Zornhau Forums

So, it's time for a Thursday update.

Right now we're tackling an area that's been surprisingly lacking in most RPGs -- which is some clear cut advice on how exactly to describe your character.

It sounds like a straightforward task, but it is really not. In our experience people tend to describe their character's equipment, perhaps their bodily build... and then default to the dumb D&D habit of parroting the character's height, followed by hair and eye color, which is... really not saying much to be frank. All that despite the fact that the character's appearance is one of the strongest ways we have of relating to or identifying with them. How much of Solomon Kane, Conan, Glokta, or even Jaime Lannister resonates in our mind in no small part because the author painted a vivid picture of them?

So, the weird part is that having read an allegorical metric ton of RPGs, we could think of only a single game which even hinted at something borderlining on some actual advice on this subject. A single one!

Now, we think that we've got this advice pretty much nailed down, which turned out to be surprisingly simple, really.

You need to:
a) avoid naming any clothing and equipment
b) keep it a single sentence, using evocative words
c) ask yourself if you'd be willing to pay some of your hard-earned cash to commission a portrait of that character, based on those words alone

Here are some examples:

"a wild woman with steel in her eyes and fire in her hair"
"a weathered, stern-looking man with salt-and-pepper beard and greasy hair"
"a white haired warrior with elongated pupils and a scar in his face"
"a hodgepodge of dreadlocks, kohl, braided facial hair and gold teeth"

That said, when writing up the examples, something hit us -- namely that... if we're providing just the example snippets on how to describe a character... and purposefully neglect to mention any names, we could actually throw some very well known, famous and iconic characters in there.

And if you're paying attention, you probably realized that we already did that.

The first is Ygritte, of course. The second was written to be Cullen Bohannon, but could be Aragorn, or even Ned Stark for that matter. Or an absurd number of rugged male characters, if you think about it. Third is the witcher himself of course. The last one doesn't need explaining, we hope, but it rhymes with Black Marrow.

Now let’s finally get to the challenge part!

The challenge is as follows:

Think on some of your favorite characters from both from novels and on-screen that you've grown to love. Then think on how to describe them, based on the guidelines above and paste your results here. Of course, we’ll going to include the best ones in the actual book as examples, which end up as easter eggs for other readers to discover!

We figured that this would be an awesome way for you guys to get involved both with your tastes in fiction and also with the creativity of your own.

Now, there are of course few rules for this:
a) the character can't be an obscure reference in this day and age
b) they must have clearly defined, iconic looks
c) ideally, they'd be from somewhere renaissance-like, but we're prepared to consider anything pre-modern… hell, our own example listed Cullen Bohannon!

Now, who’ll be the first to try their hand out on this?

Well, that sounds pretty cool! I wonder how you manage it, guys: you're introducing rules and ideas that seem to be obvious and natural, yet I can't remember a game that would contain so many good and obvious mechanics.

OK, let me have a try! There's one thing I can say: this is definitely not a renaissance character, though he's a hell of a bastard!

"a man in his early forties with gaunt sullen face, unkempt red hair and piercing grey eyes"

This may be not a very accurate description (apparently, I'm lacking proper vocabulary to describe people ), but that's how I see him. Who can guess the name?

"An ancient white man with close cropped hair and beard, and a mischievous glint in his eye."

Haha, you bastards have turned our own tricks against us! Which is totally awesome, by the way.

I do have to admit that you've stumped me with both. Can I get a hint on the medium? Others can chime in with their guesses as well, of course.

And of course with more descriptions! Let's not forget the original challenge.

Book. It's a David Eddings character, so you might not have come across him.

Yeah, that name reminds me of Firefly instead.

A filthy mooded, redbearded dwarf, broader than he is tall, regularly rubbing a greasy eyepatch.

That's fantasy to be honest, but in a partly late medieval to early renaissance dark fantasy world

I'm not a huge fantasy reader but that's an outstanding description!

I guess our advice really works, huh?

A middleaged man with weather beaten but charming face and calculating, opportunity seeking eyes.

Marras wrote:A middleaged man with weather beaten but charming face and calculating, opportunity seeking eyes.

Depends on your definition of middle-aged, but Sawyer from Lost?

No, much earlier setting.

Could also easily be Al Swearengen from Deadwood. Now that I'm thinking about it, it fits him perfectly. Am I getting the medium right at least? A television show?

You are getting nearer, maybe a century off

There is quite current TV show where he is a bit younger.

Ian McShane is getting younger? That's definitely some good news!

The character is younger than middle-aged in this resent TV show but in the original novel he is about middle-aged.