Forums » RP Discussion » Can you ever have too many characters?

I was recently looking at how many characters I have on the RPR alone and suddenly wondered... can one have too many?
I have about 80-something, a lot were one-shots though. I think I have about 20-25 that I mostly use.

So can you ever have too many? Or as long as they get used it's fine?

God...why did we make so many back in the day?

I know right?

You can NEVER EVER have too many characters xD I have about as many asyou and keep making new ones on a whim... like Ilo.

Never. Never ever ever ever.

You can NEVER have too many characters.

Ha ha. Seems most people agree. The answer is 'never'. : D

Haha, OTL I dont even remember half of their names.

I tend to have active, semi-active, retired and deceased/npc characters. For actively roleplayed ones, right now for Furcadia, I have.. two or three. Some are limited in their storylines, some are waiting for the right mood and some are waiting for the right time

I think it's possible to have too many! xD
Then again, I'm biased. I only ever use one character. I get bored of undeveloped ones quick. And I don't have time to develop new ones LOL

My trust issues also have to do with not making characters up on the spot for people. I have this pessimistic adittude that goes: "Why would I waste my precious time making a character for you when you'll probably end up ditching me in two months?"

Uncreative brain is uncreative. And out of RAM memory, methinks.

I guess it varies from person to person. He he.

I find I can make tons of developed characters without a problem, and those who are underdeveloped, develop in roleplay to make it interesting.

But I understand your point of making up characters for people. I don't do that anymore, but I was guilty of doing so before. And your brain is creative if you can roleplay! : D.
But yeah. I understand both sides of it, how some people can't handle that many, and others can.

Oh, I know people with lots of characters that are quite developed.

I envy them so. *o*

Honestly, everyone has there different capabilities. That and creative genes that just never seem to leave you be. I know I'm constantly creating even if I don't always role play them. Yet I'm an original avidgamer role player so I got use to having multiples that could fit into different places and then email role plays where you could bring them out to play. So I don't think you can ever have to many, but generally it's a good idea to realize that while you might have a lot. Trying to role play every single one regularly isn't going to happen.

I think it becomes too many if you end up neglecting your PR responsibilities on your other characters. Is there a reason one person might have tons and tons of characters? Do they get bored of their characters easily? I've known some people to get quickly bored with a character they made, and instead of trying to revamp or create interesting roleplay they just.. move along and create another.
However, there are some people who love making new characters for the creative side of things.
Kind of reminds my of the Sims My sisters never actually played the games, she spent all her time making characters and building houses because she loved working and building the designs.
I'll be honest, I'm sometimes hesitant with roleplaying with people who hop between different characters. I like longterm roleplay and it makes me think that they might not be capable of doing so.

However! To each their own.

I have around 30 characters that I use (or would love to use but no one wants to). Some more developed than others, but all pretty interesting in my opinion. Every now and then I think "Hey me? Wouldn't it be cool if you had a character that was like this and this and that?", and make a new one.

It depends on the person. Some sacrifice a little variety in favor of depth, some do the opposite. Some do neither.

Yes & no.

In regards to separate roleplays...
If you're an avid roleplayer, there's a certain responsibility you have when it comes to the number of characters you have. If they're all interwoven into various stories with other players' creations, it's your job to learn how to juggle them when that time comes. If you attempt to juggle it but story & playing quality starts to go down, that's a sign it's time to put some of them away for a while so you can focus on a few.

Alternatively, in regards to the same roleplay...
Here's where I go "yes you can have too many"; domination in a setting by one player is my big reason on why. I am pleased that you know how to juggle all those characters in a single session, but they start to dominate and overtake the roleplay when too many of them are on scene. Ease up. Please.

I have one.

I think if I made another one, it'd probably be either an archaeologist, an old-timey sailor (a commissioned explorer and/or trader, rather than a pirate), or an ancient Mesopotamian. But, those are all very vague and undeveloped concepts, more like impressions than ideas. I generally don't make new characters until and unless I have a precise feel for what they're supposed to be, and then only if I feel like that character needs to exist. Basically I need to be able to justify the amount of time and effort that goes in to making a new dude/tte.

As far as alts go, I'll play one character in an arbitrarily large number of narratives at the same time, but I'll never play more than one character in the same narrative at the same time. I don't think it's wrong, it'd just feel weird to me. Like I was talking to myself in public. Even if there was some way of ensuring they'd never interact with each other, I'd still refrain. I'd rather let somebody else fill the role and thus include more people. And more than anything else, playing my own characters talking to themselves would just be super boring.

Depends. I have a whole slew of characters, but it's not like I plan to rp them all. They're just ideas I like, ones I could potentially draw or write or rp about.

When did RP become about responsibilities? It's supposed to be fun and relaxing, if I have to worry about scheduling roleplay and catering to someone's wishes, then it stops being fun to me. The only responsibility I have is to have fun and respect others, and that's where it ends for me.

I have 80 something characters as well. I do create some because I grow bored, but it's not because my characters aren't interesting or because I'm lazy. It's because most other characters I run into who want to RP are the same weak brew of the same teabag that's been in a cup of hot water 50 times already. They don't stimulate my character and have nothing contributing to bring into the storyline no matter how hard I try. They all either want to roleplay out a dramatic high school teen drama story that I've done a thousand times, or are out for a quick adult scene. It's difficult to keep a character going if you keep giving feedback but don't get an echo back. I try to hook up with everyone who wants to RP, but 9 out of 10 times it runs into a dead end.

As a result I try out new characters often to see if there's one that's a better match. I don't throw the others away (I bring them in for new RP a lot) but I do explore new areas that my currently existing characters aren't fit for. I do revamp old chars that have been rotting. And if I can't get them off the ground again? I'll sell them. Someone else might have something better for them.

All in all it's all personal though. It's all about preferences. Some people mind if you hop from one alt to another, others don't. You just need to find your match, no?

THIS. Generally, if I'm creating a new character? It's because I either don't think that my current character fits a setting and don't WANT to change him/her, or because RP on it has completely dried up. Poor Garfunkle has been around almost 6 years, and I'll keep him inactive for MONTHS at a time. Same goes for the majority of my characters, frankly. As someone who draws a LOT of their own character art, I'm also in danger of spending hours on a reference sheet for a character I've never even played before, and then abandoning it before it even has a name.
But as a rule of thumb, once I've RPed with someone 3 times, they stick around on my server until they either die IC, or they have absolutely no hope of developing stimulating roleplay.

As far as RP responsibilities go, it's a two way street -- people have this nasty tendency to disappear; I know I'm guilty of it. Because of that, I would HOPE that my RP partners had alts (or at least a vast storyline) to keep them busy if I can't come online. The more the merrier, so long as they don't ignore me when I message/whisper. If they can't handle multiple RPs, then I move it. And I would expect the same from anybody else

Nope. I don't think it's possible to have too many characters, unless you're feeling over burdened by them...
I think making characters is a great creative exercise, and helps keep the mind limber for rp and more serious writing.