forgot character interactions, story flow, or even an interesting narrative! Characters make a story, and you need all you can get!

 

Have a world about to be destroyed by an evil force? Screw that! You have lesbians you have to focus on, and nothing should stop that! Your characters also need family, so make sure you roleplay as their brothers, sisters, parents, children their lovers, grandchildren, their lovers, and that third cousin four times removed from the drunken uncle no one likes.

 

You also need to make a posse for your rich spoiled brat, because that's necessary! Make sure they have cardboard cutout personalities, because it's not about quality, it's quantity!

 

Edit: For real though, I feel multiple characters can work. However, the Rper has to be good enough to give each a distinct personality, and try to make them not too dependant on each other.

[Nazryl]

Multiple characters can be good, if it's for the right RP and the right player controlling them. As others have stated, having two characters in very close proximity to each other is my only big "no-no" when it comes to multiple characters mainly due to the fact that wether is is on purpose or not, the person controlling two PCs will ultimately start planning plot hooks between those two characters, making a big portion of the Rp one person taking it in turns to post as that plot point or aspect of the story is played out. 
If I allow multiple PCs then it is in Roleplays that see two different groups in two different places for much of the Roleplay. This way makes it easier for other players to interact with the player in questions characters. 

But when I do, it is only to experienced roleplayers. I've found that whenever I play multiple characters I can do so with ease because I've had the same characters for many years just with different names and altered for the world they exist in for that particular story and because I've played them for so long, they practically write themselves. This stems from being a DnD Dungeon Master for many many years I think and the ability to switch personalities and mannerisms on the fly means that you have to know the characters you create as well as you know yourself to make them convincing. 

[Alaina]

Alright so, been meaning to post here, as I myself am quite guilty of this. Just gonna go down the list with maybe an addendum here and there to make sure my thoughts are organized enough and don't sound too much like what has already been said here. 

 

Is it good for an RP to do this? 

 

This is a question that is entirely up to the host of the RP to decide the correct answer to, as it is mostly based on the type of narrative the host is looking for. Are they a small band going against all odds? Is it a party that journeys across the land, meeting new people who come to share their beliefs and join them on a large scale adventure. Or is it a multi-threaded adventure in which you have too big a world to have your players reasonably go explore all of it and thus sequester people into different groups. Basically how large and/or split you want your cast to be, by concept, determines whether or not having multiple characters is good for your RP. 

 

Is it good for or bad for an RPer to do this? 

 

I realize now that the answer to these two questions probably encompasses the whole of the questions so this will probably turn out a bit longer than the last. Anyway, making multiple characters is not a bad thing in, of course, moderation. Having 2 or 3 characters, if the setting allows for it, is totally fine and reasonable. Having 5 or 7 is completely nuts, for a wide variety of reasons. For instance, you have the added stress of somehow making sure all of these characters are at least semi-relevant and don't fade into that zone of, "well why do you even exist?" This kind of stress is also put on the host, as they have to find some way to accomodate for this armada, which is not easy if the third point is true. That point being, if not everyone has a large plethora of characters. Having your own cast of characters be sizable portion of the rp's cast, as a whole, really just dwarfs and somewhat demeans other people's characters because you are drawing so much attention to only yourself, (and probably aren't even doing anything with it.) 

 

So, if you aren't going crazy with making characters then it is perfectly acceptable. However, to fully understand why being able to use multiple characters in a setting is a perfectly acceptable concept, let me ask my own question. And answer it because it's my post. 

 

Why do we use Multiple Characters?

 

It interests me that I don't think anybody has touched on this subject when it's so important as to why it is a good or bad thing. For starters, RPers have this trend when making characters to find a collection of traits that they really like, latch onto those and then with some minor alterations to appearance, abilities, backstory, etc. make them again. And I think we do this because by default any RP you join, you probably do with the thought in the back of your head being, "this is going to die eventually," and you'll never see that character concept played to its full growth and finish. This isn't a bad thing, per se, but it certainly limits your writing ability and in fact probably limits your ability to portray those characteristics you like as well. 

 

The other reason behind it, that I believe is the case, is a gnawing feeling probably everyone's had. When your characters are presented with a situation, or hell, when someone else's character a thought might run through your head. "How would x character react?" You wonder, if in a similar setting and maybe under similar circumstances, how would a different character deal with the situation presented to themselves. Obviously, the only way you know for absolute sure, is if you have a different character to react to a situation. In that way, it basically doubles your experience as a writer because you have to go through twice the thinking if you have two characters and more experience isn't a bad thing, as long as it is actual experience and not just you going through the motions (which might be the case if you have a plethora of them.) There, is however, one other reason I believe we make multiple characters. 

 

That reason lies in the simple question of, what is an RP? You might have an innumerable amount of definitions but there's only one I think that matters. It's fun. It's something we do in our pastimes for simple enjoyment. You have your character go through someone else's world and have them experience all the different trials and tribulations brought about by them and you have fun. And if you can do this with two characters, that's basically just a net increase in fun, which is a good thing.

 

So who should be allowed to do this? 

