PC Creation, and Guild Limitations

[In Dreams]

So I have a real problem when I play ArmageddonMUD. I formulate my characters based on personalities/motivations/backgrounds/et cetera, and not their coded skillset. The coded skillset is an afterthought that I kind of stick on them after deciding it's the closest fit to their starting state. The problem is, when I wrote character X, Y, or Z, I was just sticking this person into the gameworld and when they get there, they might either just not fit into available PC roles (say, they'd make a decent bartender or day laborer, or slave trainer), or it's quickly suggested that they do X, but because I already picked their guild/subguild, they cannot possibly actually do X, or learn it, no matter how hard they try even if it actually could have fit the character very well. There's no real direct line guiding them toward what guild/subguild I picked for them, and they literally cannot do anything else.

It must just be wiser to make your PC based on choices available to them in the gameworld, so they have a more obvious path toward being useful and having a place there.

What starting points do you use to turn ideas into PCs? I feel like I've been doing it wrong.

[whitt]

It must just be wiser to make your PC based on choices available to them in the gameworld, so they have a more obvious path toward being useful and having a place there.

What starting points do you use to turn ideas into PCs? I feel like I've been doing it wrong.

This is a real challenge.  And your first tries in any part of the gameworld are going to be a bit hit-or-miss, in my experience.  My recommendation would be to make your first PC in any part of the world malleable.  It is difficult because of the nature of guilds and skills, but what I mean is along these lines:
- If you're going to play a desert elf or human tribal, start with a ranger - they're very flexible and can get involved no matter what outdoorsy things are going on.
- If you're playing in the Rinth, pick one of the seedier guilds
- If you want to play a magicker, start with a gemmed and a human - maybe plan to join Oash's circle.

In short, for your first role somewhere new?  Give yourself a concept that (a) isn't hardmode and (b) is open to learning all the things about the opportunities that might be there, but neither you nor your PC can be prepared for.

Then, once you've got an idea of what's viable?  Plan your next character to stretch the boundaries.  You're much less likely to be a fish out of water if you know what's likely to fit in from some amount of experience.

[valeria]

If you've formulated your character based on personality/motivation/etc, and you get into the world and someone says why don't you do X, if X doesn't fit in with what you set them up to do, you should feel free to decline that job.  But unless you're playing a merchant/squishy subguild in a combat clan or a warrior being asked to sneak around, I also don't think you're as limited by your skillset as it sounds like you think you are.  When you say "they literally cannot do anything else" I think you are unnecessarily limiting yourself.  Most guild/subguild combinations are flexible to just about any role you can think of, especially if you pick one of the more flexible main guilds (ranger/burglar).  The only thing this isn't true of is crafting-oriented professions.

You might also start targeting your characters' personality and motivations a little more at roles that are available in game.  You can't play a slave trainer... but you could play someone who wants to hook up with Borsail and get really heavily into the Arena.  You can't play a bartender, but you could play an aide (a lot of the skills are similar).  You could actually be a day laborer, except they're called grebbers or shit shovelers and really you're just putting yourself out there as the guy available to do the shitty jobs no one else wants to do.