Character Limits

[NinjaFruitSalad]

Is.. there some reason for arbitrary character limits on so many different submissions? I get that you don't want to read novels for some things that shouldn't be novels, but in other cases, it feels to restrictive.

2500 characters is only about 430 words or so.

But in case you're wondering, I was about 2/3 of the way through writing up my character's background, only to be abruptly cut off at 1810 characters. There was never even a counter that notified me how many characters would be left. What gives? I'm trying to flesh out my character and write a nice story, but with such a small restriction, having to pare things down and omit so many details is inevitably going to leave reviewers thinking it was "rushed" or something.

[Dracul]

Use a followup bio entry if reasonable, maybe rewrite the background at twice the length, and then summarize it in two or three sentences for the background, with more details in followup bios. This is assuming it's just a normal character application and not a special application.

[flurry]

I don't think reviewers are going to expect (or want) a lot of a detail in the background for the application itself. Mine was super short, so yours is probably not going to be sparser than mine.

Here's a couple of practical tips, though. Keep the background short, but add the rest of the detail to bio entries.  (Unfortunately, it looks like you have to go through the Hall of Kings first before you bio? My approved character doesn't show up as an option for biography on the website.)  If you're pressed to get your background down to 300 words or so, you could use something like ChatGPT and just cut, paste, "help me edit this to 300 words," then wordsmith it from there as needed.

[Lizzie]

I think of the initial background as just a few bullet points (in a paragraph) pointing out the most significant highlights of what the PC has experienced, leading them to the moment that their player walks them out of the Hall of Kings. Example:

Born to Maisy Kadius and John the recruit hunter. Maisy was assassinated, John died during a hunt. Kadius didn't want Jimbob and paid the orphanage to take him at age 7. He grew up in the alleys only vaguely knowing of his parentage. He now sets out to claim his birthright, or at least profit from Kadius and live easy for the rest of his life.

That's just 74 words and fewer than 500 characters including spaces and punctuation.  It's not detailed. It gives just enough background to understand the pertinent details: Parents names and current status of existence. Current status of Jimbob. He grew up poor, possibly with fleeting memories of a better life (or possibly not). He's looking to get out of the alleys, possibly seeking revenge on Kadius for rejecting him, AND he's looking to not have to work hard to earn his riches. Mindset is set up this way, without requiring specific action. That's best left to how it plays out once the player brings him in.

[Usiku]

Is.. there some reason for arbitrary character limits on so many different submissions? I get that you don't want to read novels for some things that shouldn't be novels, but in other cases, it feels to restrictive.

It's a lot to read when we are approving character apps, even when it's normal operating procedure rather than reviewing 100 apps in one day! The bio for the application should be short and sweet and really a TLDR. You can flesh it out as much as you want in your bios. The longer a bio (and also an mdesc) the more chance of a staff member missing a mistake when they are tired or something. I agree it ought to warn you about the character limit, however.