Cinderfel Character History Guidelines

ZeroDonavan

Rogue
Owner
New Hampshire Staff
This post includes information on character creation, guidelines for submitting a character history, tips for writing a character history, and examples of character histories.


Character Creation


Are you ready to make a character? Your character's class (such as Fighter or Scholar) and race (such as Elf or Dryad) are the mechanical side of character creation. Your character's history and personality have roots in the national and local source materials on their race/culture, but you have many choices for your character's past, goals, and guiding ideas. Generous or selfish, impulsive or calculating, with a family at home or going it alone -- these are only a few of the many aspects of your character you can develop for your character.


The full rules for Alliance LARP are available as a free PDF. http://alliancelarp.com/rule-book/


Race packets for Alliance Cinderfel are available upon request. These documents describe the homeland and culture of each race within the world of the Alliance Cinderfel campaign. Please contact our plot staff at cinderfelplot@gmail.com to request a race packet.


Your character's stat card is handled by Logistics. Whether you are starting a completely new character in the database or making a character from a “blank” that has accumulated build (through NPCing, event or monthly blankets, and/or retiring an old character), Logistics will work with you to register your character's name, race, class,and build expenditures.


Character History Submission Guidelines


Character backgrounds are encouraged! The plot team can help you develop a history for your character originating in any of Alliance Cinderfel’s cultures. If you have any questions about a culture packet or want feedback on your ideas for your character, the team is available at CinderfelPlot@gmail.com


When submitting your character history to our Plot team, please write "Character History: [Character Name]" as the subject of your email. Please include the following sections. If you get stuck, don't be afraid to work out of order.

Vital Statistics: Character Name, Race, Class, Age, Starting level, Player name


Keywords: 3-6 words or two-word phrases that highlight important aspects of your character. These could be things like Enemy: __, Shy, Drunk, Protective: Children, Survivalist, Pacifist, Mercenary, Fear: Snakes, Tinker, Hates: Slavery, Ally: ___.

Main Body: This is where you tell us the details of where your character has been and where they want to go. Who are they, who are important people in their life, what important events influence them to this day, and what motivates them? The most direct way to tell us about your character is through a bullet point list.


Some things you might include are: family, friends, enemies, interests, fears, goals, personality, defining moments. Some things not to include are: How you defeated a dragon, how you’re really your tribe’s most accomplished warrior but you’re pretending to be Level 2, that your father is secretly the King of Cinderfel, that you are half Fae. To clarify: It would be okay to say that your family was killed by Lord Voldemort and you have a startling scar. It's not okay to say that everyone says you're the chosen one and that there's a prophecy linking you and Voldemort. That second part is up to plot, and you will probably have more fun if you leave room for development in game.


Additional Information:

This can be presented as a story, a series of journal entries or letters, or another way that helps you develop your character. Please keep in mind that the main body is what the team will note as most important for us to keep in mind, and the additional information will not be a focus.


Don't hesitate to ask questions of Plot to help determine the details of your character history. We're here to help!

The character plot team will email you if they have any questions, clarifications, or suggestions, and will work with you to integrate your character into the world. Once we have reviewed and accepted your history, we will let you know.


History Writing Tips


The Purpose of Character Histories


Character backgrounds have two main purposes. One is for you the player to develop the character for yourself and get the feel for what they are like. Writing down traits and history is a good way to prepare to portray a persona. Making a history helps you to find your character’s motivations, personality, and voice. Having a sense of interests, goals, and purpose for your character will make it easier for you to get engaged with roleplay and plot at game.


The other is so the plot team can get an idea of what sort of plot would catch your character’s interest. If you write about topics and themes you’d like to play with, there is potential for us to write something targeted for your character or hook them into an overarching plot that is particularly relevant to their interests.


Character histories are NOT intended to limit you! Sometimes a player has an idea about how they think their character will behave and react, and what will be their main interest. Then the player finds that personality isn't as fun as they hoped. It's okay to change the parts of a character that don't work for you!


