Character quick guide help

By Blackbird888, in Game Masters

Posted at

I'm trying to write up a simple sheet that I can print up and hand to new players (particularly ones unfamiliar with the system and RPGs in general). I considered copying the steps as presented in the CRB, but I find it inadequate as it is numbered, as I want to put extra emphasis on designing a character and not just a vehicle to do things, so I considered moving selecting motivations to one of the first steps, as opposed to the last.

So are there any suggestions you have or ideas you've found helpful that I could write up?

Posted at

I think Motivations become clearer once you have a core character concept including species & career.

From the AoR Core Rulebook:

"While a Player Character's Duty establishes what the character must accomplish on behalf of the Alliance, Motivation determines why the PC is determined to do it."
and,
"Motivations should derive directly from the background the player has crafted for his PC. In fact, though it is possible to roll randomly on the charts in the Motivation section, players should seriously consider the specific relationship between their background, their Duty, and their Motivation."
This comes along with the encouragement to players to choose Motivations "that will be comfortable to roleplay on a regular basis."
FWIW, I always liked that Motivations came right after you were done with the bulk of character creation. It's kinda like, "Okay, you just decided where you came from, what you're supposed to be doing, and what you're really good at...now, why are you doing it? What's your drive?" For me, that question was always easier to answer once I'd figured out most everything else for my character. At least in Star Wars.
EDIT: Oops! Forgot to include a link to the thing the OP was actually asking about, lol. You might start here, https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/70712-reference-sheets/
Gribble did some nice work on these and I know they've been a book to the gaming community. Hope this is helpful!
Edited by awayputurwpn
Posted at

My main problem is I have either players completely new at building characters and circumstances don't allow for them to sit down and read every step of the character creation, or players who are assigning stats and buying gear but have forgotten to name their character. My hope behind moving motivations up is so these players can look at the list of motivations and say "Yeah, I guess I can base my guy around that"; it's token, but it's a start.

My other desire is, as we're all pretty new to the system, I can't help everybody with their character at the same time, so I need to distill a sheet for them to utilize.

Posted at

Role (Career/Specialization) -> Skills -> Race -> Stats -> Gear -> Motivations/Background

At least that's the way I tend to build my characters. It seems to be the easiest way to come up with an optimized build that works within the context of the game. Make sure to modify the steps as needed for the campaign (e.g. if it's human only, the race selection gets a mite simpler).