Thanks for the feedback. I agree that the type of game makes a big difference between what makes fun (which is ALWAYS acceptable, whatever your personal standards or the rules say) and what falls flat.

In my Green Isles campaign, where a huge gaming group (9 PCs at its peak) sailed around committing dastardly acts of piracy, I think it would have been fun to use costume. Encourage players to get pirate hats, headbands, wizard robes… I wonder whether the fellow playing the Elvish maiden would have considered cross-dressing? Hmm. Anyway, this is something I’d be willing to use in my game. When they go against the evil overlord, pull on a surcoat (charity shop pillowcase, scissors, and a few coloured texters). When they go against the dark sorcerer, pull on my black hoodie and pull the hood waaaay over my eyes. Masks. Props (I had a “staff” that I waved around for a few encounters). Et cetera. I guess I lean away from the visual and towards the symbolic. Just one or two tiny details to evoke the archetype will set players’ minds reeling. This is in the same vein as adopting an accent, I suppose.

Perhaps your character would do *anything* to impress a lady. He could smile, wink, or wave at any or all ladies present before any act of heroism. In an all male situation, he could pine for some lost love. I’ve played a bard who gushed like Baron Von Munchhousen whenever a lady was present. Then he would throw himself at the foe with a flourish.

Or have a temper. Visible try to keep it in check, but once it breaks (and it always does), watch out! Great for characters who have some kind of rage abilities. Count to 10 out loud, or try to then give in and go wild.

Con your way to fame and glory. Use social skills to the hilt, disguise yourself, and get yourself into all sorts of trouble. I GMed and Eberron campaign and had a Changeling who *always* tried to impersonate the bad guys, often the BBEG. It didn’t always work, but it was always entertaining.

Focus on one aspect of knowledge, and filter everything through that lens. This is good for academic characters (Adepts in Dark Heresy, Professors in Call of Cthulhu, Aracane types in D&D…). Constantly refer to your version of Tobin’s Spirit Guide (Ghostbusters), use your knowledge skill, and wonder aloud how romance, sword fighting, and the plague relate to your passion.

As to your thoughts on number 3 and 5, it all depends on the type of game you are playing and what mood you are going for with the game. I’d never use mini’s in a Vampire game that focused on storytelling. It just doesn’t fit the mood. I’d also not reference the FF swords in a setting that was reminiscent of baroque italy, focusing on political intrigue and courtly politics. In these cases I’d reference something like “The mustache curls, kind of like Kenneth Brannaugh’s in his version of Hamlet.” I like to think of visual aids and references as a starting point to get people on the same page. If I pull out a model of a giant armored sci-fi robot, and then start describing how the steampunk mecha is made of brass and belches noxious clouds of black and grey from its vents, the players might start morphing that sci-fi robot into the steampunk conglomeration I describe. The closer to actuality, the better, and it all depends on the type of game you’re playing.

Great comment Bercilac!

“He hisses…”
“His tongue flicks the wind thoughtfully…”
“Leaning on his gnarled staff…”

I’d have these right at the top of the character sheet, and just try to re-use them a few times in the first few minutes of interaction.

Voices are always a plus. I’m playing a firenewt character and I’m having great fun hissing all of my in character dialogue (it also helps to distinguish in-character from out-of-character). I’m pleased that my GM has also taken on voice acting with gusto, providing us with some really interesting encounters.

A few minor touches can make any character unique. I guess a good way to do this would be to say “What’s the archetype?” and then change it in some dramatic way, as you describe. You don’t even have to go over-the-top (though it doesn’t hurt!). Unexpected works too. What about a fighter that’s out of shape? A powerful wizard that suffers from uncontrollable fits of giggling?

I disagree with number 3 completely, I’m afraid. Perhaps this is a matter of personal preference, but I feel that would make my work too derivative. Obviously elements of any work will be derivative, but I dislike the kinds of comparison you suggest. Then again, maybe I’m just an anti-video-game snob, as I don’t mind literary comparisons. Yeah, that’s probably it…

Number 5 is actually a contentious one. I tend to agree that visual aides are good, but I rarely use them for characters as I don’t have minis and I can’t draw very well. I usually use props such as maps, hand-written messages, et cetera. What I like about these things is the artifact you give the players is more or less what is supposed to exist in the game world. Some members of my gaming group would say that visual aides get in the way of imagining what they see. I wouldn’t. For me, the problem with minis is precisely that they are miniature, and I guess that diminishes it for me. How could a tiny pewter model ever measure up to Krog the Destroyer? If Krog knew what I were doing, he would put my head on a pike!

Great article overall, and extremely useful.