Components


Here are some examples of elements often included in a character history.

Childhood/family: Where did your character grow up? What family did they have when they were young and what does their family look like now?

Profession/hobby: How does your character make a living or pass their time?

Friends/Associates: Did your character have a mentor? Were they strongly influenced by a teacher or a friend?

Desires/goals: What does your character want? Are they seeking scholarly knowledge, revenge, riches, fame, redemption, or a lost friend? Do they want to fight monsters, explore new places, or bring peace to others?

Influential moments: What major events influence your character? Is your character still trying to resolve something that happened? This is an opportunity to give plot an idea of something personal your character would like to do, which could potentially be worked into game

Traits: Defining personality traits that influence how your character interacts with the world around them. Are they altruistic, selfish, restless, reckless?


Your character might have goals they share openly, or they might have secrets. Open goals can more easily lead to engagement with other characters. Secrets may be more for your private character development, or an opportunity for dramatic in-character revelation. Whatever you choose, keep in mind that LARP is a social activity, and it's very difficult to play the brooding stranger who watches everyone else from the corner.


Examples


The following character has motivations that are likely to be obvious to other characters. They might keep some things personal, but are overall not mysterious. This history supports an outgoing and eager character, easily motivated to join in on action.


Vital Statistics: Ava Shen, Selunari, Rogue, Level 8, 22 years old, played by Jane Smith


Keywords: Bold, Social butterfly, Opposes: Necromancy, Competitive


Main Body:

-Raised by parents Annabelle and Janine, along with older sister Isabelle

-Ava and Isabelle are both skilled in archery

-Her caravan spent the last 5 years in Wylderkin territory, often trading with several groups

-Her caravan took in a kin called Van who seemed very ill. He was bleeding from his ears and nose. Van’s illness got progressively worse as they traveled. One day the caravan was attacked by bandits. Van was outnumbered by the assailants and run through. Some time afterwards he got back up and proceeded to attack everyone nearby. This helped chase off the bandits but Van was killed by them prior to the end of the attack

-Ava would like to find out where Van Resurrected after the attack, and if he is still suffering from the strange infection he carried

-Ava panicked during an attack by Cauldred two years ago and was very embarrassed

-Eager to outshine her “golden child” older sister, who she sees as more praised and better trained in combat


Additional Information:

Ava loves to sing and is excited about learning the music of Cinderfel. She enjoyed singing with her sister playing lute. This was her opportunity to bond with her sister rather than compete. Ava enjoyed hearing stories and songs from Wylderkin. This was more fun than living in Stone Elven territory. She enjoys many types of competition, ranging from board games to bobbing for apples, but has always been frustrated by her sister's greater accuracy with a bow. She wants to prove herself, to herself and maybe her parents.

A betrayal by an eshdir is different to her than by a Selunari. Eshdir do not feel sela, so the Code of Honor does not mean the same to them. Van was wrong for killing people, but he was under an effect that was not easily determined. Execution was a punishment fit for the crime, but she would like to know how to heal Van or just to understand what had happened and why.


The following character has motivations that may be less obvious to other characters. This character might be private or even secretive. Some players might enjoy having private goals or the roleplay of sharing secrets with a close friend.


Vital Statistics: Jasper Fend, Hobling, Celestial Scholar, Level 3, 30 years old, Played by John Smith


Keywords: Academic, Calm, Curious


Main Body:

-Only child of Ambra and Lan Fend

-Apprenticed under a Dwarven scribe and had a falling out with with his master due a dark secret of his.

-Jasper has a very odd diet.

-Jasper is also interested in the nature of the schools of Magic, and how it can be applied to better people’s lives

-Sometimes, Jasper feels disappointed that he did not study Alchemy instead


Additional Information:

Jasper receives praise for his meticulous record keeping. He would like to learn more Celestial Magic in the future. Interest in learning more Magic is his primary motivation for traveling. He does not want others to find out about his dark secret so he tends to keep to himself. He has decided to travel the islands in search of lost magical secrets.
 
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