Playing Oblivion

Have you heard of the game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion? If you haven't, well basically it's an open world concept role playing game. It comes on several platforms, including the XBOX360, which is the console I am playing on, and I think it was released before 2010, which makes it old. However, I have a soft spot for older games, so I figured that I would finally play it through, from A to Z. The game is way too huge for me to review, or go through in detail, but this is not what this post is about. Rather, I am going to tell you how the beginning of the game helped me to think about a very important RPG concept, and believe it or not, writing concept: Character creation.

Character Choice in the realm of gaming
 
Skill-sets are more than just statistics found on your character sheet. They are the "what is" and "what is not" values that your character, and you by extension, own. I think he most important concept to understand, within the gaming environment, is character creation.

I began role playing long ago, under the tutelage of my friend's brother. We played AD&D back then, and our character choices were limited, yet, fascinating. I fell in love with the Ranger, and Half-Elves, and even played a warrior Dwarf at one point. It was awesome, but I admit I was more interested in rolling, and re-rolling, my characters stats until they were worthy of keeping. That was until I played a dagger wielding human mage, whose sole purpose in life was to get stuff, and keep it.

Now high scores are nice, when rolling for saving throws and such, but I missed the most important thing: character development. Character development, for me, is taking a character from level zero, whatever his initial description might be, and developing him into something special, through missions, events, whatever, while adding your own spice to the pot. I sincerely believe that it is more important to believe in your avatar, than just having a kick-ass beginning character.

So my mage was the first time I made a character that really suited me, and my goals for that particular year. I began by sketching out his basic attributes, what I thought he might be like, and left the dice rolling for later. I created a greedy magic user, who specialized in daggers, and long ranged attacks, via magic missile. Who knew how fun this guy would be to play! I didn't care about what his initial values were for intelligence or whatnot. I didn't care that he had only a few measly hit points to spare, before he went down. I got into the character, and played him ruthlessly.

"Mortimer Axeliak" became my favorite go-to guy in the fantasy world, and I loved playing him. And I think is the key. I've played lots of characters that were fun for a night, or a session, but none that every had the lasting impression that Morty had on me. In gaming, having fun, rather than simply looting or winning, is key to a successful campaign. Even with a crap DM, a fun character will make it worthwhile.

So before you guys go all "stats are what counts, man, bottom line!" on my ass, just think about the last time you really had fun, and why. I will suggest to anyone new to the RPG world that they very carefully examine the individual races, and classes, and just forget about stats. Play something that appeals to you, regardless of what others think, and I promise you, your time spent choosing a great character will not have been in vain.

Character Choice in the realm of writing

As for writing, I think there is nothing that drives a story better than character. Plots and devices absolutely make a novel come alive, but the character is what gives the book it's soul.

Personally, when I write, I make a lot of errors. My ideas are disjointed, and my grammar ain't so good, yo! I don't think about that stuff, because I am just not there yet. What I do think about A LOT, is how interesting my characters are, and how I can develop them. How they become motivated to take certain actions, or how dynamic I can make them. You have total control over everything in your own stories, so make your ideas come alive through characters. Story lines revolve around them. Shit doesn't happen alone. People are what makes shit happen.

Play safe guys!