Friday, September 13, 2019

Discussion: Character Quirks

Do you give your characters quirks? Little touches or details that help make them feel more real? Sometimes they just give a way to help get in character.

Do you even know what I mean by this? Some systems have quirks as part of character building, but I don't mean it as a thing you buy with points or that gets you points. Rather, I mean little touches, habits, or nuances to the character. A character who smokes, has strong preferences for a particular brand of whiskey, loves to go shopping for shoes, or is always on the market for some item or thing they collect.

Even more mundane things can be quirks. In the show leverage Parker has an obsession with money that is a small quirk that helps re-affirm her overall personality and is reinforced even more when you find out that Parker doesn't really spend her money on things. She just likes having money for the sake of having it.

If you don't give quirks, is there a reason? Do you just not think of it? Do you prefer them to come up normally?

I find quirks can be really useful, especially for grounding yourself in a character. They give a little hold on something not tied to the mechanics of the game that is almost pure character expression. If nothing else, it's worth looking into.

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