Membership Character Caps

[Rune 1,099]

How do you feel about character limits? Do you like having them? Do you like UNLIMITED cosmic power freedom? 

Are you okay with earning/buying additional slots? Or do you prefer the free for all? 

 

FEED ME YOUR OPINIONS

[Yume 99]

My preference is for as many characters as the player is comfortable playing - with no limits or points earning etc. I understand restricting canons (be they fandom or site based) but I don't typically see a reason to restrict character creation.

 

I can tolerate 'earning' new slots as long as the work to earn them isn't ridiculous - 5 posts on a character account before making the next one, acceptable if there posts more than once every month or two, for example. 100 posts, no matter how fast the site moves, is ridiculous. I don't like hard caps, and that dislike has been the last 'nope list' tick box that made me walk away from a site - more than once. But you earn a few points back as long as the hardcap is more than 5.

[ChrisOwl 59]

I prefer no caps! I like to let people be as creative as they choose and some people have more time than others to write characters... some characters offer more inspiration than others at given times, it's a hobby, I like to have the choice to write who I choose even if I'm choosing between 15 different characters. Sometimes I make characters and write a thread or two with them and find I just do not connect so I like being able to just shove those ones sort of aside and see if they strike me later... would be sad if those counted for my capped list if there was some limit. I also don't like to throw characters away because they just may spark the interest later. It's nice to have them handy, and let them sit, as long as I am not tying up other people's threads with them.

Canon caps I can definitely see and we do have those, so canons can be left open for other people who want to hop in later... but any unclaimed canon can also be NPCed soooo people can still use them if nobody else has picked that character up.

[Elena 546]

I have 20 posts requirement until making the second character. After this, no cap. Because I need to know people are dedicated, willing to stay before taking the commitment of a second character. We recommend having characters in all the factions, because the story sort of takes turn highlighting a place or another.

 

The problem with NPC-ing available, unadopted characters is that it could spiral into duplicate characters where it isn't the case.  I mean, if we don't have a second lieutenant taken yet, someone might give him a name in a thread (and if someone takes him 1 month later, give him another name) or describe him in another, different way than the future writer of the character would want. (and assuming there is another second lieutenant... how many could there be over 1-2 story months?)

[Rune 1,099]

I hate limitations. I don't mind earning them or buying them, provided the requirements/prices are reasonable. I get ideas. I want to play off those ideas. I also want to take wanteds and roll people to help get newbies involved...

 

@Elena - We solved that problem by editing the adoptable with their names/random information we came up with as we RP'd. Though, its resulted in some ridiculous NPCs.

[Elena 546]

@Rune- those are reocurring NPCs we have too. But if a role is free to be taken, the character shouldn't be mentioned before...

[Quell 249]

I don't mind it either way. I'm a player who rarely has more than a hand full of characters, even if given the option of as many as I want...

 

Mostly, I prefer when characters are played. So as long as characters are all getting attention (at least a post or two per thread per month) then I don't care if you have 1 character or 50. 

 

I will say that when I join a site and the vast majority of the people have more than 10 characters, I get nervous and often will duck out posthaste.

[Zahhy 130]

I feel stifled by character caps. Though I do my best to break any barriers I have to in order to get more characters, so maybe restrictions or prices get my competitive side going enough I don't mind them.

 

I have lots of characters, and I find that if I don't get the opportunity to pick up an NPC or ONPC for occasional threads I shrivel and slowly die. I need to be able to play all sorts of things, whenever the mood strikes me.

 

I have tried and true characters that get a lot of use, and some I made that were used once and sort of forgotten (oops). IDK I feel like sometimes things just click and if I couldn't make a new character that would end up making lots of threads and getting lots of posts, I'm stuck with one that everyone hates that never gets play and that sounds dull and sad.

 

If a character sits in my list too long without play I usually put them up for adoption so others might pick them up. Or I NPC them or kill them. And if I'm not ready to part with them I wave them around and try to bribe people into playing them with me. xD

Edited August 2, 2018 by Zahhy

[Jacob 58]

I feel a person should have a single character first, then make a reasonable amount of posts before they go all-out.  Due to offline handicaps, I can no longer join numerous boards, nor write numerous roles.  If a populace isn't abusing "snatching," and shares @Rune's work ethic, I will consider their game.  My ultimate view on this subject is like @Thyme's.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Jacob

[Kit the Human 759]

I don't like them and I won't have them.

 

If another site has a character cap, I might still join it.

[Shades 676]

I'm in the 'prefer they're not there' camp, though I can understand a soft-cap (aka, don't bite off more than you can chew), but for that player + staff discretion would be enough.

 

If a site allows only one initial character and others depending on a number of posts, I'm not even finishing reading the rules. Been there, done that. So basically if you make one character, post a plotter, try to plot with other people, etc, and can't get a plot with that character, you alternative is basically leaving the site? Or roleplaying with yourself so you get the 'right' to eventually write with others? Nah.

 

If a site has 2 to 5 initial characters allowed and you need to earn others, though, I'm cool with that. But my overall preference is that unless there is an actual reason for caps (example: the roleplay has an actual limited number of slots), they should be held on a case by case basis.

[StormWolfe 557]

Within reason, no limits. Of course, my sites also do not mandate that all characters be kept active all of the time. If an episode plot suits one character better than another, then play that character and send the others to the background or put them into subplots.

[Kazetatsu 263]

I prefer limits only on canon roles such as high-ranking characters cause those require player dedication.

 

However I have seen lack of character limits abused, you know that player type who makes characters but never plays any of them, and I do mean absolutely never. I think sites that have that issue a lot should consider some sort of reasonable limit 5-15 ic  posts or so for making characters over the limit number, just like how we can't put our sites in the directory here without having some presence in the community.  If a site has open threads a character can jump in to I don't think its too much to ask.

[River 57]

I like having to grind a bit for additional character slots, if only because I've been in RPs before where slots were unlimited, someone made 8 characters, threaded them all for about a month, and then started to ignore 7 of them. I know personally that if I have to post with my current characters to get a future one that I'll be more willing to hold on to that new one/think over if I really want them.

 

I'm also a firm believer in starting with more than one slot; I tend to start with 2 characters who are very different just so I don't get bored with one personality over and over (and because it usually opens up more plots).

[kjSage 81]

The only character cap on my boards is however many characters someone is comfortable with/can realistically RP. 

 

As far as canons go, on my site they usually get capped at 1 per person unless the site is just starting out. (On BOE my co-admin has the two military leaders just to keep the plot moving for now, once we're actually open and somewhat stable though she'd be open to someone else RPing one of her babies. But the site actually has to get off the ground first.)