Inquiry to roleplayers...

[obliviousally_lj]

Okay, so, here's the situation.

You're playing your own original character in someone else's game, their background and story edited or re-written to fit in to the new setting (which is loosely based off of an already existing canon setting). You character has some sort of development in said game, makes new friends, has interesting things happen to them. You leave that game, for any variety of reasons.

Now, the question is: is it 'tacky' or in 'bad taste' to carry over your OWN character background and your OWN character development from another game into one of your own or a completely different game?

You're not taking the setting, you're not taking anything specific from the game you left. You're only carrying along the development you had your character go through. Your writing in the game is your own, obviously. The actions you had your character perform are your own, as well.

Is there anything inherently bad or in poor taste about using that development as part of your character's story in another setting?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Tacky or "bad"...no. A little uncreative, and hints at over attatchment? yes. Beware being too attatched to a character, especially if it is in a game where it may die.

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

this

[obliviousally.livejournal.com]

Over-attachment? Howso?

Considering I'm speaking of original characters, you do tend to become very attached to them because, well, they're yours. I don't think there's anything wrong with being too attached to a characters (to a point, of course).

As for uncreative, I'll have to disagree. I don't think of it as anything more than further character development. Especially if you're playing in a similar setting or playing the character at the same age (or thereabouts) as you did in the previous game.

I mean, I have a variety of characters who exist in numerous different universes. Some have died, some have lived very different lives. But they've all had the same general backstory. It's not uncreative in the slightest, it's simply playing a character in a different environment and seeing how they react.

A lot of roleplayers don't know how to deal with character deaths, unfortunately. They can be very powerful if they're well done. And it's not about being attached to a character in that case, it's about how their death affects the story and the characters they know and love.

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

I think its less about playing the same character multiple times, but playing said character multiple times AT THE SAME TIME.
Its whatever, its your character and you're going to do what you're going to do, but its a good opportunity to flex the creative muscles and come up with a new character. Plus playing the same character different ways(Because of different backstories) during the same time frame, can lead to personality incongruities(Which can be confusing in different situtions and later reflected on "Oh shit he/she would have handled that differently") depending on how differently said character is being played in each game.

[obliviousally.livejournal.com]

This particular case isn't one of playing a specific character in multiple games at the same time, it's carrying the story from one game over into another one with a similar setting (in this case, a high school).

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

Oh I see.
Well if the GM is ok with it(As I'm assuming you have to submit your backstory anyways) then its really a non issue.

[zeeth_kyrah]

I believe that character growth is character growth. I've done resets, and I've done carryovers. Each has its reasons for happening, its drawbacks and benefits.

Headpeople get the most carryover -- sometimes I'll bring stuff to one setting that happened in another, right in the middle of doing things. So, a sudden small change of attitude which just says "this person is different now", and if anyone asks, maybe it was a dream or a vision, or just some realization they had. RPG stats-sheets get the most resets; I'm sure you understand why.

[obliviousally.livejournal.com]

Like I mentioned in the above comment, I have a lot of headpeople who exists in a lot of different universes and versions. Most have the same set backstory (with minor tweaks, taking into account the setting and all).

The situation I'm dealing with, however, is someone claiming that the things that've happened in this particular setting can only happen in that setting and it's 'tacky' to carry it over elsewhere, which is something I disagree with.

[badkitty.livejournal.com]

personally, i always played Pip.
i really did love her, and she had a fully fleshed out storyline.

now, the boys (my fiancé's large group) are back and forth. it's really fifty fifty.

i don't see an issue. as long as your character can seamlessly (or at least believably) fall into the new storyline, no issue.

[justplainbob.livejournal.com]

I can't really say there's anything wrong with that, but I've been using incarnations of my two main characters in various settings for years.