Character Creation Tips
From Age of Intrigue Wiki
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Character Creation
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Benefit | |
Please note that we are currently in our Spring season.
We are especially looking for:
- Ladies
- Official minor post holders of London
- Fanatic Whigs
- People with a little edge, a little bit of diversity to what we have now
- People with a link through family, friends or enemies with our current PC's and NPC's
We are currently not accepting:
- Commoners who cannot circulate amongst gentry
What's in a Name?
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Quick List
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Fashion | |
Character Name
Choose a name that reflects your character's country of origin and our period. You can find suggestions on the period names page.
Title
For a woman, this will be her father's title, and she will be known and introduced as the daughter of "Lord So-and-so". For a man, this will be either his title or his courtesy title, based on his father's secondary title. This can become a bit complicated, so have a look at the Forms of Address page for clarification. A man's title may also include reference to his military rank, if he is or has been in service. Do not chose an historical or currently existing peerage. Instead, pick a small town in your character's country of origin, and make him the Baron/Viscount/Earl or her the daughter of same from there.
Estate Name
Do not select the name of an actual estate from any of the major English nobility (e.g. York, Essex, Exeter, Cornwall, Coventry, etc.).
* For example, Lady Alice Putman, daughter of the Viscount of Little Puddleton, lives with her family on her father's estate of Little Puddle Hall.
Of a Certain Age
Ladies become of marriageable age at 14, in England. They typically make their debut at court somewhere around their 16-17th birthday. If they cannot attract a marriage proposal by age 21, people will start to wonder what is wrong with the lady. By 25, a lady could start being considered a spinster.
Gentleman make their debut by their 18th birthday usually, though they are not considered adults until they are 21. As such, men do not typically marry until they are well into their 20s, unless there is a great need for a dowry or an heir. It is not uncommon for older men, even in their 60s, to marry young ladies that are still in their peak child-bearing years.
At the Height of it All
Ladies are typically shorter than men and their common height ranges from 5 foot to 5'7". Men commonly range from 5'4" to 6'. Anything shorter or taller will be deemed to be noteworthy.
A Weighty Issue
Unlike today, women of our period are expected to be pleasingly plump. That is to say that a bit of body fat is viewed as a good thing. Thin ladies are thought to be unhealthy and likely to have difficulty with childbirth. On the other hand, very heavy men and women are not viewed as very attractive either.
One's Crowning Glory
Some notes on hair colour:
- Redheads are likely from Ireland, Scotland or Wales and considered a rarity, not necessarily a very desired one as it marks one a bit savage.
- Blonds need to have a link to Vikings or Germans in their bloodline. It is considered a beauty trademark.
- Black and Brunette were the most common colours and are likely to wield pretty avatars more easily
The moderators reserve the right to suggest a different hair colour, to preserve a certain realistic balance.
Putting a New Complexion on Things
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Fashion | |
When it comes to complexion, the paler the better for nobles, especially ladies. To have a suntan suggest that one is of the working class. That is why ladies carry parasols. Men can have a light tan for they are expected to ride and supervise their estates.
The Cut of Your Jib
Be careful with your choice here. Your character's country of origin is critical to your character in more ways that just effecting her/his background. Your character will be at a disadvantage vis-a-vis English lords and ladies, as even higher ranking nobles from foreign lands are considered to rank socially below English nobility, with the exception of foreign royalty. The further away (s)he is from home, the less likely your character is to meet a countryman. In a game like this, social relations are key. Some NPCs will have prejudices against foreigners. Foreigners cannot hold offices. Still, there can be interesting alternatives available to an ingenuity player of a foreigner.
Taking it on Faith
Again, a character's religion is a very important choice. In England, there is a very great distrust of Catholics at present. They suspect them as mere agents of Rome, intending to subvert the Anglican Church. Catholics are forbidden from holding public office. Likewise, Puritans are reviled because they ruled the country for 11 years with a heavy hand and there is a backlash against them.
Battle of the Sexes
Gender differences are stark in this time. Ladies have few rights. They cannot hold office or have a seat in the House of Lords. They are expected to obey their husbands and have few legal rights at all until they are widowed. Ladies gain the titles of those they marry, by courtesy, but men do not gain the titles of their wives. Widows can retain their titles. These are but a few examples.
The Restoration has brought about an increase in the prominence of women however. For the first time, women are permitted to be actresses (as opposed to men playing women). Many are noted authors of pamphlets. Mistresses, of course, especially royal ones, carry a great deal of power as well.
Devil in the Details
Be careful, but creative, when choosing Challenges and Benefits. Specific details enrich your character, for both good and ill, as it should be. We like to see a balance of the good and the bad, for a well-rounded character.
Not all challenges are created equal. An allergy to roses will not justify much of a balancing benefit for your character. On the other hand, being ugly, bankrupt, or of poor reputation will justify better benefit. You are encouraged to select multiple challenges and multiple benefits. To help you keep these two aspects in balance, we have listed them, indicating which are minor, standard, or major. Using a points system for this will help you to come to an equal points number of each.
For example:
- Drunk (minor challenge) = 0.5
- Bankrupt (major challenge) = 2.0
- Ambidextrous (minor benefit) = 0.5
- Fashionable (minor benefit) = 0.5
- Lip Reading (minor benefit) = 0.5
- Modest Dwelling (standard benefit) = 1.0
So, challenges equal 2.5, and benefits equal 2.5, resulting in a balance at 0.
All in the Family
The more colour you can provide about your character's extended family the better, including names, family connections etc. Don't forget to consider a family feud as a challenge. Or, you can use a benefit to make yourself a cousin of a more powerful family at court. No one can be related to royalty without special dispensation of the moderators (which is unlikely to be ever given).
It's all in Who You Know
We encourage you to either use PCs and already existing NPCs in your background. If you are uncomfortable doing this, you can leave the name of a character in your background blank so we may offer suggestions. This will help your character to blend into game-play more smoothly.
A Touch of Class
This is a game of Court and courtly intrigue. Your first character must, at the very least, be part of the gentry (family member of a peer) or able to interact with them for some reason or other. Your character must be realistically involved with Court.
We Hang the Petty Thieves and Appoint the Great Ones to Public Office
As you can read in our Political Section there are two main political philosophies: that of the Royalist Party (defending the divine right of Kings) and the Whig Party (defending the rights of the people to the point of republicanism, but also strongly anti-Catholic). If your character is a peer he will have a seat in the house of Lords as well as having the opportunity to serve in a public office. What stance will your character take?
Knowledge is Power
The 17th century is the Age of Reason. The birth of what will become the Enlightenment. It can be a very exciting area for your character to explore. Check out our Science Section.
