Gaming VS Role Playing

I am getting ready to make two more Warhammer characters. Yep. One is a one-shot character for a small rescue adventure and the other is very important, because she is going to be the main character for our new campaign. I don’t want to make any new characters. I have an attitude against it. I couldn’t figure out why, until I started writing an email to my good friend.

I don’t like playing new characters. Our gaming group has a running joke to say “I hate X” whatever X is. But it is true. I hate playing new characters. It feels a lot like going on a first date. I don’t know anything about this person, I’m not sure that I want to, and I am more than a little self conscious the entire time. I rarely have a perfectly good picture of who my character is or what they want when we first begin. After I have played a character for a while, at least 8-10 games, I have a much better idea of who they are and what they want. Slipping their personality on is like putting on my favorite high heels, the ones I can actually run in (and have!).

The thing is, two of my friends love making new characters. Though both are accomplished role players, they self define as gamers. It is a game in some ways to get their stats just so, or to see what new characters they can make. One of my friends created 100 D&D characters because he was bored once. That sounds like a layer of hell to me! I self define as a role player, but no I do not LARP and do not care to.

Don’t get me wrong, I will create my new characters and like them. We will have fun adventures together and eventually I will know them as well as I know Zarnian or Candy, but right now, I am ready to leave the cycle of 50 First Dates.