Chargen order?

[Sanguinarious]

What order do you make your characters in? Stats, skills, gear? I'm making a character for battlelords of the 23rd century that I'm doing gear first, then stats, then skills.

BL23C is a very gear intense game, given it's focus on personal scale high tech combat it heavily emphasizes weapons and armor. In fact the character is sometimes jokingly referred to as 'the squishy bit inside the armor''.

So I'm starting with his gear, then his stats and skills last. I'll admit I've never done it that way before. It made me wonder about other cases where a character might be created in non standard order. Anyone want to share?

Of course I have a general character concept first, a kind of 'field scientist' sent along to look out for useful bits of knowledge, new arachnid advances, any new creations by UE, useful Alien technology, etc. Of course he's still combat capable, as a sniper where his skills abd demeanor are best suited. So I guess concept almost always comes first.

 

[GMMichael]

It really depends on what my initial inspiration is. Sometimes the weapon defines the character. Sometimes it's a label, like Brooding Bard. Or it's the skill: underwater basket weaver (or equivalent spell).

It's pretty hard to go wrong, however, starting with the person (attributes), who gathers experience (skills) and gear over time. It would be harsh to design someone around rail gun usage just to find out, later in chargen, that he or she can't really lift one, or only had enough skill points to get through basic pistol and rifle courses...but not energy weapons.

 

[Sanguinarious]

Well yes in a random chargen system you need to start with stats, but I generally don't do all random chargen.

 

[payn]

Gear is usually last. Stats often first, ancestry, background, finish with class. Depends on system.

 

[Lanefan]

Stats, then species (if relevant) and class together, then basic background elements, then gear now; more detailed background elements maybe later.

 

[aramis erak]

Game allowing: Selection of archetype first, then atts, then skills, finally gear.

For background history lifepath systems (Traveller, Space Opera, T2K 1/2/4 e, Spacemaster 1E w/ SMC, LUG Trek), I've a fondness for skills as part of the term (explicit for Traveller and T2K, rather than at the end (Space Opera).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It really depends on what my initial inspiration is.

QFT.

How I design a character largely depends on the inspiration for the character.

When a piece of gear inspires me, I make sure the PC can use the gear. When an artistic expression inspires me, I make sure the PC has that art as its essence.

Etc.

Of course, system & campaign matters. Some systems start off with random stats, histories or gear. Some campaigns have narrow restrictions on what kind of PC you can play.

 

[uzirath]

Depends on the core concept, but typically I do gear as the final step. A couple of years ago, though, I created an animist cleric who used a signature flail, so I statted the weapon up first and then made sure he had the ability to own it (trading a character point for additional funds in GURPS) and the skill to use it.