I would have prefer sequel with the same Main Character 
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I don’t have preference and it largely depends on what happen in the first one. For example in DA, I like the different PC on each one since each part have been concluded. I got the same feeling with Superlatives which I prefer creating a MC instead of playing as an old MC. But there are titles which I felt was created as a series like WC, FH and SoH. Overall, I rely heavily on how the first one concluded.
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In general I’d rather follow the adventures of the same character as I progress through the sequels. There’s just so much fertile ground there to really round out not just the MC but (perhaps especially) the supporting characters.
That being said, a completely seperate story set in the same universe can be very compelling, with the added bonus of already having most of your world building done. In that case though I’d be careful about too many callbacks to the previous cast, lest you leave the reader pining for the old crew and possibly feeling disappointed that they’re not able to continue those adventures with their “old friends”.
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Either is fine by me, I do very much prefer a choice of gender and sexual orientation as opposed to pre-defined mc’s tho.
Same mc is nice because you get to continue their story and the one thing I am hoping for in that regard is seeing more relationships progress beyond the dating and first time sex stages.
Depending on how much time it covers, other than the relationship with our chosen RO hopefully progressing beyond dating and possibly the first time of “doing it” it can also be an opportunity to chronicle more stages of the mc’s life besides the most commonly used late teens/early 20’s.
For example say a sci-fi starship series potentially taking the mc from a still wet behind the ears young Ensign all the way to an old Admiral.
On the other hand a different character gives you a truly different perspective into the same universe and it might also allow us to view the impact the first mc made on the world, for good or ill,
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personally , I like to play as the same MC . To me it feel like it would be easier , since you already have all those characters from the 1st book done . Making a new mc , you can either work way around how they meet previous characters or skip them and give peoples a half assed story . And to me it doesnt feel like a sequel at all .
In memory , I think the only one I know who did it right and has succeeded at making a new mc with every game . It was the final fantasy serie . And that only worked because the stories are stand alone . Hero from FF7 has nothing to do with FF8 .
for exemple Dragon Age serie , BW insist on making us play a new hero every game . And everytime they bring back previous characters…it suck a little more . The previous characters get little to say with each game . And they introduce news ones . The hero in each game get weird and weirder lol the personality change but not for the better .
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i prefer sequel with the same main character but in my wip, the plan is for different mcs, building up all the different post-apocalyptic nations of the world to the point of what I’m calling the millennium war
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Having the same MC is usually nice. BUT I think it is important to know when a story is done. There are times where keeping the same character essentially ruins everything about the ending/story or for interactive fiction is just not realistic because of the wildly different places the character can end up in.
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Case in point with dragon age. Given how DAI portrayed the protagonist I am very, VERY relieved that it was a new protagonist.
There is no way that any of my two canon Hawkes would work with the Inqusition - end of the world be damned. (And the brief cameo they had of Hawke was a nightmare of not acting like Hawke.)
Meanwhile, Lelianas (and Cassandras) actions regarding Haven would mean a change in my warden and Lelianas relationship that bioware would just not write.
Had it been a returning protagonist it would have meant three ruined game instead of just one.
Keep forcing protagonists into new conflicts which are not related can end up feeling weak and just be non sensical. It is what ruins most series - the conflict is either solved and they can’t move on to new conflict and/or new people - or the conflict is never solved because the developers is afraid of touching the status quo.
That being said; a relatively clean break is the best. You don’t want to remind audience of the characters they already love until they have established a pretty firm bond with the new cast. (And they might need more time or just never take to the new cast. Sometimes and end is better.)
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well I think the problem with dragon age serie…
isn’t that 3 big save the world moments would’ve ruined the mc . But BW lousy writing did . If your heart isn’t innit and you think ‘Ah the fans pressure at seeing previous characters and romance is too much!’’ . Then don’t do it!! I rather Hawke and Varric for that matter , came together…played FedEx…and then left Together .
I get that sometimes when new End of the world happen , its also fine that a new hero rise . The old one is getting old…moved on…has the plague…whatever .
But in the case of BW…its like…they just dont know how to give us a new mc that has a personality 
So I would say that bringing an old mc is good…but a new mc is also good…as long as its done well . Maybe a good closure would help instead of ‘‘Who know where the old mc is…shrug’’ .
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I think it partly depends on the space between the times and locations of the games and if the story for that first MC is finished. So I’m fine with the Elder Scrolls always having a new protagonist because either there’s a large space in time (Skyrim takes place 200+ years after Oblivion), or there’s a space in the locations (Morrowind and Oblivion occur around the same time but one’s set in Morrowind and the other in Cyrodiil).
But with Dragon Age, there’s always thoughts of what’s the Warden from DA:O up to, where are they going, I’d rather play as them than the Inquisitor, etc. But that’s also because they added the intrigue of the Warden going west and finding a cure after their story was complete. It was meant to explain why they couldn’t be part of the game’s story, but all it did was make me want to delve back into their character instead.
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Speaking from an author/designer’s standpoint: It depends on your game design and your development.
If you plan for a sequel involving the same cast then you can design specifically to accomplish that goal. If you design and develop a project prior to deciding if there will be a sequel involving the same cast, I believe you will encounter more issues and more complicated solutions to those issues once you decide to proceed forward with the sequel.
Mechanics and their inflation are the hardest aspect of design that needs to be tackled successfully to have a successful sequel developed.
Some authors will design a completely new set of mechanics for their sequels (ie: The Superlatives) but that sometimes does not work for various reasons worthy of a thread/discussion all their own.
Regardless of the nature (same cast or not) you need to sit down and figure these types of issues out prior to green-lighting a sequel.
