A while back I wrote a post at the Earthen.ning forums in the Role Play development section  about how overwhelming the thought of leveling another character might be now that you have peaked at 80 in World of Warcraft. I should add that many people are feeling the “lull” in World of Warcraf now that everyone is waiting for the world-changing  Cataclysm expansion.

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While you wait, you may be ready to dust off a character or consider putting on a more creative hat. Anna, of  Too Many Annas, started an interesting role play (RP) series by asking the reader to pick out a character and answer some very basic questions and asking the reader to “let loose with their imaginations.” I am quoting the questions she submitted:

• 1. What is your character’s name?
• 2. Why did he/she pick his/her class?
• 3. What’s the worst trouble he/she ever got into as a child?
• 4. What is his/her favorite thing to eat?
• 5. What does he/she have in his/her pockets?

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Although these seem slightly basic, it was numbers 3 and 5 which got me interested in something I never thought through before for my characters. I never considered my character AS a child. I think most of us include only the basics in our character biographies –who, what, and when. I knew whose child she was, where she grew up, and an approximation of when. But as I began to think of her IN childhood doing child-like things, I wondered if she was the kind of child who would even get into trouble? Would she be the type of child who brings a frog home in her pocket? Or would she gather a collection of rocks? Did she have an imaginary friend? I am thinking that “Stardancer” would collect shells on the shore, make crowns out of flowers (and wear them), and hum while she walks.

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I was wondering if thinking through your character AS a child, what would he/she be like? What would you come up with? For example, if your character was a gnome child, were they the type who did experiments with their “GearFizzle’s Widget Rector Set for little Tykes” and caught the drapes on fire? Or used a magnifying glass on poor cockroaches? I absolutely loved the plethora of responses that were posted at the Earthen.ning site. Take a look here: Your Character as a Child at Earthen.ning.

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Suzanna aka Stardancer/Stardancerelfstardancerelf.comSuzanna (aka Stardancer) started audio articles in the Epic Dolls Podcast in 2006. She has continued on to host Hearthstone Tavern RP Podcast with a fantastically talented and creative cast. Avid part-time gamer, musician, artist, and is someone known to philosophize. Twitter me @stardancerelf