New character! Advice?

New Players
#1

So… I recently found LARP and am planning to go to empire, as a Marcher. I just wanted some feedback on the overall character concept I’m planning to start with, and ways to develop her and help her feel like a fully fledged character. I’ve got names in mind, so I don’t need recommendations for that, I just haven’t fully decided on one which is why she dosen’t have one here.

She dosen’t really know where she came from. Found wandering around Upwold as a child, unable to talk and unable to remember why she was there, she was raised there by a kindly family who accepted her as one of their own. After all, no one there had seen the child before and she had seemed very scared. As she grew she became loyal and defensive. She might not remember what happened to her in her past (something that I can explore later) but all she knows is the feeling… She’d lost everything once. And woe betide anyone who tried to take everything away again.

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#2

What part of the game are you looking to get involved with? Did she grow up into a ritualist, priest, politician, trader, or warrior?

#3

I suppose if we’re going by what her character would fit most, then a warrior. But there is also the chance that having even one person she knows die could break her down completely, and she would know it, so I’m still figuring out whether she’s more of a warrior, or someone who protects things from the sidelines.

#4

Welcome along, to the hobby, the game and the forums! :smiley:

Mysterious foundling is fine, there are plenty of possibilities that could cause a lonely wandering child with memory loss.

If you want a little character development, you may want to read back through the last few years of Marcher news in the Winds of War/Fortune. For example:

The Mournwold was over-run by the Jotun for decades, and the Empire took it back, with a vast amount of collatteral damage along the way. And the person responsible died in traditional Marcher fashion, and the Empire has poured resources into rebuilding the Mourn… but has it been enough? Does your character have an opinion on this?

Also, there are a whole lot of other questions you could consider for her… Here’s seven (of course) to think on…

  1. What sort of family adopted her? Doing what sort of trade?
  2. Does she have an opinion on the Lineaged? (Those humans magically affected by the Realms, eg Changelings, Merrow, Briars)
  3. Do any of the Virtues appeal to her?
  4. Why is she at Anvil? Accompanying friends and relatives? There to try to Get Something Done? Seeking knowledge of her past?
  5. She will (as a player character) have a Personal Resource. Farm is a classic for the Marchers. How did she get it?
  6. Has she left Upwold before, and if so, what opinion does she have of the other nations? She will likely have seen the Navarri, at least…
  7. As a warrior, does she have any previous combat experience? Strange beasts, bandits, Feni, Jotun raiders…?
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#5

Thanks for the advice! That’s really helpful! I’ll keep these things in mind while I get to really developing her as a person.

#6

Glad I could help.

A word of caution: don’t go overboard on the backstory. A few things to direct your role-playing, a few observations and pre-set opinions, a story or two to tell…

because
(a) tragic backstories are common enough, thank you, and more importantly…
(b) the most important things should be what happens to you in play. However…
© a referee might spot your backstory and… do something :stuck_out_tongue:

Oh, and if you haven’t found it yet:

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#7

I was actually thinking of never fully exploring who she is and her family, just small bits and pieces that are enough to frustrate and confuse her. I just liked the idea of her deciding that who she was dosen’t matter. It’s who she is in the present, and the people she will protect with everything in her. Almost like a parallel to The Marches itself. But yeah, who knows, she could have just gotten lost before she could speak lmao. Sorry, I’m autistic, I get very passionate when explaining ideas-

#8

I was referring more to what she would be doing with her time at events.

#9

Upwold best wold :wink: . Hi, I play a character from Upwold. If you’re looking for a group, myself and @Ceri play in Pickham Monastery, a Vigilance sect that are known for taking in and training hard on their luck Marchers. Feel free to PM me if Monk has any interest. We’ve got a lot of options for “person who is committed to protecting people”.

You don’t need to decide permanently on a concept before you hit play. You can leave all your skills blank, and you’ll still be able to use a one handed weapon, buckler and any armour. You can then use the Apprentice skill to try out skills in play until you see what gives you the most fun RP.

Have you considered making the character a Draughir? They have strong themes of defensiveness, survival and pack mentality, and would give you all of those in the character without a complex backstory. If you don’t want to do full face makeup, you can do a lot with pale contouring and some black veins. You’ve pretty much described a perfect Draughir personality there.

I would also massively recommend the virtue of Vigilance, which is “Don’t let anything even THINK about harming that thing you care about”. It sounds like this might appeal to your PC.

I’ll echo what Geoff says. The best bits of a backstory are things that influence what your character does next, or link you to past events in-character. For example, a while back, some wierd chained Heralds appeared in Upwold and walked off in different directions. Maybe you followed one out of curiosity for a bit, and developed an interest in Winter magic? Or you lived near the area of Upwold that fell into The Bloody Great Hole? Or you’re wondering why all these infuriatingly blasphemous foreign merchants are showing up around King’s Stoke?

Because it’s shared backstory rather than personal, it’s an immediate thing you can talk to other PCs about and they’ll probably have an opinion or know someone who will.

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#10

Yeah, I realized after sending the reply, I can be dumb sometimes

#11

Wow, so much helpful detail there! The more I look into Draughirs, the more I can feel myself drawn to them stylistically and personality wise! I’ve got some stuff to figure out first, but I’ll definitely keep your offer in mind, and thanks so much for helping me out! Empire players are so detailed and articulate and patient, everyone is so welcoming-

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#12

One thing to bear in mind is that things that do not affect the “on-camera” action do not matter. Undiscoverable secrets, backstory events you’ll tell no-one about and dour untalkative strangers all sit on the “ignored/irrelevant” side of Occam’s Razor. If I don’t need them to understand the actions I am observing, then they may as well not exist.
You can get a lot of the themes you want from the Mourn, the Draughir and Vigilance. The bonus is that these also lean into the setting a bit more. This will mean your character enters the game with the potential for both alliances and antagonism, which is kinda the secret sauce for interesting LRP.

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#13

Drat, I knew there was a paragraph missing…
That said it is worth having some “pocket litter” stories ready-to-go. I know what my character does in-between events and I know why he comes to Anvil.

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