Fleshing out your fledgeling characters

Subject: Fleshing out your fledgeling characters 2/4/2008, 11:21

Well.. it's nearing that time. I don't know how many of you are schizo like me, and have dozens of character concepts and ideas floating around in the gray matter between your ears. . .

But I seem to have an issue with character development. Recently, I took a tip to "Sit down and interview your characters." ... Obviously, don't let anyone see you doing this... you really will appear quite Schizophrenic ... and that's just not happy. At all.

I'm beginning this topic so that others can see my process, and hopefully they can post their processes too. Let's see what your characters are about -- out of character'ly speaking.

So I sat down with one of my character concepts in Microsoft Word, and began to "intverview" him. This is what I came up with. His responses are in red.

So . . . what is your name? Murchadh. (MOOR uh chugh) That’s all you need to know right now.
That’s interesting. . . what’s that mean? Names don’t mean much, but I guess it means “Sea Warrior.”
So are you named appropriately then? I usually gut people for asking silly questions, so yes, probably.
Maybe Sea Ruffian would have been a better name? That would be a stupid name. My name’s a name, and that’s all there is to it. My lovers sing it to me on a following breeze, and my enemies force it from their lips.
Where do you come from? Oh, you’re clever. I see how you did that. The Ruffian Isles make up my home port – it’s a place where the women are. . . friendly. . . the children are . . . polite . . . and the men are men.
Aha! So you’re a sailor, th--? Pirate. Sailors float about, doing whatever their job entails.
Oh, how romantic an image that is. There’s nothing romantic about it. I sail the seas. I plunder. I rape. I pillage. I burn – and not necessarily in that order. I’m the most black-hearted scoundrel to ever set foot upon a teak deck. Those that forget that usually find a knife in their back before the sun comes charging over the horizon. . .
Alright. So I know who to not go to when I want a few bucks for charity. Are you a Pirate aboard your own ship or do you sail under another even more black-hearted scoundrel than yourself? The Downsized Titan is my ship – and the most sea worthy ship of her class. She’s mine – all mine, and crewed by the most merciless dogs of hell you ever did see. The ol’ DT roams the high seas from the Ruffian Isles to North’s End – From there to the Orahinn Ocean – looting anything that suits our fancy along the way. Rumors of treasure, artifacts, and chaos lure my men and I wherever we have the most success at striking it – striking it rich that is.
Wow. So do you loot anyone in particular, any ship above the rest? *spits, curses* Anything under Bristonian flag. Hate those bastards – they think they control the seas? Well they’re DAMNED wrong. I’m probably wanted over there with some hefty sum placed atop this pretty head of mine. . . I’ll loot, murder, rape, I-don’t-care-what-but-it’ll-be-nasty to any Bristonian vessel I come across.
Easy there. So you’re pretty well versed in combat. Do you prefer hand to hand or. . .? *unsheathes two wicked-looking blades. Both blades are about a foot long, ridiculously sharp-looking, and have a flat, curved blade. Whale bone handles make up the grips of the formidable weapons* These are called Kukris – a small tribe on whatever hell-hole-island-I-forget-the-name-of-now were using these to fight another piss-ant tribe across the hill.. I took a liking to these two weapons as I . . . gave my services to the aforementioned tribe to wipe out the latter. Once I gained their trust, we wiped their tribe out too. But yes. I love using these two lovely things in combat.
You really are a scoundrel. So where do you want to see yourself in the next year? Maybe workin’ on addin’ another ship to my fleet. I’ve only a fleet of one… but you have to start somewhere. Oh… and of course, money in my pocket, and a wench on either side of me. Maybe a few bottles of rum here and there…
Alright for the short term – but what’s the long term plan? . . . You ask a lot of questions, stranger. I don’t like that, normally, but you seem to pamper me well enough with the right words… scoundrel and all that. So I guess I’ll tell you. I want to become the Pirate King – uniting all the Black Flags under my own. . . Looting, pillaging, and burning all who oppose us. We will become a Pirate Nation, feared the world over for our sea savvy and merciless business. Bristonia won’t stand a chance. No other nation’s navy will.. they’ll pay good money to be allowed to trade and transport over the seas the Pirate Nation controls… damn good money. . . yes… that’s the goal. . . much later though. We’ve got plenty of work to do now.
Sounds like you… have everything in order then. So what’s your favorite word? . . . A man can’t have only one favorite . . . I can’t have a favorite wench or a favorite rum or a favorite precious jewel. . . . They’re all good in my book… wenches. Rum. Loot.
What do you hate the most? Are you deaf? Anything Bristonian. And maybe a seaman who can’t do his job. Especially a Bristonian Seaman who can’t do his job – whatever that may be.
If you had to look out for your ship, your men, or yourself – which would you choose? Maybe you don’t know me as well as I was thinking. Myself, obviously. You can always get a new crew, and while I’ve become quite attached to the DT, ships are replaceable too. Ain’t nobody’s neck more important than my own – and don’t you forget that if you and I ever find ourselves in a jam.
I’d hate to have been your mother or father. Heh. My mother was a Mermaid, and my father was the devil himself. I was born in a bilge and raised with the gutter rats. I’ve fought from after peak to forepeak, from foc’sle to top mast. . . across galleons and galleys. . . swam and sailed over the seas to my limits. . . You must just have too weak a stomach to deal with Murchadh, my friend.
One last question. In one word – describe yourself. Free. Free of any obligation. Moral, government, whatever. I get to be as fickle as the sea herself, and as quick to change as the winds see fit. Now, if you’re done. . . leave me to my rum before I get tired of the way your neck looks whole.
And this ends the interview.

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Subject: Re: Fleshing out your fledgeling characters 2/4/2008, 11:27

I suppose interviewing other characters, non-player characters, would also help flesh out the character concept if it is still fleeting away from you. I was listening to Rammstein, pondering how Murchadh may appear in a tavern setting, and I thought about how a normal patron may see him, and inquire about his person from one of his fellows based off of his reputation. . . This is what immediately flowed onto Microsoft Word . . . I should add to it... but not right now.

Now that we’re observing Murchadh from a distance… let’s take a look at him . . . and the rumors that circulate his person . . . he’s not just a Pirate, but a notorious slave trader. . . primarily children slaves. . . He lures them with his voice… through song and stories . . . where they become enthralled with the charismatic Nullminan Pirate . . . Murchadh always seems to keep a few of these child-slaves around . . . keeping them perhaps not just as slaves, but as close confidants… maybe the closest thing he can have to a friend . . . They would seemingly do anything for him, and have come to his defense a time or two. .