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I value worldbuilding, and being able to see things from multiple perspectives, so I’m slightly biased in favor of changing MCs (and locations within a world, where relevant). However, I am also notably one of the players who never self-inserts as the MC (because I’m boring), so “loyalty” to the original MC does not speak to me emotionally, like it does to other people. It’s extremely rare for me to get so attached to a game MC that I want to continue their story indefinitely… and when I do I write fanfic.
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Most of the times I like playing with the same character; something like what Sordwin does for example. The most important thing is there has to be character development; for example the MC learns more about their power or ability or the world they live, or the MC learns more about the other characters and their relationships grow (or falter, depending on where the story goes). There has to be a sense of maturing either in the MC or their relationship with the other characters or the world.
If that is difficult or impossible to execute, then it’ll be better if the author explores the same world using different character with the old MC or characters in first story popping up here and there to reward the returning player with a sense of familiarity. But again, there still needs to be development or higher understanding on the world where the story sets.
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Yes, very much I love Sordwin and I love to see where the mc and Dandy can go as a couple, both literally and figuratively. 
As for the maturing, like I said I’d love for more sequels to explore relationships with our chosen ro’s beyond just getting to know them, a couple of dates and maybe having sex for the first time. As well as the potential to explore other stages in the mc’s life beyond the most common protagonist age of late teens or early 20’s or the functional alien or magical equivalents where applicable.
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Thinking about this topic again, I’m curious about stats carrying over to a sequel if you’re playing the same character. If you import a game does the MC keep their stats at the same level, and are they the same? How is difficulty balanced? Do they have different secondary stats to represent different goals for the game?
Anyone who’s working on, or has worked on, a sequel - how have you been handling it? If you’ve played a sequel with the same character, how did you feel about the stats, whatever the author did with them?
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I’ll use Cataphrak’s Infinity series as an example. In Guns, he scaled back only one (secondary) stat, which was reputation, with the reason he gave being that, in regards to the wider scheme of the setting, we were beginning to be viewed as someone of importance. In contrast, his next game, Lords, he has implemented a ‘stat decay’ on the main three stats of any MC, the reason being, after the last two games where we were a soldier at war, we are now in peace and as such, it’s not as easy to maintain ourselves, hence the decay. In fairness, he has granted us opportunities to avoid penalties but otherwise, this will be something, we as readers, may expect when we play Lords, not to mention the aging penalties he will implement later on (For MC that are older). If you want, you can probably talk to Cataphrak more to get a more accurate picture.
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I do like the idea of having legacy by having you play as the child of your character from the first game within the second game. It’s something I have toyed with for a superhero game series I had in mind.
Hm. 
I suppose when it comes to Equia i simply felt i’ve had more to offer. I have too much content in my head for it, and i didn’t want to pile it all up in one go.
Besides, there is a lot of world building, lore, and it’s just normal that I make a series out of it. Plus, when i started with the first one, i wasn’t that experience in CS. The more I went on, the more I’ve learned.
But even CS aside, my writing style changes. So i can’t go worse, only better i suppose.
On another note, you get attached to various characters and that fantasy world in general. Though my main case is…too much content. Truth be told with the way it is for now, i am going to write 7 of those.
But in general anything i write, will or has a sequel. Because i make sure to have enough content before i start. Ending something in one book is just…a no, no to me. Feedback and suggestions affect this a lot, i get various ideas…characters from readers and i put those in as well. So there’s always something to work on.
Characters. It’s always the characters, just like @rose-court stated. If I don’t like the characters, I can’t get into the game, no matter how good the plot is. And, if there isn’t some consistency with the characters, it loses me. Unfortunately, that has happened, too. When games are so plot-driven that they end up with characters who seem schizophrenic, at best, there’s a problem. The plot shouldn’t drive the characters, the characters should drive the plot. Unless there’s a good ‘magical’ reason for it, anyway.
I’m not sure you meant the last part the way that I do, but I (think) I agree. Most of the CoG games are very stat-driven. While I get they’re trying to imitate the video game vibe, I think it’s a mistake. It’s frustrating when you’re playing these games because you like the depth and immersion–because when it becomes all about the stats, it seems soulless and shallow to me. If I want to play a level grinder, I’ll go play Skyrim or Warframe. Or Fallout. If I just want to be a badass that slaughters my enemies, I’ll play Assassin’s Creed. I don’t look to IF for those things.
I look to IF for an immersive experience where MCs can control their own destines, build relationships with those around them (or stab them all in the back, if they’re jerks) and where the story is about the MCs journey in the world the author created.
So when I play sequels, it’s because I find the MC’s story engaging, feel the MC has agency, and that the NPCs are interesting and consistent (in the way human beings are consistent and behave according to the foundation of their personality, not that they never change). Shallow stories that are stat driven, or stories that are railroaded by an author who insists on forcing a certain narrative down our throats by taking away MC agency, aren’t ones that interest me, so I certainly wouldn’t play those sequels.
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Yes! That’s exactly what I meant!
One of IF’s biggest strengths is one that all my favorite tabletop campaigns have had, in that it’s that the experience mattered more than the numbers. The stats, the math, it’s all there to serve as a structure to prop the story up, and the characters and plot ought to take precedent over stat checks.
If you want the MC to fight a dragon, then let them fight a dragon and be able to win, or lose without having to restart. If they win, then that’s great! Continue on with the story. If they lose, let them see the consequences of this. Don’t just end the game because of some math, your story and your characters should be more important than running numbers.
The idea I always have in my head is that if it would piss off a tabletop full of your friends/players, then you need to rework what you’re trying to do. You want people to be invested at all times and to be drawn in by “the unlimited power of [their] imagination!”
Of course, there are many people who enjoy crunchy games and minmaxing, but I think that quite a few game in the Hosted and CoG catalogue could have been better if they had focused more on delivering a story even in the face of stat checks.
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