Creativity, or lack thereof...

[Desdichado]

Cut that dead weight. Life's too short, dude. And there's too many fish in the sea. If you'll pardon the mixed metaphor.

Unless, of course, that guy is the DM, the owner of the place where you play, or the guy who provides most of the food and drinks for your gaming session. Then you're screwed.

 

[Scribble]

I've always found this kind of stuff to be part and parcel to D&D as a whole... People emulating their current pop culture heroes or flat out copying them, or just coming up with something completely new... It's all good as long as we're gaming!

I don't get ticked off at AC/DC for playing variations on the same song for 30+ years, do I?

Heh- there was an interview during a record release event with Angus young where some reporter tried to dis the band by asking if he was ok with the fact that they now had 10 albums that all sounded the same... He responded with "Actually we have 11 albums that all sound the same."

They may all sound the same but it IS the sound of one hand awesoming!

 

[Umbran]

Cut that dead weight. Life's too short, dude. And there's too many fish in the sea. If you'll pardon the mixed metaphor.

Why? The guy's engaged in the game. He pays attention. It sounds like he's having fun, and is a constructive part of the team.

That he didn't make up the character concept himself is such a big thing?

 

[lin_fusan]

I'm with Umbran. If the player is enthusiastic about your game and isn't a jerk, I would say that you have a good player there.

And also in my opinion, if he's mimicking a character from a novel, at least he envisions his character with a personality. I recall a friend creating a fighter and naming him "Fighter" once, and his sole purpose was... fighting.

 

[MrMyth]

Cut that dead weight. Life's too short, dude. And there's too many fish in the sea. If you'll pardon the mixed metaphor.

Unless, of course, that guy is the DM, the owner of the place where you play, or the guy who provides most of the food and drinks for your gaming session. Then you're screwed.

Comments like these always weird me out. I understand rationally that some people play the game just to play the game, and have no particular attachment or friendship to the other players. But it is always somewhat shocking to come face to face with it, and the idea of chucking someone out of the group simply because they don't measure up to some arbitrary standards. (Or because they don't have 'leverage' to hold their place in the group hostage, apparently.)

 

[Scribble]

I'm with Umbran. If the player is enthusiastic about your game and isn't a jerk, I would say that you have a good player there.

And also in my opinion, if he's mimicking a character from a novel, at least he envisions his character with a personality. I recall a friend creating a fighter and naming him "Fighter" once, and his sole purpose was... fighting.

In my longest running 3e campaign I had one player name his Barbarian after the beer he was drinking while making the character...

He pretty much just smashed stuff.

Characters like this I think have a definite place in D&D... They're so ridiculous it just becomes awesome.

 

[Janx]

I agree with Umbran's disagreement with Hobo.

At the table, if he's reliable and participating, then the player isn't a problem.

If you want to get him out of playing a Drizz't Do'Urden clone named Drizz't Do'Urden, you'll have to talk to him about it.

I encourage players to borrow ideas and inspiration for characters from other fiction. I generally ask that they put some minimum twist on it, like a different name.

How old is your player? I would bet under 18.

 

[Mallus]

In my longest running 3e campaign I had one player name his Barbarian after the beer he was drinking while making the character...

I named one of my 3e characters "Grenache Shiraz" after a bottle of wine I bought the night before rolling him up. A few years later I named another PC "Meritage Shiraz" in honor of him. Actually, my next PC will probably be named "Shiraz Barossa".

 

[Stormonu]

Huh. Doesn't bother me. Longest running campaign I had was led by an elf named Link, adventuring with a paladin named Mordor.

D&D books borrows (heavily, if not outright stealing material) from books, myth and movies all the time - a lot of times without even bothering to rename it. If pitting the characters against Asmodeus or Orcus doesn't bother you (or that the cleric in the party worships Zeus), I don't see why anyone should have a problem with someone playing a character modeled after characters from novels, games or other material.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I find that I have the opposite problem. I have many unique characters ideas that my fellow players hate for being "too creative." A Warforged Ninja/Bard would be a great character concept