Character Creation Guide

Overview
The purpose of this guide is to outline the rules that are to be adhered to when creating a character on MSAD-UC. Throughout this guide, the Character Creation Template will be referenced. As such, you may wish to refer to it.

There is no limit to how many characters a player may have, as we allow players to have as many characters as they feel they can handle. However we ask that new members apply with only one at first. Upon approval of the first character and completion of a few successful role plays with said character, the player may begin applying for another. It should be noted that any player may only have one application in progress at any given time. Thus, they may not apply with two characters at once, and must wait for the current application to go through the entire process before applying with another.

As a rule, do not change any portion of the template for any reason unless instructed to do so. For fields that do not pertain to your character/application be sure to fill them in with 'N/A'.

Credit for this guide goes to Janus of MSAD and our administrator AaronW, as it borrows heavily on some of the ideas outlined in some of their other guides.

Step 1: Character Concept
You have to have a general character in mind. Even if his/her/it (in the scenario you have not decided on gender yet) is extremely vague, a single fact or personal preference is a starting point. Every person has a way of developing a character. Some people like giving the character a reason to exist, a so called goal, and branch out from there. Others wing it, just go through the template and fill out the sections as they see fit. I prefer the former as it generally gives a character more depth. That isn't to say simply winging a character is shallow. You could very well get ideas as you bang and smash your keyboard in rage for them and in some cases, depth of character can be slipped in after you start using him/her/it. Getting to know your fellow members and existing characters in the faction you are applying for will help in this so don't avoid discussions and everyday chats with them. You never know what can spawn from them.

One thing you really should decide on early on is the faction in which your character will be a part of. Reason being that this would give you a sense of direction in that the character will have to end up in the territory of the faction, be it through naturalization or birth.


Step 2: Filling out the Character Template to suit your Concept


Name: Pretty self-explanatory, user name of the person playing the character
English Language Proficiency: Are you a native speaker or is this your second/third language? Be it first (native), second, third or whatever ranked language it is that you've learned. Self explanatory. Knowing a few words or phrases in Japanese (or any other language) does not count so don't bother.
Character Number: The nth character of yours this profile is for. If it's an NPC, indicate so and count it separately.
Faction: Earth Federation, Neo Zeon, or Vist Foundation. Also note in brackets which of the subfactions you may be applying for; such as Londo Bell or ECOAS.
Accepted Rules: Again, self-explanatory (Yes or No?) It is important you go through it at least once before you begin RPing.


Full Name: First and last name, bracket any special notes after the name
Alias/Title: This is usually earned through RP. This is not a 'nickname' in the traditional since, but usually reflects upon the character's experiences and achievements. If your character already posses one, you are required to explain the moniker and its origins in their history. If the circumstance does not warrant the use of the title, you will not be allowed to use it.
Age: We realize that this is a genre where middle school students have been known to wander off with top secret prototypes and save the universe, but try to make the age reasonable. We tend to frown upon the child soldier here, and most factions won't accept you into the Academy until around 16 years of age (a few exceptions such as the École du Ciel institute not withstanding.) Take note of the current year, UC 0096 (please check the date of last update of this post just in case). You should also consider years of education and employment. An important factor in relation to RP is whether or not you can RP a character of the age you make him or her to be. This really comes down to self assessment. Some people can act their age, others can be more mature than they actually are but there are also people who cannot. We advise members to think about their own capabilities before settling on the age. Also try to make sure the experiences you have outlined for them could plausibly fit within the span of time allotted by their age. One can only experience so much crap within a certain period without going nuts, so keep that in mind when writing your bio.
Gender: Self-explanatory: Male or Female. Nothing else.
Race: Oldtype (the default option), Newtype (Which will only be offered randomly to bios of exceptional quality, you may not apply to start as one unless the staff award you that honor), or Cyber-Newtype (Which will be Restricted Access, available by special request only and will be limited in number. Requirements for this will fall somewhere between standard and NT)
Place of Origin: This should be the nation or colony in which the character was born in. If it's in the colonies please specify which City.
Citizenship: Birthplace dictates citizenship unless the character has immigrated elsewhere and fulfilled the requirements to be naturalized there. The criteria to get a citizenship in any nation is subject to FL discretion. The citizenship of a character will affect the militaries he/she/it is eligible to enlist in.


