How to get your character noticed – Make them memorable

Last month I posted roleplay advice from Kepler Station’s guide to roleplaying. As roleplaying can be a tough hobby to get into, it’s great when games post useful guides. Another piece of advice posted by Kepler station is the chapter about how to get your character noticed. It might be difficult to make your character stand out, so here’s what Kepler Station’s guide says about getting a character noticed:

How to get your character noticed, by Kepler Station

Sometimes it’s hard to get your character noticed or even for people to remember what your character looks like or that whenever your character thinks he has a tendency to stroke their chin. Stuff like that. Here’s some suggestions on how to get through to everyone what your character is really like:

• When you post try to describe one aspect of your character’s appearance
• If they are tall mention that they tower over everyone (be sure to check other character bios to make sure they are that much taller than everyone else) or stoop under low ceilings but vary your description between posts. Constantly reminding everyone that your character is tall, for example, quickly becomes monotonous for the readers
• Regularly mention a habit they have. Perhaps when they get excited they can’t keep still and fidget, or maybe they always tug the hem of their shirt when they get out of a chair (Picard)
• Post regularly both in character and out of character and take part in Joint Posts (JPs) as some people don’t feel comfortable even mentioning other people’s characters in their own posts
• Update your bio to include anything like allergies, fears or their favourite hobbies and mention those in your posts at the right times. Like when they are at the counsellor’s office your character talks about his paralysing fear of jam / jelly or they come out in hives if they eat pineapples
• Characters often have some sort of weakness. After all, it’s not interesting if they are good at
  everything they do. Some sort of weakness makes them relatable to the reader, whether they can’t tell one end of a hydrospanner from another or if they just have a surfeit of pride that keeps them from asking for help – even when they know they need it.

These are all things that are unique and help everyone get to know more about your character. And who knows hopefully others can include that information about your character in their posts. Be careful though as they might try to slip you some pineapple!

Note: Another great way to get your character noticed is to get yourself noticed out of character (OOC). Get involved in OOC discussions on the forum and off site. Make friends with other players, it’s a great way of making people want their characters interact with yours.

Source: Kepler Station Player Guide (PDF), from the Kepler Station website.