Pre-written characters

Pre-written characters are those created by the organizers before the game. They can vary in length from a few lines of text to several pages of information. The goal is to provide the player with all the information needed to play a particular character in the game. For longer or complex games characters are often sent out well in advance, while rerunable games often hand out characters immediately before play.

Elements

A pre-written character often contain some or all of the following elements:

• Personal history
• Personality traits
• Social role and responsibilities
• Relationships to other characters
• Goals and motivations
• Personal thoughts or memories
• Direction or Fate
• Thematic inspirations
• Costuming advice

Advantages

Some of the benefits of pre-written characters:

• Structuring drama and conflict
• Giving players time to prepare
• Precise information
• Casting players for specific roles

Disadvantages

There are of course also disadvantages, the main ones being that information tends to be forgotten i longer characters and that a given player might not play the character as intended or not feel immersed in it. It can also be hard for players to prepare in-game relationships before play as well.