Character Creation Part Two: Assigning Roles.

"Know Your Role"

When your players build their characters for an adventure, choosing their roles and assigning values to their skills and abilities, it is best for you to keep in mind how the group will fit together as a whole. One of the key principles behind any good RPG is that each character fulfills a unique purpose and gets to do something special that nobody else can do. If there are two characters of almost identical design, it is likely to cause a problem. Someone is going to feel left out if another party member is just as good at everything their character is geared towards.

This is why it is important to establish who is playing who in any given campaign before the game begins. Don't push it off until later, when your PCs are already stepping on each others' toes and arguing about which of their two computer hackers gets to break into the mainframe this time. If two players want to play characters that are functionally identical, discuss with each of them how they might adjust their plans to keep their characters from being redundant.

Overlapping Roles

This is not to say that there can be no overlap between the strengths and abilities of two player characters. It can actually be a lot of fun to have two similar but different characters team up and work together.

The rule of thumb to use when determining whether two characters can co-exist effectively is this: Do they use different methods to achieve the same results?

If so, it shouldn't be a problem for them to both operate on the same team. For instance, a thief who is a master of disguise could pair very well with one who is a cat burglar. A bard and a sorcerer are both charisma-based magic users who have very different techniques. An armored warrior and a nimble fighter could each bring their own flair to a heated battle. There is no problem with having multiple characters of the same class or archetype as long as they are designed to behave differently when put into action.

The issue of identical characters is not quibbling over who gets to play what, it's a matter of avoiding situations in which a player character becomes the "spare tire" that isn't really needed. You could still run a game with a party of all wizards, or all fighters, as long as you make sure each of them has a unique style that doesn't entirely duplicate another player. It's fine to have two characters with a lot in common, just don't let them share so many of the same features that they are indistinguishable.

Variety is the key! If you have a game with a party of police officers, they should each still have abilities and skills that make them unique, like the SWAT guy, the detective, and the negotiator. Don't let players play bland or generic characters, let them play a role that has distinction and a lot of character. Consider classic superhero teams like the Sailor Scouts or the Power Rangers, where the heroes have powers that are similar, yet each has a unique weapon and special strength, like the brains of the operation or the charismatic one. Don't obsess over making every character absolutely different from every other party member, just stick to these general principles and your game will be just fine.

Fulfilling a key responsibility on the team is a big part of a players' enjoyment of the game, so it is important to make sure each player has their own. Sometimes you might even run campaigns that have pre-set positions to be chosen from, like the classic Dungeons and Dragons configuration of Fighter/Wizard/Thief/Priest. This is all well and good, but it is not the only way to play. There are plenty of ways to run games without including certain character classes at all. It's all about having a game plan before the campaign starts, and knowing which role each of your players will take on. Consider all of this carefully before the scenario launches and you will be on your way to a fun and successful party of player characters!

Happy ventures!