Starting age

[crymerci]

What age range do you like to start most of your characters in (an average, if there's a lot of variation).  What influences this decision for you?

For the purposes of sanity, convert non-human races to an equivalent number of human years.

[blacksheep]

I like the agility bonus that comes from being in the late teens. It's also easier to make up a history, since the character hasn't been around that long.

[mansa]

I start them youngish, and live them out...

However, I always feel 'twinkish' when I'm asking for a reroll for my 25 year old guy with 'below average' strength and wisdom from what he had at 14.

It's really...awkward, when I can make a character halfway through life, with AWESOME stats and TERRIBLE skillz, but when I make a character from young to old, he inevitably has TERRIBLE stats and AWESOME skillz.

If only the aging factor could be changed to better suit this...

[Bestatte]

I try to keep my characters between 23 and 27. 20 seems too young, 30 seems to old - but that age range suits me pretty well. It wasn't an option so I picked the older range of the two.

[Dakkon Black]

I think around 16 is when the best time to start a long lived character. Otherwise if you want to go for a dangerous/fighting role then definately pick mid range age like 28.

It's really...awkward, when I can make a character halfway through life, with AWESOME stats and TERRIBLE skillz, but when I make a character from young to old, he inevitably has TERRIBLE stats and AWESOME skillz.  

If only the aging factor could be changed to better suit this...

-Mansa

[spawnloser]

I gotta say that I'm with Mansa on this one.  Not much to add but further example.

[Jacques]

I tend to pick an age where the character would have struck out on his or her own. In most cases, that's late teens, but sometimes earlier, and sometimes MUCH later, depending on the character's background. So my vote was 16-19, because that's an easy age range to have a young man or woman decide it's time to go their own direction. But that's by no means a binding rule.  :wink:

[Trenidor]

I'm really all over...

I've had nearly 150 characters, I'm sure I've had at least one of every starting age.

[Vettrock]

So your stats don't change with age?  I always thought you had a base set of stats and as you progressed through life your stats adjusted?  I just figured none of mine adjusted enought to change the 'word' description or the stats.  But I guess that isn't true?

[mansa]

Sure...your stats might automagickally change over the years...but...as you say, You don't get a 'word' change.  You might go up one or two levels in the 'poor' area, but you won't go up to 'below average' or even 'average'.

You are being hamstringed, because you won't have that 'good' strength, that 'good' endurance and that 'good' wisdom that you might roll up with an older character.

Let me make an example:

Joe:   Makes a character at 16.
Roll:
Strength ->  Average
Agility ->  Extremily Good
Wisdom -> Above Average
Endurance -> Average

He ages to 26, which should be his prime.  His stats are:
Strength -> Above Average
Agility -> Extremily Good
Wisdom -> Above Average
Endurance -> Average

Now... on to Bob:  Makes his character at 26.
Roll:
Strength -> Very Good
Agility -> Good
Wisdom -> Good
Endurance -> Good


Sure.  I fudged some of the stats...but...What I'm trying to say is that even with the Quasi Code that increases your stats, you'll never get a good roll that you would receive if you were to start that character at that higher age.   That's why you have to wish up for a reroll, at that stage, 10 IC years down the line.   (And that would be, about one full real life year, nowadays)

[sjanimal]

I tend to play characters pretty close to my own real life age.  If I tried to play them too young, it would end up being unrealistic because then I wouldn't be able to use the common sense I've garnered IRL over the years.  I'd feel shy playing someone more than five years older, for the similar reason that I lack the out of game maturity and wisdom.

Obviously, I have a few exceptions for this personal rule planned.

Also, playing a child would feel silly to  me after a while, as would playing some doddering oldster who could'nt walk in the desert heat.  But I've seen a few people play these sorts of characters, and I commend those that do a good job.