Sept 14th, 2020
When I first became the Designated Talky Human at my table, each time a new campaign was started it took nearly an hour or more just to get through character creation and all the questions that inevitably come with it. Of course, it involves answering the same questions repeatedly. Four players? That's probably four times being asked which races and classes are disallowed for this campaign.
Over time, I tried finding ways of making this process easier on myself and on all my players. I tried having everyone make characters one at a time or everyone one section at a time. Other times I tried just letting characters loose on the process with little restrictions.
Everything I tried had positives and negatives, but nothing came close to being perfect any way you slice it. So, I continued my search and came up with my Campaign Introduction Sheet.
***
In any campaign or adventure, players creating their characters is the first step shared with anyone but yourself. Up until this point you have total control over the entire process; with the introduction of your players comes an element of chaos.
No matter how much you know these players, they are individuals and are, as a group, particularly good at ruining even the best-laid plans and plotlines you will concoct. And this is a great thing, do not feel frustrated or intimidated by it. Nothing makes a more memorable moment in any role-playing game than the moment you look up at the group and just sigh. My players refer to this moment as "winning D&D.; much to my chagrin.
The only part that can be controlled where players are concerned is that initial moment they get involved, character creation. And that is where this information sheet comes in. For the rest of this article, I will be using Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 as my examples as I know this system the best and it is the one I tailored this approach to.
***
Section 1 -> Power Level
In D&D 3.5 determining power level is easier than most. Six stats, each with a +/- integer, added together can give you a generalized idea of a character's power level. At very least it can help to keep all the characters roughly the same in terms of raw ability.
This was my answer to the inherent randomness of generating stats through dice rolling. The standard method is to roll four six-sided dice, drop the lowest number and total up the rest. Do this six times to generate six numbers ranging from 3, horrible, and 18, outstanding. 10 is considered average and is essentially the benchmark for the standard human peasantry of the average D&D world. Every 2 points higher gives that statistic a +1 that affects various skills and abilities on the character sheet. Every 2 points lower than 10 gives that stat a -1 across all its connected skills and abilities.
For example:
A character with 16 Strength (+3), 17 Dexterity (+3), 13 Constitution (+1), 12 Intelligence (+1), 9 Wisdom (-1) and 10 Charisma (+/- 0) has a Total Stat Modifier of +7. The standard for D&D 3.5 is a +5 character overall, which means the character above is slightly more powerful than an average adventurer. The +/- Rating of a character can be used to help you plan a campaign that balances difficulty with character ability. It also helps players know that all their characters are starting at or around the same level of power.
For a standard campaign at my table the +/- range tends to be between +7 and +9. More powerful than an average 3.5 campaign but not so powerful as to be power gaming by any description. With other ways of generating characters available like stat buy or just brute force choosing stats; this allows players to have greater control over how their characters are created.
Thus, the first part of the information sheet essentially details the power level of the campaign. And because it is right there written down, everyone knows all at once. Fair and up front.
Section 2 -> Races and Classes
This section will likely be the hardest to rationalize in non-D&D systems that have a different view of character class and race. However, since this article deals with D&D 3.5, we will carry on.
If the campaign I design is meant to test the limits of non-combat abilities, I may say no Fighters or Barbarians. A campaign set in the wilderness and intended to be reasonably difficult I may restrict Druids and Rangers. If dealing with tricky political situations in a densely human kingdom, I may say humans only. Low magic? No mages. No gods? No clerics, paladins or favoured souls. The same process can be used for races, but I think that's enough examples.
There are limitless restrictions you can place, each one helping to narrow the potentially unlimited options your players have. It may seem on the surface like these restrictions would hinder creativity, but I've found it does the opposite.
The restrictions seem to help most players focus on what they really want out of a character. And when you have as many options as D&D, sometimes its just practical to cut that number down a bit.
Section 3 -> Cash and Gear
No D&D character is complete without their trusty broadsword or bow. Their armor, their protection between them and the monsters surrounding them. Gear is an absolute necessity in this kind of fantasy RPG, unless you are playing a monk, then gear is completely unnecessary.
In any case, this section is where I hand out the automatic gear and gold pieces the players can use to outfit their characters. Standard rules have a random roll for gear with relatively wide numbers possible, which I never liked. Granted after a level or two, starting gear loses a lot of its effectiveness, especially in campaigns with lots of magic items.
The choice of starting gear does present some interesting possibilities; however, a way to make that first level or two especially difficult and rewarding when your players advance past that point. It also allows for memorable moments like the whole table cheering when someone finally gets the coconut open.
This also tends to be the part of character creation that my players take the longest on. This helps cut down on time before we get to playing.
Section 4 -> Local Environment, Politics and Culture
With the pseudo-Medieval-European style most D&D players are accustomed to, it helps shake things up when you tweak or change a thing or two. Maybe peasants are required to wear a certain colour or gold pieces are illegal for commoners.
Also, if there are crucial societal issues to warn the players about, they can fit in this section. How do politics in the region work? Is there a King? A Queen? An autonomous collective? A dictatorship? A Self-Perpetuating Autocracy? The political stage can change a campaign drastically and without much warning if players aren't ready for a deviation from their assumptions.
Managing expectations, that's the goal in this section.
Section 5 -> Adventure/Campaign Synopsis
Simultaneously the most difficult and outright simplest section to fill out. All that needs done here is to jot down a synopsis of what the story will be. I try to keep this to 100 words or less, it helps me narrow my focus and be concise.
The second portion of this section I use to introduce the starting location and any important NPCs the party needs to know about. Personally, I keep this to a minimum as I tend to have large groups of five or more, herding that many cats while also trying to play my own character can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, I get to choose, so no problem, right?
The delicate balance here is figuring out how to give the info needed without giving away too much of the story. This is a skill that can only be learned over time. I can tell you to always throw a red herring into the synopsis, if only for that moment later in the story where everyone gets that "omg it was that all along" face.
Stick to the interesting high points until you feel confident in your ability to double speak. Your players will hate your cleverness, which of course means: YOU win D&D.
***
There you have it. Hopefully, a system you can use to streamline the character creation and session zero process. What is a session zero? Well, you'll just have to read the next article in this series, won't you?
That's how I WIN writing about D&D.
Eric
No links were necessary today, so here are some links I thought would be randomly useful: