Preset characters in pnp are character created by development team with fixed personality points romance name etc… That are there to players that first-time playing a role-playing game can have a first contact with helping others players and the game master It helps a lot to they don’t feel overwhelmed by the creator and understanding how one role. For instance if the preset says you are bold and like that they could follow that guides.
But is the only utility they had. As if you want play a rpg and make decisions a preset like Gerald is a handicap. I can’t see witcher as a role-playing because you have to be this man who is quite disagreeable and the choices harm the storyline as is clearly written to following a narrow path. A character with a distinct background and past ia okay and even good always you have agency over feelings and future of character
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I like to have a character who can be morally grey, playing a choir boy or a comically evil person can be such a bore, especially the former.
Also backstory, with characters like Fallen Hero’s and pre set characters, like Divinity 2, they have a backstory that I can roll off of and have fun with. I hate feeling like I’m playing with a character that was birthed from the void. And as mentioned prior by others, it’s not fun to be told what I think, what is fun is getting a Defined character, who has a past and motives, and spinning it to how I wish.
(Also also, I like it when my characters appearance is reflected in the experience, like a tall person making fun of my tiny protagonist or something, this is more of a writer thing than a protagonist thing but whatever)
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feurio
65
Basically, I’d love to have an MC like the Warden in Dragon Age: Origins. Someone who can either resolve an issue diplomatically, betray everyone, kill everyone, or just bow out like “Welp, I’m outta here, see you later, dipshits”. Of course, I understand why it might not be possible to offer such a variety of options, but it was damn fun to play.
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One can flirt with anyone who’s breathing, but also don’t have any feelings towards the ROs, because they are extremely villain or badass, they won’t find the one they are flirting with cute, charming, or something, they just want to mess with them, but maybe they would fall in love with someone when they want to.
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I want to have the choice of having no empathy. All too often in these games my character is forced to feel anger or pain in response to some perceived heartbreak. It’s impossible to relate to and I just generally don’t want to feel anything in those moments.
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Something I’ve been craving recently is a shonen style protagonist, blatantly special and has the potential to be stronger than the rest of the cast, but still has to work for it
Maybe you’d enjoy Unnatural?
Array
70
I like morally grey characters… Currently the WIP I’m working on, you will steal, you will lie, you will blackmail, you will assassinate… But you’re going to do all these and not be a bad guy… You’ll have to be the villain no else will be… Just wanted to drop it here and see if that’s a good idea…
And about the nonbinary route, I will exclude it cos I do not know a single thing about nonbinary people… A certain COG was the first time I saw the term(Heroes Rise series I think)… I’m even finding it hard to write the gay route, cause I only knew one gay guy in real life… And that was 7 years ago…
I’d rather write what I know about, than offend anyone. I think that’s how most authors think too…
I guess i’d like a protagonist who doesn’t give an f about the consequences of their actions. Like, maybe there’s this corrupt powerful person that everybody is too scared to touch, they try to blackmail you, and instead of doing what you’re told you just pull a gun out and shoot them in the face.
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Johann
72
I’m guessing you have hands-on experience with blackmail and assassination, then?
If you’re worried about offending people then ask for help, that’s exactly what the forum is for.
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Array
73
You’re missing the point here. Race, gender and religion are very sensitive issues. They aren’t things you just up and gamble with.
Anyway I’m a Nigerian in Nigeria writing with the setting of an African society. LGBTQ are foreign concepts here. But assassination and blackmail isn’t.
I can ask questions when I know what to ask. But I don’t even know what I don’t know. How do I ask someone if he feels like both a man and a woman at the same time, or if he feels like neither. If you don’t feel like a man, then have you ever not been a man to know what not being a man feels like?
This is my first attempt at writing, I’m just being cautious and not trying to hurt anybody, that’s all. I do not understand Real Analysis and Quantum Computing… You won’t see those in my writing either
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The tone sounds negative because you use negatively charged words that give others a idea you consider no binary not real people.
Sorry If is an assumption of my part you are a cis man (in base your recent post). However, you will write about women. You have never been a woman still you see normal that give that option to players. Compare gender identity to quantum computer enhance further the idea that considers gender identity minor issue comparable with a mere job.
I have never seen a superhero or a zombie . I understand the feeling of considering oneself no prepared to include nb or umbrella because not give a accurate portrayal. But don’t use those metaphors or people would reply arguing
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Array
75
Ah!.. I’m sorry if that’s how that came out… I really am… That was not my intention… And I consider everyone human!!! Please all I’m saying is I’d rather avoid that which I do not understand…
I think I’ll stop talking now
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No please keep writing. I am not American either, I just trying to explain to you what
written with negative meaning words and something like the internet could give a false idea of what you want to say. i committed that mistake many times so i was trying to give you an advice.
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It’s probably not practical, but the closer I can get to a self-insert protagonist, the happier I usually am. CoG is great with gender and orientation (for which I’ll be eternally grateful), but I’m 28, I’m a weird mish-mash of goth, punk, and riot grrrl, I’m covered in ink, I’m extremely political, I’ve been dealing with CPTSD for the past five years, I have a whole host of health issues and…well, basically, there’s a lot of me to cover. It’s pretty unusual to find more than one of those things in any game.
And, I mean, I get it–it’s not the author’s job to recreate me. Having a level of detail available in character creation that would allow me to recreate myself, though? Being able to tweak aspects of myself and try that out in a safe space? Yeah. I want that. For me, that would be both fun and rewarding.
Big ask, I know.
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Array
78
Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind☺️
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You know people? Talking about the problems of MC’s in choice of games 'games, don’t you think there are currently official games with bad ideas, but many incomplete games (I mean WIP) with good ideas? I would like to know if the problem is only the availability of time, or the difficulty of coding. 
Szaal
80
Bad and good, IMO, depends on the execution rather than in the idea themselves. CoG authors don’t have plenty resource to get wildly creative so most titles on the catalogue are read formulaic.
On the other hand, HG authors (the WiP, at least) does have plenty of resource to go creative. They just lack experience, which can makes thing discouraging.
But yes, this is a bit off-topic commentary.
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There are plenty of Africans who identify with those concepts–but finding them to ask their perspective can be tricky due to persecution. A gay Nigerian friend of mine is head of a network of LGBT-friendly house churches that has spread across Africa:
He’s happy to talk about his life experiences, including with the BBC.
Meanwhile, more on topic: I like a CoG protagonist who has relationships that ground them in the world. Parents, friends, ex-romances, etc.
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Roby95
82
Consistency, mainly. I like when whichever stat dominate MC behaviour is reflected during the story narration.
I know it’s harder to write like that because you have a lot of IF to add making working on the game heavier but when my character is brutal, naive, naughty, sweet, stubborn, depressed even when choices are not involved and when replaying the game I don’t only make different choices but I see a different behaviour, different interactions even as the story goes that makes the game a gem for me.
As I said, I know it’s a lot more work but ehy, lately I seen more and more authors doing it. Best example being so far Fallen Hero by @malinryden and Heroes of Myth by @abbytrevor(I hope tag is correct) which by the way is an absolute delight!
I hate when you’re playing and whenever a choice is not involved your character goes back to a “blank state” of neutral protagonist. Of course no one demands that every single scene should reflect the MC stats but when I read even a couple of times in the whole game a burst of color that matches my characters main stats it puts a smile on my face!
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