Character sheets as the equivalent of plot webs?

[Daniel Solis]

Huh, that's a pretty cool addition to the structured design idea. You know, where you picture a session of play. Later, when you've gotten more figured out, go back to the session and imagine what the players would be using the character sheet for. Hmmm...

That's pretty much how I work out the system / character sheet interaction. To me, the character sheet is the middleground between the abstract nature of a ruleset and the physical nature of actual play. Having the rulebook is one thing, but a character sheet's purpose is to say to the player "these are how the rules apply to me. Here is how my character is distinguished from all others in this game." On a macrocosmic note, the sheet can also be used as a way to tell the player how the game itself is different from all other games she's played before. It's the single most often referenced item in play and, short of the book itself, is what can annoy the player or endear her to the game. That's just my two centavos, YMMV.

[W. Don]

Violence Future... The character sheet includes a developing web of relationships with NPCs, and the web operates as a crucial resolution mechanic in a number of ways.

I've been exploring something like this back at the lab lately, since for my little pet project I'm trying to work some sort of "web of conspiracy" thing into the game that the players themselves develop. It makes sense for something like that to have space provided for it on the character sheet. Much like a snap-shot of the campaign's relationship map from the players point of view. I'm imagining it's like what I do with InSpectres these days. That is, each player gets this index card so they don't get lost in all the mayhem and can note down whatever NPCs they introduce into the ongoing story.

- W.

[Windthin]

I've seen this sort of character relationship chart elsewhere before, though I am not fully certain of where.  It can definitely lend to a setting, especially one chockfull of intrigue and politics.

[Jeph]

David Chunn, I bestow upon you the position of "Said what I was thinking much better than I could have." ;-)

Lately my character sheets have been devoting more and more space to character history in the game thus far. I think this is reflective of how the importance of experiences has been played up in my designs. For instance, the game that's getting most of my attention at the moment (Courageous Exploits of the Fearless Dinosaur Hunters) has a system by which characters can spend Experience points to gain bonus dice on a task, but only if they've done something similar in game before. So, of course, experiences need a place to be recorded on the character sheet.

A few weeks ago, I was reading a RPG.Net review of FVLMINATA. The reviewer brought up something that I considered tres cool: how the skills were listed by god on the character sheet. So, when you look on your sheet to check your value, you see who's determing your success or failure, and even though you might only spend a milisecond on it, you do notice it. And this makes you think like a roman. Pow! I think this is an excellent example of how the character sheet can act as the conductor connecting player, system, and setting. Personally, I am of the opinion that a character sheet's goal should be the hypothetical copper wire, an excellent but flexible connection between the motor that is the game system and the player that is the output, allowing the machine to effect the environment of the game setting as efficiently as possible.

Or something along those lines. :-]

[ross_winn]

There is a very interesting software tool that uses both the spoke and outline as an analog. I have used it to design a lot of games and scenarios. it is called Inspiration, and it available at http://www.inspiration.com

check it out...