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Character Tropes Guide


LotsOfMuffins
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Character Trope Guide

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Hello!

In both creating an application and creating a new character once you’ve already been accepted, extremely common character tropes are something that you generally want to avoid. This quick guide will help you understand what they are and why you shouldn’t use them!

 

 

What are character tropes?

A character trope is a widely recognizable aspect of a story that grants you information about that character, which is often the difference between flat vs dynamic characters. On Lord of the Craft, this means elements of a character’s backstory that stand out and provide insight into a character’s life. 

 

Broad trope categories would include: 

  • Important childhood events.

    • Did this character have a life-changing event growing up?

  • Childhood friends.

    • How have this character’s friends impacted them?

  • How your character has acquired their skill set.

  • How your character views the world around them, and why. 

 

Some things to consider when making, reviewing, or recognizing tropes on LotC are:

  1. Does this character fit a certain stereotype?
  2. Is this character’s backstory lacking in details (is it bland), or is the character’s backstory too intense (is it over the top)?
  3. Was there a justifiable cause for this character to turn out this way? 
  4. And a general tip- Where is this character’s peak? You will want to make a character with a steady rise, but not yet a peak, when writing a backstory. You want to have something for your character to work for so that you will have fun roleplaying as them.

 

 

What makes a character trope good or bad?

The phrase ‘character trope’ often has a negative connotation; However, character tropes are not always negative! The main reason why most character tropes are bad is because of how common or cliché the trope is. Common character tropes are bad as they are simply overused and unoriginal.

 

 

What are some common bad character tropes used on LotC?

There are a variety of character tropes that should be avoided. Some of the common tropes are as follows:

  • Character is orphaned at a young age because of…

    • Bandits

    • Orcs

    • A freak accident

    • Dark elves

  • Being the only survivor of an...

    • Massacre

    • Accident

  • Having an older wise teacher figure that tells you various things about the world.

  • Joining the military because...

    • Your family has had soldiers in the military for generations.

    • Your father has always been your role model so you join to be just like him.

  • Seeing someone using magic when you’re young so you decide you want to pursue magic as well.

  • Trained his/her entire life to become an expert at...

  • Lost all of their memories. 

 

 

How can you avoid using a bad character trope?

When it comes to avoiding bad character tropes, there are many options at your disposal. Firstly, try and subvert your tropes! If you find yourself drawn to certain overused tropes, find ways to take only parts of them, or take them out completely. This way, you will not appear like all of the others who use the same trope.

 

Secondly, allow change in your character. If something happens to them, let it change them. Your character's experience in roleplay should dictate how they act and take on problems. It’s alright for bad or good things to happen! Let them flow and allow them to make your character stronger.

 

Finally, avoid clichéd situations. Sometimes, it's not what you do but the positions your character might find themselves that causes these poor tropes! Find a unique light for making a situation. If your character was kicked from the army, have it been for a reason of valor rather than one of ignoring orders. Find a way to make your character unique; then you will have a true set of RP legs to stand on. 

 

Trust your instincts, but also trust in the RP that you come across. Let it mold your character into something rare, and one of a kind. 

 

 

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Thank you to @AccioNily, @AnonymousAlexa, @HogoBojo, and @LordScisso for working together to create this guide.

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16 minutes ago, LotsOfMuffins said:

Trained his/her entire life to become an expert at...

 

but my character DID train their entire life to become an expert pancake maker, what's wrong with that???

 

 

Not to be a simp or anything but really nice guide Muffins 👍

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1 hour ago, LotsOfMuffins said:

Cjildhood friends.

Childhood friends.

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my parents killed my orcs

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1 hour ago, Evonpire said:

my parents killed my orcs

My parents were killed by humans

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To be honest, there is not much wrong with any of these 'cliche tropes' or cliche tropes in general. Most new players suffer from not being experienced, and that's about it.

 

https://imgur.com/a/vdYauFr

 

Also, this is a cliche trope? Lol. Having military history in your family does typically lead to future family members also joining.

 

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1 hour ago, GavinH said:

Also, this is a cliche trope? Lol. Having military history in your family does typically lead to future family members also joining.

 

Yea, got to say I feel like that one gets a pass, and I don’t feel many new players use it even, or at least not many that I’ve personally witnessed

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