Forums » Smalltalk » Multi character vs single character.

Alright, it's been on my mind so I'd like to discuss the advantages of single character slots vs having a multi character page to allow for more characters to rp with.

Also is there any advantages to being anonymous rather than public? Discuss below!

As a person that has one character per slot I find it easier to edit and manage my character like that, I do like to believe that my character is some sort of "work in progress" since each time I RP with her I get to know more about how she would likely react and what would she do in the current situation, so it's basically easier for me to develop her in a slot for herself.

About being Anonymous I think it adds a bit of "spice" to the RP since you don't get to know anything about the person you're role playing with, so you have to RP with them and see their reactions towards whatever you launch at them and thus getting to know them better while taking risks, also It's fun to guess who you are role playing with.

Honestly, I go for multi-character slots based on the situation. For example, these two derps are in essence one and the same, but they're two separate representatives of a single entity, if that makes sense. Another example is my Lolita Cafe, who are mostly NPC staff that work at the same place; the cafe owner belongs to someone else entirely and has their own separate profile. At times it gets unwieldy with the first example, but it doesn't feel right to separate them.

Basically, if it's not viable to make a separate profile for them because of lack of use, that's when multi-character profiles come into play. It's just not worth using a slot for one minor or NPC character. That requires too many slots for too many characters that may only show up once in a RP; it wastes resources for more worthwhile characters. Otherwise I base single character slots on strength of muse and overall importance to an outside project I have. It's about finding a balance at times when it comes to multi-character slots. Even then, I don't do multi-character slots often. I only have two, and one doesn't really count since they're the same person.

When it comes to anonymous characters? Privacy. That's the key advantage of having an anonymous character to me. And of course, some may feel it more comfortable to play behind a character as a sort of profile instead of outright using their username. I only have one profile on anonymous, and that's because plot reasons. Anonymous is great for hiding information you otherwise don't want to show everyone. (I'd still love an option to hide work in progress profiles from the public eye, though.)

I'm a single character slot type of person, because for me quality > quantity. I like to make use of tabs to document detail on each individual rather than have a single piece of a page per character. And if someone wants to leave feedback, each character has their own guestbook/ kudos page.

As for the anonymous thing, I'm not sure really. I think it adds a bit of mystery to the roleplay but at the same time, I like to get to know who I'm RPing with.

In the past, I've use multicharacter profiles. I'm not currently doing that for a number of reasons, but when I did use them it was because I would be playing multiple characters in a single roleplay on a regular basis. The profile is long gone, but I did an expansive RP with a friend about a parkour group. Most of my characters ended up on one profile because I was not going to keep replying to forum posts with eight or nine different characters. They were old characters and used almost exclusively with my one friend. This means that the profiles were a little barer than I might normally allow, but I got to keep all the info together and did not need to post multiple times.

Basically, I like to group profiles for characters who all belong together. I currently have two profiles for a pair of characters who are connected, but I don't play one of them. I might as well take his info and put it all on her profile and play him on a case by case basis since he's not being used, but his information is important.

As for Anon, most of my characters are anon. There a number of reasons for it, but most of it comes down to playing many different styles of characters and not wanting those characters to get blended together. My innocent character flung into a world of high fantasy from her own mundane world would not do half the things my incredibly violent honey pot character would just as they would not act like my back from the dead for revenge character. I know people wouldn't mean to muddle them, but it would happen a little. If the honeypot would do certain actions, why not this character?

It just keeps a good seperation. That said, most people I know are aware of at least half my list because I can't keep my mouth shut for long when I get a good idea.

I am on a fence on this. I prefer to handle my characters having their own pages Save for someone such as Asroc and Copen as an example who have robotic partners. I feel it feels a bit neater to have a character have their owns lot than some bunch have their own slot. I honestly can't handle something like that.


As for Anon. That is up to the player. I use to do that due to my own lack of self confidence.

If I had less characters I'd like to separate them, so that if I were to make any connections they would know which character I was talking about.

i tend to gravitate towards being extra in regards to character profiles, so having just one page for a character wouldn't really work for me. i like to like looking at my work - not only do the characters themselves matter to me but so does the place i go to to learn about them. i don't really mind one way or the other in regards to other people, but i'm much more likely to absorb all information about a character if it's only got one profile. for some reason, i feel like it's less info - even though it's obviously not. i also get to see any design things a person may or may not use fo the character. my profiles are constructed with the characters in mind; if someone likes doing that as well, i always like to see templates that they felt corresponded to the character.

i'm always super hesitant to rp with anonymous characters, though. there are plenty of reasons to have them, i'm aware, but i always prefer to be able to pop into a separate thread if we need to orchestrate something - if the roleplay has organized itself into a thing that needs planning in order to get to an end goal, i like being able to talk to someone. ik i can just message them on that character, but. i also like being able to see how a person conducts themselves on this site. i'm not only here to write; meeting people and making friends is really fun to me and an integral part of a roleplay experience. i usually only message someone or take up a story with them once i've looked over their profile, and i'm much less trusting when i can't. also, i've had a lot of experiences with anonymous characters ghosting - it seems that people sometimes make characters anonymous just so that they can do that repetitively.

Personally, I don't do multiple characters per slot unless - similar to Asroc - the secondary characters are sidekicks or inseperable companions. Even then, they don't just get a section of one page. I usually organize their info into two pages, when I can. So I can talk about appearance and personality separate from background information. So folk don't feel like they have to read that background stuff to get a feel for the character.

As far as anonymous characters - I don't worry much about not being able to see who plays a character since I tend to browse for RP on overall idea. Not necessarily who will be in it. And then I get a little blurb that showcases the writing style and what they're looking to get out of the RP and it helps me determine whether to give that RP a chance.

Also I like using anonymous characters to keep people from looking at my profile and going "Ohkay," and rolling their eyes because the premise of one character looks similar to another. All of my characters react to things differently, even when they have similar backgrounds or skillsets. But I also feel that details like that can't be explained just through character profiles.

Um, I'm not explaining this very well, I feel.

I like single character slots. Sadly, I veer way away from people inquiring about RP who have a list of characters per slot. I just find it, I don't know..distracting. Like, if I rp with said person, their "character" being "Fantasy Medival Guys" instead of the characters name. Completely ruins the illusion for me. Just like I find it very hard to RP with people who use real people as their character reference and profile pic. This last one, I have no idea exactly why. I guess it's because, even if they say - play Captain Jack Sparrow or their character looks like him (using actual movie references over fan art) - it's still a "real" person. As in, physical. A physical person portrayed that character so it takes it away from the whole "fantasy" thing for me.

Now, you use some hot anime guy and I'm all over that (secretly drooling mind you). I'm just weird.

But yes, single character > multiple character profiles.