Creating a New Character
Guidelines
Characters are approved so that they can become active participants in the main Shadow Accord Weekend events that happen six times a year. All characters should be intended to be played at event.
The following requires extra vetting by character guides. We do not want to discourage players from being creative; we just want to make sure that players who want to play something difficult do the homework necessary so that they can have a good time. If a player does not show proper research, we will request they hold off on playing the character until the research is complete. If you are going to play a character that requires extra vetting you have to make contact with Check in and Character Guides at least one week in advance of event. Below are some character concepts and ideas that require that bit of extra work to be playable at game.
Starting the game higher than starting rank 2 for shifters, generation 8 for vampires, and Lemure for Wraith Beginning the game with a higher rank grants the character extra rights, but more importantly, extra responsibilities. Also, higher ranked characters have a much longer history, and exemplify the ideals of their faction and subfactions. To ensure that the player is prepared for the difficulty of playing a higher ranked character, a player should read as much as they can, have an extensive character background, and prove to the Character guides that they are up to the challenge.
Starting the game as a character from or having knowledge of places outside of Europe It is difficult to explain why characters would cross the English channel to live in the middle of no where. Please take that into consideration when writing the origin of your character, and be prepared to give a really good reason for your character to be this far away from home.
Starting the game as a restricted character Restricted characters require extensive knowledge of the faction, and often need good explanations in their back stories for being so far away from their territory/homelands. Please do your homework, and if it isn't done expect to be asked to wait until it is complete to play the character.
Things that Character Guides love to see, and will make us love you
Completing Character approval a week or more before the event/in-between event the character is played. Character approval the week of game is stressful and hard on the CGs, who want to do everything in our power to make sure your character is playable at game. Talk to us in advance! We are reachable by email and by PM, and always happy to help you with your characters. Save everyone a lot of last minute stress and get it done in advance.
Back up characters. If you don't want to wait for hours with nothing to do when your character dies, have a back up character ready for immediate play. Many of you have one without knowing it (those of you with multiple characters just need to bring the garb.) Those without should talk to the character guides about making a second character. This will get you back into game right away, and not stall Check-In, Character Guides, and Storytellers in the middle of the game.
Evidence of research into the character, both into the time period and the faction. Nothing speeds up the character guide process than a player that has done her homework. Be sure to read through the wiki and the books to get a real feel for the setting, and your character guiding process should be quick and fun.
Back stories Characters with a history experience significant more immersion than characters without. Include details that may not come up in game, but will help you get into the mind of the character.
Weaknesses Characters with weaknesses have challenges to overcome, and in a long term game that is often the difference between a simple character and a complex character. Coming up with weaknesses that are fun to play may be challenging, but the end results are worth the effort.
Be Prepared if requires extra vetting. We don't like stalling characters any more than players want their characters stalled. Please, please, please do your research into your character, if you don't know where to begin ask a character guide and we will point you in the right direction.
Veteran players who make sure new players are informed and ready to contact the CGs We are more community than business; Shadow Accord doesn't function unless everyone does their part to make it work. When you bring a new player, be sure to get them acquainted with the policies of the organization as soon as possible. Particularly the character creation policies, how well they make their first character often determines how much fun they have at game. Get them in touch with the character guides: we can't help them until they talk to us.
Excitement about your character and the game! We are excited when you are excited! We love talking about your characters, and your enthusiasm is contagious. Write us and talk to us during check in about your ideas, we'd love to hear them!
Questionnaire
Player Questions
What's your real name?
What's an email address where we can contact you?
Are you new to Shadow Accord? Welcome!
Tell us a bit about you. Have you LARPed before? Played WoD games? What brought you to our crazy little corner of the woods?
Is there something in particular you want us to help you with?
Character Questions
What's your character's name?
What faction/camp, if any, is your character part of?
What happened during your character's non-supernatural life? What about your character's family? What non-supernatural things shaped their background?
Does your character have any particular status or rank? How did they earn it? (Note: Characters cannot begin the game with a Noble writ, but other kinds of mortal statuses and lots of supernatural status can apply).
What is the driving desire behind your character's actions? (e.g. love, power, helping others, etc.)
What is your character's greatest fear or weakness? (e.g. enclosed spaces, alcoholism, death, etc.)
How knowledgeable is your character about the world around them? How did they learn?
If you have a background story, we'd love to hear it!
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
