Origins and Backgrounds: Making EE14 a true and real Role Playing Game.

[Vaaankas]

Thesis:

The current character creation system offers freedom of choice but fails to encourage players to consider any of their character's background or history, which is a crucial factor for roleplaying in a game.

Relying on players to create their backstory in a vacuum is not logical. It is much simpler and more engaging to incorporate choices during character creation that organically interact with traits and define/describe the character's backstory without requiring much effort from the player.

I propose updating the character creation system to streamline and enhance the experience and encourage roleplay.

Objectives:

1. Automate Backstory Creation:

Implement a system that "generates" a character's backstory based on selected traits and choices, making it easier for players to engage with their characters.

2. Provide Roleplay Anchors:

Offer players specific points of reference that facilitate roleplaying, allowing them to connect with their and others' character's histories. There should be ways for characters to demonstrate their background or origin mechanically with unique traits, items or other means.

3. Establish Common Traits for Group Dynamics:

Create shared characteristics among characters that can lead to group formation or discrimination, enhancing social interactions within the game.

4. Increase the Significance of Traits:

Make traits more likely to be used through character creation and ensure that they have meaningful impacts on gameplay and character interactions, making them more than just gimmicks. This will allow to further differentiate species aswell.

5. Reduce Min-Maxing Potential:

Design the system to discourage players from optimizing traits solely for mechanical advantages, promoting a more balanced approach to character creation.

6. Integrate Lore into Gameplay:

Seamlessly weave the game’s lore into the character creation process, enriching the player's experience and connection to the game world.

7. Easier Onboarding For New Players

Create a user-friendly interface that guides new players through the character creation process. Include tooltips and descriptions to help them understand the implications of their choices without feeling overwhelmed.

Implementation

The current "Appearance" tab is so bloated it might aswell be called the "General" tab. I propose splitting it into "Character" and "Appearance", and at the same time include "Description" into the former, since it does not require a different tab and will be more noticeable that way.
At the same time "Markings" can be included at the bottom of "Appearance", so that you can choose markings right at the same place as hairstyles and beards.

Tabs: [Character][Appearance][Jobs][Antags][Traits][Loadout]

Paint mockup of the character tab:

Inspirations

• Caves of Qud character creation
• Dread Delusion character creation
• Cyberpunk 2077 Life Path choice
• PbtA TTRPG systems

Up to discussion and to be continued...

[Vaaankas]

Your species, origin, background and other RP-worthy notes should automatically be added to the character menu (i think its C by default).

[Vaaankas]

your traits too

[Vaaankas]

They should also show up in station records