What's your RPG preference? Pre-made PC or create your own?

S

SNorth

Where'd That 6th Toe Come From?
I like Arcanum's system where you could pick a background, but still have a choice with your actual stats. What I'm trying to ask, is how important is it to you? Do you want several pre-made potential PCs with an elaborate backstory or do you want more control? Were the pre-made PCs in Fallout and Arcanum a wasted effort by the developers in your opinion?
I wish I could make this a poll but a more detailed answer should be more helpful anyway.
 
I liked Arcanums system too and I don't think that pre-made PCs are a wasted effort, if for nothing else than for flavor. Arcanums pre-defined characters gave the game a lot of flavor and gave much information on the universe even before starting the game proper.
 
Yes, a shame they never actually finished making the game.
 
Pre made characters are good for giving a flavour and for first timers- people new to the style of game often don't want as much freedom when they first load it up, they fear they might make a mistake during character creation. After a short while of playing people feel more confident and want too design the character from scratch...

It's good that they are there and great that we can choose to ignore them :P
 
Hi Everyone,
Steven North and I are working on a game together and the idea he mentioned above has evolved since he started this thread, so I thought I'd tack this bit on.

At the start of our game there will be several groups living together in a small area (for example imagine a hotel). Some examples of the groups in the area could be staff, millionaires, entertainers, celebrities, famous sports people, famous scientists and underworld figures.

What we were thinking of doing was letting the player choose one of the NPCs from the game's story, from one of the above groups. So if you did the same thing in Fallout it would be like being able to choose to play Gizmo, Killian or almost any other NPC in the game if they could all be given the same goal.

As these NPCs belong to distinct groups, they would have their own skill sets. So a criminal would have the skills that a criminal needs (lock pick, pick pocket, fighting), an actor would be good at acting, lying, disguise and most likely have sex appeal etc.

Also the NPCs histories, professional and personal relationships would strongly determine your dialogue choices when your NPC talks to other NPCs.

So celebs and millionaires would treat staff badly, crims would be avoided by everyone unless they were needed for some skullduggery and so on

So what Steven and I want to know is would you like a game like this. You would loose control when it comes to the character stats, because you would have to choose one of the pre-made characters, but in return you would be given a richer and hopefully re-playable role playing experience.
 
Personally I would find it interesting,if the background of each are well explained.(a small story about it all,like in VtM:Bloodlines,but a bit more of it)

One thing that's needed for above to stay true for me is that the game doesn't force you too much,so that you can go on to form your own PC and RP as much as possible.(within the limits created in the game by your choice of "clan")
 
Ah, but, if you'll go with the pre-made PCs, you really shouldn't go as the big boss like Gizmo or Killian, but more like their first subordinate, like Izo(Gizmo's) or Lars. Of course you might but the last quest to be, to eliminate the competition, your boss, etc.
 
Like Brahmin there said, pre-made PCs are good for beginners. If I recall correctly, the first time I played Fo, I chose a pre-made character. The stupid and brawny one... was he Max? Oh well, I was twelwe years old and wanted to kill everyone.

Personally nowadays I like to create my own custom character. But it is always interesting when the character has somekind of background, like in Arcanum and Bloodlines, as mentioned here. (Btw, in Fallout 2, you actually had a pretty defined background for your PC, even though you'd create a custom char...)

But nothing beats the old skool PnP character creating, if you can yourself write the history of the PC.
 
Jarno Mikkola said:
Ah, but, if you'll go with the pre-made PCs, you really shouldn't go as the big boss like Gizmo or Killian, but more like their first subordinate, like Izo(Gizmo's) or Lars. Of course you might but the last quest to be, to eliminate the competition, your boss, etc.
Click to expand...

What we were suggesting was a major character just in the first area. A big fish in one area maybe, but a small fry elsewhere. This type of situation might also guarantee that you have certain enemies and friends. We might be able to do this without a pre-made PC anyway by utilizing background choices. Of course, a subordinate might be interesting to play also...but I think I'll keep the idea you just inspired to myself. Thanks Jarno!
 
The idea with the premade characters is you can have relationships with the NPCs that exist before the game starts.

So you could be a member of a tight family unit or a gang that has its own history, friends and enemies and you could use the historical information to influence these people.

So if your character saved someone's life before the game starts, you could remind them of it when you ask them to do something for you. On the other hand if someone doesn't like you for some reason, they'll remind you of it whenever you talk to them.

As you can see this wouldn't work well unless the characters were premade as a roll your own character wouldn't fit in well with some groups if they were highly specialized.
 
Just be careful no to bind the outcome of the game to one choice the player made when starting a game.

I liked FO2 option to pick a premade character and then modify it.

You could always use the method used in some of the ultima games, ask a series of questions and these questions will generate a character based on the players responses.

So if you ask "There is a bad guy threatening you, what is your response"

a) scream and run away
b) try to talk him out of it
c) waste him

each response can generate different stats, so option be would increase the players talking skills, where as c would make a more combat orietated player.

So the player is put through a kind of psychological test. This can be a fun way to make a character.
 
I would like to take the time to say that a friend of mine played Fallout 1 through the first time with the pre-made character Max Stone who had far above average hand-to-hand combat stats and a little below average ranged combat stats yet his skills were set for ranged combat more than close up.

Its proof of how great the game is that he forced himself to play through numerous re-loads simply, because he wanted to keep the story going despite the atrociously hard combat.

I remember him standing in front of a pig rat in Vault 15 with a SMG and firing a burst in which all the bullets missed. All of them. Even though the target was right next to him and he had small guns as a tag skill.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
 
I rember getting wasted by those pig rats when I first played FO1, maybe I should reinstall it and play again.
 
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