One Page Character Sheets

[ShinHakkaider]

I've always found that character sheet construction to be a highly personal thing, so when people start making claims like "if the character sheet is over one or two pages then the system is bloated/broken" it comes across to be insulting and vaguely edition warring-y.

It's easy to have a one page character sheet if you just list abilities, feats and skills.

Me, I've always sought for quick reference and found that most of the time that I could put together a comprehensive character sheet that limits me having to crack open a book to see exactly what an ability/feat does.

If I'm running a spell caster of some sort I have a separate sheet(s) for the spells that I've chosen with the appropriate listing with variables for my CL. Because as a player? It's my responsibility to have that information on hand when I cast that spell as opposed to stopping the game on my turn in order to look that stuff up and figure out.

I understand that all of this is just a cry for a simpler game. I get that. What I dont get is why a game, an RPG at that which takes some effort is now BAD. It's not. It's a different type of play and depending on how much time you put into it up front it can cut down on what you have to do while playing.

EDIT: Kinda ninja'd by StarFyre

 

[delericho]

My ideal would be 1-page, although I'd certainly happy if it was printed both front and back. However, if the price of that is loads of referring to rulebooks to track down feats/powers/spells/items listed by name, then it's really not useful.

I'm greedy - I want a 1-page sheet that also includes everything I need to know to play my character. And that includes Wizards.

 

[Siberys]

Just gonna leave this here. It seems pretty much everyone agrees anyways;

I'd like to point out that a long character sheet isn't necessary for 4e; I could easily fit four or more characters onto a single page if I really wanted to, and mine are normally only 2 pages - and the second is taken up entirely by an equipment list and tracking boxes for hp, surges, powers, et cetera. By the same token, a 'long form' character sheet is easily possible in previous editions - I have a 9th level Oracle in a PF game, and that character sheet is a good 13 pages, including a tracking sheet. Unless someone built a ritual-focused character, I would never expect a 4e character to get that long! Heck, I'd be surprised if a summoner-type (the next longest, if only because of the need to include summoned creature stats) got longer than 5.

My point is that character sheets are more of a personal preference thing; I don't like looking things up in books during play, so I like long-form sheets, but in no system I play is short form difficult.

I include full power (4e) spell (3e) and feature (either) descriptions, hence the length. Either way, I can get sheets down to about a quarter of a page if I want to.

Like I said, long-form character sheets are not an attribute of the system, but of personal preference.

 

[Trance-Zg]

My ideal would be 1-page, although I'd certainly happy if it was printed both front and back. However, if the price of that is loads of referring to rulebooks to track down feats/powers/spells/items listed by name, then it's really not useful.

I'm greedy - I want a 1-page sheet that also includes everything I need to know to play my character. And that includes Wizards.

Font 3 character sheet??

 

[Iosue]

My ideal would be 1-page, although I'd certainly happy if it was printed both front and back. However, if the price of that is loads of referring to rulebooks to track down feats/powers/spells/items listed by name, then it's really not useful.

I'm greedy - I want a 1-page sheet that also includes everything I need to know to play my character. And that includes Wizards.

Yes, this. The character sheet that comes with 4e is essentially a single-page, double-sided. But for me it's not the strict number of pages, it's the ease of making and reading one. I chalk it up to age, even nostalgia, and personal taste, but playing 4e (which I love, I hasten to add) really made me appreciate the days of just opening up a spiral notebook and jotting down the ability scores, saves, alignment, to-hit, and other things, with nothing crowded and just a few references to the books. With 4e it's writing everything down, then double-checking (and triple-checking) that I've included all relevant bonuses in my defenses, all relevant bonuses in my attack and damage, and all relevant bonuses in my skills. As well as noting what the bonus to-hit and damage are on all my powers, so that I don't bog down the game in combat.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I must be the only gamer on the planet who does not want to go back to that level of simplicity. EVER.

I played those games when I was 12-13 years old. I enjoyed them then but for the same reason I left Red Box basic for AD&D I wanted MORE. The same reason that I left Marvel Super Heroes (FASERIP) for DC HEROES and then left DC HEROES for HERO SYSTEM/CHAMPIONS, I wanted more not necessarily complexity but options. And options that aren't left up to GM fiat but that are somewhat codified.

