User:Habap

My name is Dave Navarre. Information on my characters is available on the Habap Family page.

On roleplaying

I have, thus far, been surprised at the number of people who aspire to have a character who is evil and/or hated. It strikes both as an unwise move, since many can easily confuse the character and the player, and as far too easy to be a challenge. It's quite simple to act like a jerk or an idiot. On the other hand, having a character who is clever or popular might simply not be feasible. I'm not particularly clever, so no matter how hard I tried to play a character who is clever, I don't think I could do it unless he only interacted with NPCs. For someone to play a character who is charismatic and popular, they have to write with charisma, which is not simply done by flipping a switch.

I think the best kind of roleplaying character is one with nuances. Some good points, some bad points, some depth of feeling and emotion. Thinking of actors on stage - some can make you believe they are who they play, while others are simply reading lines. Compare John Malkovich, whose characters are unique, to Tom Cruise, whose characters are all the same (I happen to like the one character Cruise can play, so I usually enjoy his movies).

Perhaps one starts with a caricature, but you have to find a way to move beyond that to character.

I'm not sure I can do that in this media and am assuredly not sure I have the time to do so.