 

I mean, if the rules permit it, anyone. There only a few reasons you shouldn't if you were thinking about doing it. One, can you handle it? Are you able to, given your current workload, pile more work and thought on top of that. If you can't keep up, then obviously you shouldn't. The next big one is, are you just making a second character for shiggles? If there's no real reason you want to make a second character other than just, "eh why not," then you probably shouldn't because you need to be sure you at least care enough about them to put in that effort. Other than those reasons, though, I can't think of much reason you shouldn't be able to if you wanted to. The argument that only experienced members should be granted this right doesn't really make much sense because really, anyone can make a character and even the most seasoned writers and role players here are some people that some of us might not trust to hold down even one character. 

 

But Skaia, what about the Burnout effect that people have with multiple characters? 

 

Well, I'm glad you asked me that, me. I will agree that, from my own personal experience, you are much more likely to feel burned out on one character if you have two of them, then if you only control one. Feeling burnt out, though, is not a death sentence for that character, (unless you've literally never cared about them and then you were probably better off not making them in the first place.) The thing about feeling burnt out just means that you don't understand what you want the character to do at the time. And that's not a bad thing per se, for a few reasons. For one, while you aren't putting your undivided attention on them in writing form you are able to think about their character as a whole. Why did you like playing them? Why have you stopped liking them? Where do you want them to go? Answering these questions can make a character that you've lost interest in become much better than the one you've been putting all of your current attention on. 

 

Furthermore, just like everyone can be considered a main character in RPs, so too can they all be considered side characters. You don't always need to have some form of great introspection in your posts, nor do your characters have to always be doing something interesting. Regular people, as a whole, are not always conversing with every person around them and trying to fish out their backstories, they aren't always brooding in a corner, they aren't always plotting something massive, they aren't always etc. Normal people have moments where they just kind of keep to themselves and don't do anything of major note, so there's no reason you should expect it of your characters to always be captivating in some way. Even if your character only acts as basically an accessory to a different character, so long as you regain your focus on them, burning out isn't some kind of plague to be avoided.

 

To follow this up, just because you feel like you've burnt out on a character doesn't mean you've failed. I've seen it quite a few times where people don't really try to get reinvested in a character and thus just drop them altogether, only to then create a new one to take their place. This generally ends up in just a cyclic mess of disappointment in which you never really like anything you create outside of the initial creation. This should probably be avoided, either by not trying to fill a character slot you lost or trying to reinvigorate yourself on that character. 

 

Final Thoughts? 

 

Overall, so long as the rules permit it, then making multiple characters is totally fine. Three should probably be a max, as at around that point the split of attention and keeping relevance starts to become a bit great. Whether or not people should start with multiple characters or not is also really up to the setting, and while I see the merits in only starting with character and understand the concerns of starting with multiple, I don't think there's really that big of an issue so long as the setting allows for it, (such as multiple starting points/groups/etc.) 

 

Responses 

 

Because this is a discussion thread and I have some points of contention, might as well bring them up. 

 

 

As far as multiple characters spread over multiple instances(like Gijinka and four different teams + eventual fifth), multiple characters is fine I guess? But in the first place I prefer having one instance instead of multiple. It sort of ruins immersion that you're roleplaying as one character when you have to get out of that role and write for a different role in the same post, or in the same RP in the first place. It certainly isn't hard to put in the minimal effort required to competently RP multiple characters but the ruined immersion I think hurts the overall roleplay more than it looks.

 

And going off seth I also agree on hosts having no characters, only in the sense that all NPCs are the host's characters anyway(or rather, all of the host's 'characters' are just NPCs in the first place) and I don't see the need to glorify them as player characters.

 

For the first point I don't think there's really much of an immersion break in writing different characters within the same RP because RPs follow a different set of rules for immersion then any other form of media. Be it a show, a book, or a game, you can just sort of start it whenever you want and get yourself lost in it for hours. In an RP, you get into that character's headspace. You write their response. You post and then...you wait days, a week, maybe weeks. Basically, you get in and get out because you it's not like there's any reason to keep yourself immersed in the content because not only are you writing responses at a sporadic rate but you're also reading them in that same way. People who RP aren't reading an RP from start to finish they're reading it entirely in the moment it happens in a very fragmented format. 

 

For the second point, I'm not sure if I'm actually disagreeing with you or not but I will say that the host is still in the RP to have fun as well. And if they think of making a mainstay member of the cast and interacting and growing alongside all the others, so long as they don't trivialize the other PCs (or turn the RP into an escort mission,) playing glorified NPC isn't really an issue. 

 

 

Multiple characters can be good, if it's for the right RP and the right player controlling them. As others have stated, having two characters in very close proximity to each other is my only big "no-no" when it comes to multiple characters mainly due to the fact that wether is is on purpose or not, the person controlling two PCs will ultimately start planning plot hooks between those two characters, making a big portion of the Rp one person taking it in turns to post as that plot point or aspect of the story is played out. 
If I allow multiple PCs then it is in Roleplays that see two different groups in two different places for much of the Roleplay. This way makes it easier for other players to interact with the player in questions characters. 

 

I completely understand what you're saying here as I've seen it happen before. It is a definite issue if a player only interacts with themselves and can be a bit annoying when it does happen. However, likewise I've seen contrary evidence that the same Player can have multiple PCs in the same group and it works out totally fine. Even if the characters are joint at the hip or have some backstory together, so long as they are interacting with others and whatever their side plot might be doesn't undermine or randomly interject into the rest of the RP it is totally fine for it to happen. 

 

Well, that ended up way longer than I was expecting and I'm not entirely sure if it was all coherent but those are all my thoughts on the matter at hand.