I dont want to go back to a character sheet that can fit on an index card. That's just not me anymore. You'll never catch me running or playing in a OSR type game. And I'm someone who LOVED BECMI. I mean really, those lunch time sessions in JHS were things of AWESOMENESS. But I cant go back there. I still have both my Red and Blue D&D books as well as a copy of B2.

 

[DEFCON 1]

The real question is not the size of the character sheet... but of the WotC-published "Official Character Sheet".

The reason why the Official sheets are so long is because they add in a whole heap of graphical UI flourishes to make them look pretty... plus they also present space for the math to be shown. And I don't think that will ever end, because they need a reason for people to actually buy them. If they look like you could have made it yourself in Excel... then no one would buy them because they WOULD just make it themselves in Excel.

But if you make your own character sheet... yes, absolutely you can get down to a single page easily enough. Remove all the math and just give totals, don't include feats on the page which are just auto-calculated into other numbers, remove boxes and borders and graphics and the like, use smaller fonts, and create a shorthand for yourself to understand what abbreviations and such mean on all of your powers to write out.

 

[Mattachine]

I have also just recently moved to a single page sheet for 4e. Just what is needed to run my PC is on it, and power descriptions are strictly numbers.

Before that, I used a fairly detailed sheet, which was two pages.

On the other hand, I had casters with 3-4 page long sheets in 2e and 3e, since I wanted all the spell descriptions for their spells available without flipping through books.

The length of a character sheet directly related to how much looking up you are willing to do during a play session.

 

[Gargoyle]

I must be the only gamer on the planet who does not want to go back to that level of simplicity. EVER.

I played those games when I was 12-13 years old.

I don't either, at least not for all my D&D campaigns, but I want the option to go to it with some groups that I DM, particularly for those who still are 12-13 years old and playing for the first time. From what the designers have told us, it will be a modular system, and the DM can allow more complexity.

I enjoyed them then but for the same reason I left Red Box basic for AD&D I wanted MORE. The same reason that I left Marvel Super Heroes (FASERIP) for DC HEROES and then left DC HEROES for HERO SYSTEM/CHAMPIONS, I wanted more not necessarily complexity but options. And options that aren't left up to GM fiat but that are somewhat codified.

I dont want to go back to a character sheet that can fit on an index card. That's just not me anymore. You'll never catch me running or playing in a OSR type game. And I'm someone who LOVED BECMI. I mean really, those lunch time sessions in JHS were things of AWESOMENESS. But I cant go back there. I still have both my Red and Blue D&D books as well as a copy of B2.

From what I've read 5e will be a modular system. My hope is that I have the option of not using some modules in the core rule set for a more simple game for certain groups, and that by doing so, one benefit will be a one page character sheet.

If using optional modules to have a more complex gaming experience results in a multi-page character sheet, that's fine with me. My experienced players don't mind that, and I don't mind them having that level of detail to wade through because I know it won't slow down the game.

I'm also a fan of BECMI by the way, but I too agree that I no longer want to play it, nor would I want to run a game that simple with my experienced players; but such a level would be perfect for my kids and nephews or other people new to the game, or possibly for a campaign that really needs fast play, like a lunch time game.

 

[Storminator]

My last 4e PC was a pile of cards - no "sheet" per se. Sure I had something like 20 cards, but no sheet! That was a bit of an experiment, and while it worked, I don't think it was a robust design.

The good thing about the power card style of 4e is that you don't have to crack the books open. I'd like to see that retained.

One of my players has a 1 sheet 4e character, and it seems to have everything he needs.

My last 3.x PC had a nightmare of a sheet - 4 pages of excel, with interlocked equations and check boxes so I could automatically calculate my numbers based on various buffs and combat options (is the bard singing? am I power attacking? etc). That was pretty extreme, and I'd not like to go back there.

In 1e we used to fit 6 PCs on a sheet of notebook paper. Which was good because they died in droves.

PS