ambercon 2006

[arrefmak]

So here comes the con.

Casual Question: how much do you all like/hate doing the 'homework' of designing/selecting characters and getting the gist of the scenario from the GM?

Or at what point does it stop being fun?

(And we won't talk about the folks who show up without their homework. No point.)

Comments

[himmaggery.livejournal.com]

I think from reading everyone else's answers, your mileage is going to really vary on this Arref.

Myself, I have really enjoyed some pre-generating characters, and I have really enjoyed some "pre-created" characters.

I will always have delightful memories of EGB and that was a prepared character prior to the Con.

I agree with Tlatoni and Colomon; quizes suck because they try to fill a void and fail miserably at it, because the actual characters will drift very quickly from whatever results the quiz indicates. That makes the quiz a waste of time. The waste of time is the bigger sin, because its better to offer Pre-Gen material rather than ask for something that won't end up being useful to the experience. Quizes mean well, but they don't do the job.

So.. instead of giving you a useless dumb-ass answer like your "mileage will vary", let me turn this question back around at you from a different angle.

What might be important is how much you can incorporate this Pre-Con material into your game? You ask for it up front, can you really use it to its full potential? Because that is the pay-off for your players: they have a wonderful time and they love what you did with their stuff.

I've also gone to games where I slaved for a month with the GM in e-mail and not a damn bit of it ever got used. :) That made me try Pre-Generated characters. Now I like BOTH styles of games, lucky me! I learned something at least, and in retrospect that isn't so bad. :)

Maybe its a balance act, asking no more than what you can really use.

Hope this helps.

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

quizes suck because they try to fill a void and fail miserably at it, because the actual characters will drift very quickly from whatever results the quiz indicates. That makes the quiz a waste of time.

Yes! Exactly! Plus, to me, most of them feel manipulative. They're head games. It's like taking a g*ddamn Voight-Kampf test (Bladerunner reference) for your character.