This Is Your Character (Have Fun!)

 One of the core features of most RPGs, is being able to create your own character. It is very fulfilling to come up with a concept, formulate game statistics, get into the role, and see your character develop over the course of a game. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about the implications of playing with pregenerated characters – characters created by the GM for use by the players.

Playing with “pregens” isn’t something I came up with. I understand that it is often the typical procedure at convention games. In that environment, people are often playing a game they are unfamiliar with, with the goal of getting some experience with it and deciding if it’s something they would want to buy or play again. At that point, making a player sit down a spend an hour creating a character before they can get into the game would be a drawback, and perhaps even a deterrent to getting people to play your game.

What about in your home games? Are there any reasons to explore the idea of using pregens here? Well, pregens could be good for a one-shot – a game that you’re expecting to play only one or two sessions of as a light diversion from an ongoing campaign. In that case players may not want to spend the time to fully develop a character that they’ll only be playing once or twice. Also, with the GM pregenerating the characters, he has the ability to give those characters personal traits or background details that will pull them into the story he has in mind to tell.

I have, on occasion, had players play pregens or NPCs for a single session, as an aside from the main plot. This has been generally well received, and I think it makes for a nice change of pace if done sparingly. I also once played an RPG with my brother as the only player. I created a pregen for him, but the reason for that was his character was supposed to have amnesia. I didn’t even give him a full character sheet to start with, just a few vital stats. I let him discover his skills and such as he used them.

In order for pregens to work well, I think the GM needs to make sure the characters include a few basic elements. Game statistics are the bare minimum, of course. A brief history of the character is useful to help players understand where this character is coming from. A description of the character’s personality and motivations is also important to give the player some direction when it comes to roleplaying the character.

So, in summary, I think using pregens is an interesting option. It could be good for one-shots, where you want to get into the game quickly with a minimal amount of hassle for the players. It can be an interesting diversion from playing your main character in an ongoing campaign. It could also work in some very specific scenarios, such as with the character with amnesia. Pregens also give the GM a unique opportunity to build connections to the game’s story directly into the makeup of the player characters. Possible drawbacks to using pregens might be that your players are less attached to their character, feel less involved in the story, or have difficulty getting into their role.

Do you have any thoughts on using pregenerated characters in an RPG? I’d love to read your expressions in the comments.