Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Dusting Off An Old Character

With my L5R game on a scheduled hiatus, this Friday I'll be playing a character that I haven't played in months, if not a whole year or more.This is true for the other players at the table, and for the GM. In a sense we all have the unenviable position of having to pick up for an episode 2 when episode 1 was a whole lifetime - by game terms anyhow - away. Today I want to talk about how you can do that as a player.

Review Your Core Concept
Core concepts are the heart of the character. Sometimes this is as simple as the Race/Class of the character. Sometimes it is more specific. Sometimes you are playing FATE and it's literally at the top of your sheet. Either way, review it. Roll it around in your mouth, and see what tastes familiar.

How do you interpret that concept? More importantly how did you interpret it before? Can you remember? Odds are you have a different view of the concept then you did way back when you made the character and that's alright.

Discuss With Other Players
Talk about the game and what has happened with other players and the GM. Flat out ask what stood out to them about your character. Talk with them about their characters or the game. We often remember a lot more than we can consciously call up on the spot, and having these conversations will bring more and more of the memories to the fore.

Feel It Out In Game
Don't hold the expectation that you or anyone else is going to hit the game running, and don't take it personally or as a failing if someone does hit the ground running and you. Odds are it'll take some time, and that's fine. It's also possible the character will be slightly different than before, and that's fine too.

Embrace Change
Odds are you will have some changes in your character as you settle back in. That's fine. Embrace it. You've grown since you last played the character. Let the character grow to match. The point is to have fun and continue the game, not be who you were six months ago.

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