penbed400
2010-10-24, 03:47 AM
I recently saw an argument struck up here on the forum about whether or not Dungeon Masters should let players create their own characters. I've seen both sides of this argument and have experienced them. Personally when I DM for a game it depends on what kind of story I am looking for.
If I have a very specific story in mind and my player's know that, such as Paranoia where I can't just make up definitions for every society and rumors that apply to everyone on the spot (I'm an over thinking preparation-is-key DM), then I just hand them pre-generated characters that they can play. My dad's group does this as well for any game, they just hand out players with already written backgrounds and everything. They even enjoy this method because it means that they can take this character and make their own out of it, playing that personality and letting it fuse with their own over time.
But sometimes when I don't have something in mind I let my players go wild with any official material they can find with any character concepts they want. Home brew is even okay as long as I get a chance to look it over before they implement it. My players enjoy this since it means that they can be anyone they want as long as they can think up the idea for it and can write a legitimate story that applies to my campaign.
What does the playground think about this debate? How does your group do it? Any specific preference?
If I have a very specific story in mind and my player's know that, such as Paranoia where I can't just make up definitions for every society and rumors that apply to everyone on the spot (I'm an over thinking preparation-is-key DM), then I just hand them pre-generated characters that they can play. My dad's group does this as well for any game, they just hand out players with already written backgrounds and everything. They even enjoy this method because it means that they can take this character and make their own out of it, playing that personality and letting it fuse with their own over time.
But sometimes when I don't have something in mind I let my players go wild with any official material they can find with any character concepts they want. Home brew is even okay as long as I get a chance to look it over before they implement it. My players enjoy this since it means that they can be anyone they want as long as they can think up the idea for it and can write a legitimate story that applies to my campaign.
What does the playground think about this debate? How does your group do it? Any specific preference?