Physical Description
From Tazlure Gaming System Wiki
|
Skills | |
For reasons of visualisation and consistency the TGS advises the Charactersheet for PC's, as well as NPC's notes to contain a set of standard data:
- Eye Colour
- Hair Colour
- Hair Style
- Height
- Weight
- Race/Nation, including Colour of Skin
- Typical form of dress
Depending on the setting moderators are advised to limit possibilities.
General Impression
See Also Personality
Does the character step lively? Does she laugh brightly when moving through the room? Will her eyes twinkle?
The Eye of the Beholder or Show instead of Tell
Viewpoint is very important in a physical description. Some parts of a physical description are objective facts. The girl has red hair for instance. Some parts can be written in such a way that others are forced in their perception of the character, which is a no, no. PC's nor NPC's can force reactions upon other characters.
- Example
- Wrong: Tessa impressed everybody around her with her beautiful red hair and her stunning voluptuous body. Most men desired her.
- Right: Tessa had shiny red curls that bounced around her head as she walked, framing her oval face. Her voluptuous forms were accented by her daring clothing.
The first example is a classic example of Tell instead of Show. People are told how to react to the character. In contrast the right example describes a character that perhaps would indeed draw the attention of many men, but without forcing it upon them. It is Show instead of Tell in that it describes Tessa's looks without bias.
Note that in descriptions of NPC's a moderator can add how the NPC's in Tessa's environment are reacting and how successful she is. Likewise he can make some secret notes for his own reference on how NPC's have reacted to Tessa in the past when she is a PC. However Tessa cannot claim her success beforehand.
Beware the Twink
Even if a character is described with objective terms it might still describe a character that is unrealistically beautiful or attractive, out there to catch the center of attention. The derogatory term Twink is taken from the catchphrase "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and comes from the wider RPG community. It may be a princess that is admired by all, a handsome warrior with a wicked blade or a mysterious villain. More often than not an element of drama or uniqueness is sought in an strange physical anomaly, like blue hair, a scar or an aversion to light. Many things taken from anime fall into this category because posing is a style form in anime.
It is considered immature behaviour. In the TGS moderators are stimulated to have their PC's tone down the language until a balanced physical description exists. The focus of the TGS is on realistic behaviour within the setting.
