Ideal Character Sheet

[Daz]

As part of planning a roleplay I've once again encountered the issue of designing an appropriate character sheet. On one hand I don't want it to be too short, because then people can fill it in on a brief impulse without considering whether they have the time or interest to commit to the RP. On the other hand I don't want it to be too long because this is a roleplay with character death, and it's unfair to ask someone to spend a long time on their character sheet only to be the first person to die. This has gotten me pondering on what the ideal character sheet would be like in a more general sense, so I thought I'd open the question up for discussion.

What do you think is an ideal length for a character sheet? Are there any common categories you prefer to leave off, or rare categories you prefer to include?

 

[Elle Joyner]

One of the best things I have seen as far as character sheets go as of late is a preliminary sheet. The basic ideas is, you have the character's basic info (name/age/whatever), a character image, then a SHORT Bio... This gives you an idea of whether the person is actually going to be a good fit, writing wise, without them having to fill out a longer sheet.

Then, if they make that preliminary cut, they would move on to a more in depth sheet - which would involve everything from the prelim, as well as a personality section ((for these, I don't ask for paragraphs about personality, but rather four personality traits that best define the character, as well as three strengths and three weaknesses, and any quirks they might have -- I find these are easier to follow ICly than a set "this is my character's exact personality" in paragraph form)), a written appearance (which shows me whether or not they can handle writing descriptions) and a writing sample (which gives me an idea of A.) If their character will fit into the storyline/where and B.) what their writing style is like ICly.