Character Creation Part One: When and Where

No RPG campaign can begin until you have a party of interesting adventurers to take into action. But how and when you create and stat these characters is a question that must be answered early on in your process of game preparation.

The first and easiest technique is to provide pre-made characters for your players. This is often advantageous for one shots or introductory adventures, and it is a good idea to have these ready made character sheets on hand in any case so that you can use them as back ups for new players or if someone falls in battle. This doesn't allow your players the option of customizing their characters much, but for those who have never played a tabletop RPG, it may be a better option to introduce them to the concept of the game without too much complication to start out. It's a great pick-up-and-play option for players, despite the extra work that might be required from the DM.

Another popular method is to fill out character sheets as a group, either during the first session or at a separate session dedicated solely to character creation. This allows the maximum degree of collaboration amongst your players, and is a very good idea. They can make choices based on how their characters interact with each other as well as how their backstories and motivations tie in to each other. The more connection and coordination between players there is, the better the potential for your campaign. If there are problems with syncing up schedules to conduct this creation session, you might try using an online group to connect your players and get it done. Whatever you do, try to avoid a situation where some of the players have to sit and wait while others build characters. It's not so fun for the waiters, and can really throw off the momentum of your game session.

Finally, you can let the players create their own characters and bring them to the session. If you take this option, my number one piece of advice is this: always preapprove character concepts. Either review the character yourself, or present it to the group. By character concept, I mean the basic pitch for your character class and theme. There's no reason to keep that a secret before the session begins, and a single out of place character can bring an adventuring party to ruin. Work with your players to assemble a set of characters that will complement one another and fit together for the planned adventure.

Ask yourself: Will this character be able to work effectively with the rest of the team? Like an evil thief on a team of detectives. 

Will they interfere with the role of another party member? Like identical trap-finding rogues fighting over who gets to search the room.

Will they work against the themes of the campaign? Like a fighter who doesn't believe in magic in a setting full of flying carpets and genies. 

A varied party that works together can achieve wonders!

Don't discourage your player from being creative, but show them what the rest of the players are doing and kindly direct them toward a more appropriate character concept. If their interests just can't seem to line up with the rest of the group, they might just not be interested in this particular game.

Regardless, don't ever go in blind when it comes to assembling a new party. Always know who is playing what so that you can prepare for it accordingly. And ideally, your party should also know ahead of time so they can collaborate as well. (This obviously doesn't apply to convention games or events, where your group might just be whoever showed up with a character sheet. But those typically require more experience with flying by the seat of your pants. They may not be ideal, but you can make them work anyway. I don't recommend using them as a model for your own gaming group's campaign.)

Now let's cover the biggest "Don'ts."

• Don't abuse your veto power as a DM by discouraging creative choices.

• Don't play favorites with your players.  Focus on how the characters will work together in the game to have the most fun and smoothly running game sessions. 

• Don't let players bully you into giving them special treatment. Keep things equal and fair, focusing on creating an enjoyable experience. 

Any limitations on character building should be based on what the group wants, not what you want personally. Your enjoyment of game-running should stem from the interest of your players, not your own preferences. That's rule number one. That's what we call DMpathy.

Happy ventures!