Height: Please include both the Imperial and Metric systems of measurement. Inches/Feet and centimeters respectively. (Tip: On Google, type in "[number]cms in feet and inches" or vice versa and you will get the conversion.)
Weight: Please include both the Imperial and Metric systems of measurement. Pounds and kilograms respectively. (Tip: On Google, type in "[number]kgs in lbs" or vice versa and you will get the conversion.)
Body Type: Self-explanatory: Athletic, Toned, Average, Obese, etc.
Eye Color: Natural colors only
Hair Color: Either a natural color or is a dyed color. Even if it's permanently dyed, you're required to state natural color as well.
Hair Style: Pretty self-explanatory, but try to keeps things semi-realistic. Gundam has never been known for its "spikey-haired protagonists," so no over the top anime hair please. If it can't be accomplished with product then don't do it.
Identifying Features: Primarily detail any bodily marks here: Tattoos, facial hair, scars, etc.
Handiness: Pick one: Right, Left, Ambidextrous


Combat Preference: Either a One (1) paragraph minimum detailing their strengths and weakness in MS combat and/or fire-fights or simply rank them following in terms of proficiency (in terms of percents up to 100%):

Close: XX%
Mid: XX%
Ranged: XX%

Personality: A general deconstruction of the character's persona. Are they quiet? Loud? Impulsive? Cunning? There are many words you can employ to describe him/her/it. Avoid traits that clash. Stereotypes are sometimes hilarious to RP so don't rip yourself apart if you can't think of a character that's 100% original. Remember that about half of these should be developed and/or affected by what happens in their life and a fair few would most definitely be demonstrated in at least one instance. What you have to identify is their traits (duh) and the results of them. Or their effect in other words. We highly recommend noting reason(s) for why they are who they are even if it's a few words in the same sentence. As it all boils down to displaying your awareness of their personality. We can't have shallow players walking around replying with reactions that are ridiculous or OOC. We are all human and that should resonate in the character. Example, if I punched you, your first reaction wouldn't be to laugh and joke, it would either be complete confusion, knowing you deserved it or you'd itch to punch me back. Unless of course, you're the type to to take it and squirm in fear. Two (2) paragraphs minimum.

Family: Follow the format below for listing their relative. You are only required to list immediate family. Even if they are adopted, list their adoptive parents and be sure to tell us they are adopted in the history even if the character is not aware of such.

- FULL NAME :: RELATIONSHIP :: AGE or DECEASED :: OCCUPATION
- ""

Biography: Most people find this section one of the most difficult to write as you can't get away with single sentence answers like most of the above. Our suggestion would be to start with their birth and progress through it chronologically, throwing in an occasion or two that are memorable or pivotal to the character's life or plot so to call it. Remember to provide a slightly more detailed account of any phases and catalysts that you mentioned under Personality.

Give dates where you can and where it is important. Assumptions can be very misleading at times and while you could very well be trying to get away with ambiguity, we usually want to clarify with the Player at least the Character's enlistment year, their service record if the history says they've been in the military for a while, and the age of the character at which certain events happen. Clarity is vital for 2 reasons: 1.) You will have sharper picture of your character and 2.) You won't have to come back to edit the profile content because of some paradox or something that no one noticed until after approval. That and you will save yourself the hassle of hearing hounds at the door.

If the character's enlisted, go about their experience of duties and notably important contributions on the individual's scale. Never mind it may not make an impact on the whole nation. What is important to them should be stated. Oh and for the record, no relation to canon characters. One more thing, proof read it before you post it please. Saves helluva long replies sometimes. Two (2) paragraphs minimum.


Step 3: Getting your Concept Approved
After a few comments and the required revisions are made, approval will be granted by one of the members of the staff. It will then be moved to the Character Archives and your character's rank will be finalized. You will then be granted permission to start posting in your respective Faction's HQ and start participating in their storylines. Head over there and start looking for threads you can get into. Once that's all done, you're ready to roll.