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Character CreationWhat exactly makes online role-playing such a minefield when it comes to character creation? This is an easy one to answer: the lack of a Story Teller. Without this almighty power to guide the players to create characters acceptable to the specific game, there occurs a certain conflict of ideals. This is unavoidable, as each online gamer shares a different set of ideals as to what makes a "Good" online character. There are some general guidelines that it would be prudent to bear in mind though, to ease your path into online gaming. The first of these is to keep your character by-the-book. Other players do not appreciate home-brewed Arts/Disciplines/Gifts or powers that are not in the White-Wolf books. They do not appreciate made-up kiths/clans/tribes etc. Why is this? It is not because other players do not appreciate your creativity, it is because they do not wish to see their own characters beaten into submission by something which by rights does not exist in the White-Wolf genre. Along similar lines, players do not take kindly to characters that have severely over-powered character sheets. Too many 5's and 4's, too many funky powers will quickly lose the respect of other players, unless your character has been frequenting the online arena for a very long time, and is well known. If your character is new to the online gaming arena, it is prudent to have them at starting level - long time players that have earned their high levels of dots will feel cheated by upstarts proclaiming greater abilities than them. The use of Flaws is also worthy of note here. Many players take certain Flaws for the freebies they supply. However, there are just as many players that take Flaws for the sake of a beneficial side-effect. The Flaw: Winged is often taken simply to make a character look "Kewl", the Flaws: Changling's Eyes, Slipped Seeming also fall into this category and are often abused. The list of Flaws open to beneficial abuse is large, but it should be suffice to ask yourself, "Why am I taking this Flaw?". If your answer would not satisfy an online group of gamers, then it would be best to re-think your use of the flaw. Min-maxing is another factor that should be avoided when creating an online character. What is meant by min-maxing? This is when a character is created simply to "Win" or be the very best at something - usually combat. By tailoring the character very carefully, a player can pour freebies and dots into very specialised areas to achieve their aim. This is not Dungeons and Dragons, where high stats are the be-all and end-all of gaming - this is White-Wolf, where personal roleplaying comes foremost, and numbers second. Enough said. These are simply guidelines that will help your character be accepted in the online environment. They are not intended to force players to re-construct existing characters, or to push new players into a single mould. Diversity is good, but an excess of it breeds chaos.
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