Well!
Here's the thing about character journals and biographies in general, as experienced through ten plus years of roleplaying online and offline. And I can sum it up simply.
To the world around you, less is more. For your own enjoyment, do what you like.
The reason I say this is because folks can become bogged down by constantly chronicling their character and it can make the character less enjoyable. Imagine, if you will, writing a journal entry of pure fiction where your character experiences a particular hardship and a week later, that same sort of emotional issue comes up in game RP. He or She is already prepared for the sensation and you come away from that RP feeling a bit less enthused about it. Some folks like to Tabula Rasa (blank slate) their characters for this reason.Â
On the other hand, I find that a good journal and background flesh out a character just right. Do I post every nuance I've written for everyone to see? Nah. A little mystery goes a long way. For example, Galen's currently writing letters to Saachi and instead of talk about the weather, he's telling her his own history through the medium of a tragic tale. Some of the pieces are fiction, some of them are fact. Telling the story is his way of getting it off his chest and it leaves the reader wondering just what is real and not while imparting some key clues about the character himself. -I- have written pages about Galen, which I keep for myself. However, his wiki is threadbare and any time I've been asked to post something about him, I write a paragraph or two.Â
On Balmung, Lukas Valenwood kept a journal on his person which he wrote in when the mood struck him. It was written in first person and I noted at the top of the thread on his FC forum that the information in that journal was not common knowledge, but available IF someone happened to gain access to the diary itself. This offered an opportunity for a unique way to tell his story and develop his personality, by forcing the character to self-evaluate.
In the end, it's really dealer's choice. Do what makes YOU happiest. I have found that most people enjoy a teaser now and then, but don't often skip to the last page of the book.Â
And on the touchy subject of metagaming, that's a very real concern for some. Certain RPers don't see that taking journal information is metagaming, which is why I've found it best to be very clear about the information when it's presented.Â
And finally, if you're looking for feedback of a personal nature: I'm interested in seeing how a screenshot journal would appear so if that's your favorite option then I say GO FOR IT! ^_^ And when you do, point me to the link so I can check it out.Â
Cheers!
-Black Hat
Here's the thing about character journals and biographies in general, as experienced through ten plus years of roleplaying online and offline. And I can sum it up simply.
To the world around you, less is more. For your own enjoyment, do what you like.
The reason I say this is because folks can become bogged down by constantly chronicling their character and it can make the character less enjoyable. Imagine, if you will, writing a journal entry of pure fiction where your character experiences a particular hardship and a week later, that same sort of emotional issue comes up in game RP. He or She is already prepared for the sensation and you come away from that RP feeling a bit less enthused about it. Some folks like to Tabula Rasa (blank slate) their characters for this reason.Â
On the other hand, I find that a good journal and background flesh out a character just right. Do I post every nuance I've written for everyone to see? Nah. A little mystery goes a long way. For example, Galen's currently writing letters to Saachi and instead of talk about the weather, he's telling her his own history through the medium of a tragic tale. Some of the pieces are fiction, some of them are fact. Telling the story is his way of getting it off his chest and it leaves the reader wondering just what is real and not while imparting some key clues about the character himself. -I- have written pages about Galen, which I keep for myself. However, his wiki is threadbare and any time I've been asked to post something about him, I write a paragraph or two.Â
On Balmung, Lukas Valenwood kept a journal on his person which he wrote in when the mood struck him. It was written in first person and I noted at the top of the thread on his FC forum that the information in that journal was not common knowledge, but available IF someone happened to gain access to the diary itself. This offered an opportunity for a unique way to tell his story and develop his personality, by forcing the character to self-evaluate.
In the end, it's really dealer's choice. Do what makes YOU happiest. I have found that most people enjoy a teaser now and then, but don't often skip to the last page of the book.Â
And on the touchy subject of metagaming, that's a very real concern for some. Certain RPers don't see that taking journal information is metagaming, which is why I've found it best to be very clear about the information when it's presented.Â
And finally, if you're looking for feedback of a personal nature: I'm interested in seeing how a screenshot journal would appear so if that's your favorite option then I say GO FOR IT! ^_^ And when you do, point me to the link so I can check it out.Â
Cheers!
-Black Hat
What a colossal waste of time and energy.
