Why are character sheets so ungodly awful?

Last year, I had a plan to write a scenario for a games convention. One of the cuter gimmicks for this TransFormers-inspired game was that each character sheet would be metal. The sheets would record traits with little magnetic beads which the players could move around their 'sheet'. Or the character sheet would be magnetised, and traits would be described with hex nuts.

I realised there was a potentially huge number of customised sheets one could design for a game, and I'm not just thinking of 'the skin of infants' for Sorceror.

I also realised, when running a game for a mixture of novices and experienced gamers that character sheets are often formidable. There's a lot of white space to fill. The boxes and slots and doodle space and grids are an arcane science.

Character sheets tend to be pretty much the same from game to game. They're very much utilitarian. A space to record the character's various stats, maybe a spot for a picture, some scrawl space, and various panels to record stats that change a lot, perhaps. Some have space for character history. Some have space for notes on the rest of the group.

Some time is devoted to a character sheet's flavor. Vampire has those doodles along the sides in a sort of 'gothic garden fence' pattern. The fonts usually reflect the game. There'll be a logo at the top, or perhaps the paper is patterned to look like parchment.

But, for example, why not use a string of beads in a primitivist game? If Jared's Color Wheel can do away with dice, then why not develop a mechanic that doesn't even need a table? Vampire players record their Blood Pool with little colored beads... so why not have three-dimensional objects to record everything? A school-themed game could use little blackboards, or a childlike game could use small Etch-A-Sketches.

Ages ago, I planned to run a Wraith game where the characters would start as mortals. The table would be set out with M&Ms, brightly colored drinks, and full-color character sheets. After death, I'd swap in liquorice, monochrome drinks and black and white character sheets. I felt that staring at a black and white character sheet would take on a new meaning.

I'm aware this post is very woolgathery. I'm mostly just surprised that so few games have flavorful character sheets, or methods to record character traits. I'm also surprised that I can't seem to find threads on this subject on Usenet... surely I'm not the first to find 2-d paper character sheets dull?

Or am I missing examples of flavorful charactersheets?

Joe.

Well, some might disagree with me about what it represents, but I think a character's purse in WYRD provides an interesting way of viewing that character. Yeah, it's the resolution mechanic, but it's also an attribute of the character.

You still need some scrap paper to keep track of a hero's Passions, but as time goes by, that character sheet should actually turn into an epic poem about your hero.

It's not much, but there's my contribution.

- Moose

character traits. I'm also surprised that I can't seem to find threads on this subject on Usenet... surely I'm not the first to find 2-d paper character sheets dull?

contracycle wrote:

I've posted some stuff on usenet about character sheets in the past; they are a concept I keep coming back to. Fundamentally, I think the charsheet is the "interface" between the player and the game, much like a computer screen. Thats the bit that the player interacts with physically, looks at, has in front of them.

Therefore I think:
- Any rule that does not appear, explicitly or implicitly, on the charsheet will either not be used or used badly
- the charsheet, as the primary visual prop, should be thematically appropriate
- they should be strictly kept to 1 A4 page

I like the idea of beads and stuff, although have no clear idea how to make them work. I suspect the major problem is the fear of players complaining that it might be easy enough for the designer to manufacture X by hand, but they cannot.

hardcoremoose wrote:
Well, some might disagree with me about what it represents, but I think a character's purse in WYRD provides an interesting way of viewing that character. Yeah, it's the resolution mechanic, but it's also an attribute of the character.

Joe Murphy (Broin) wrote:
And yup, they're a bit like a computer screen. For newbies, they're also a brochure, or advertising blurb. Any idea where I could find your thoughts on Usenet?

Joe Murphy (Broin) wrote:
As for the beads thing... are you familiar with SHERPA? The idea behind it is that it's simple enough to be played on the move, or while camping. For example, the 6 attributes spell the name of the game: Strength, Health, Experience, Reasoning, Profession, Agility. I have a vague idea that the colors of the beads would correspond to certain stats.

Joe Murphy (Broin) wrote:

contracycle wrote: I like the idea of beads and stuff, although have no clear idea how to make them work. I suspect the major problem is the fear of players complaining that it might be easy enough for the designer to manufacture X by hand, but they cannot.

I have a vague idea that the colors of the beads would correspond to certain stats.

For a games aboriginal, have a wooden baton as the 'character sheet.' Each ability (Stat, Power, Skill) would be represented by an intuitive hierogram on the shaft next to a 'narrowed' spot, a colored cord tied there would have a number of knots (clumped in fives) to indicate its Rating. Each Stat would have a different color (like red for Hit Points, white for Power, or something), Powers another (say blue), Skills only one for all (every Skill being a black cord), and for magic and so on. From a distance, this would create the ‘feel’ of being able to tell much about someone by how they carry themselves (or in real life, how much they carry on their baton, as an indication of 'character').

Le Joueur wrote:
You could do the same with beads representing the ratings (between the knots holding them on), but I felt that too many beads would become a 'flail hazard.'

Hi there,

We battered these issues around a lot on this thread at the Gaming Outpost, at least regarding Sorcerer play.

The results eventually showed up as follows, here in the game itself. Check out the explanatory text on that page too.

Best,
Ron