Minimum Viable Character Generator

Generate character bios that focus on what's most important!

Generating a "Minimum Viable Character"

Adapted from a 2018 blog post by Jon Wake entitled "Building a Compelling Character", the brief bios created by this character generator focus right in on the important questions --- those things most essential to understanding who this character might be, and how they might play.

Called a "minimum viable character" by the original author, each bio includes:

a name and a basic concept
a twist on that concept
a pivotal life event that continues to influence the character, as well as some insight into how the character feels about the event, and why they can't let it go
something about the character that is likely to stick out in the minds of others when they first meet
an issue the character feels strongly about, and how they are likely to react when they encounter it

The descriptions are deliberately light on detail, as the goal is to provide an essential framework for you to build upon: a skeleton concept that should suit almost any game set in the modern era. You'll need to connect the dots yourself to reveal the character in full. Some of those dots will be harder to connect than others --- but it's in making those connections that you're likely to discover the most fascinating things about the person.

For more details on the process of creating a "minimum viable character", I encourage you to read Jon Wake's original blog post, linked above.

Citation

Wake, Jon. "Building a Compelling Character." Turpentine Mouthwash, 18 Jul. 2018, http:// jonwake.blogspot.com/2018/07/minimal-viable-character-for-vampire.html

Result

Roll on "Names Generator"

Roll on "MVC" (columns: 1-2) who Roll on "MVC" (columns: 3)

"What pivotal event in your past continues to impact you to this day?"

"Roll on "MVC" (columns: 4)"

"How do you feel about what happened?"

"Thinking about it Roll on "MVC" (columns: 5)."

"What's stopping you from leaving it in the past and moving on with your life?"

"I think I can't let it go because Roll on "MVC" (columns: 6)."

"When someone meets you for the first time, what about you is likely to stick out in their mind after you're gone?"

"I'm known for Resolve: {expressing|challenging|contradicting|revealing} my Roll on "MVC" (columns: 7) through my Roll on "MVC" (columns: 8)."

"Whenever Roll on "MVC" (columns: 9), how are you likely to react?"

"With Roll on "MVC" (columns: 10)"

Subcharts

MVC (d10)

d10	IdentityMind	IdentityRole	IdentityDetail	EventDesc	EventFeeling	EventImpact	HabitSubject	HabitExpression	SignpostTrigger	SignpostReaction
1	a depressed	Resolve: {cop\|detective}	Resolve: {was wrongfully\|has been} imprisoned	I fell in love with the wrong person. They dragged me into an exciting world I never knew existed, and I freaked out. I left them.	fills me with regret. I didn’t comport myself with any dignity or honesty. I thought I was better than that	it never ended, I just move forward and try to put the past behind me. But when I look back, it’s right there, chugging along	profession	speech and accent	you witness someone abusing their power	hatred, as if they want to destroy me for even existing.
2	a surly	Resolve: {social worker\|activist}	was disgraced and cast out	My best friend accused me of a crime I know I didn’t commit, but they somehow had photos proving otherwise!	ignites simmering rage: They know what they did, and they did it knowing what would happen	the responsible parties died before they could be confronted about their part in it	regional background	clothing and personal style	someone doesn't treat you with the respect you feel you deserve	disgust, like I just caught a whiff of sour milk.
3	a straightforward	Resolve: {doctor\|nurse\|EMT}	has been seriously injured	... so there I was, in a literal warzone, bullets flying all around me. If it weren’t for this dangerous psychopath I'd somehow befriended, I’d be a corpse.	... it's still baffling to me, a miasma of confusion. I can’t square this circle. Nothing about this makes any sense and the more I think about it the worse it is	things keep repeating, the same situations keep appearing in my periphery and reopening old wounds	social class	hobbies and interests	you see or experience violence	rage, like they just cut me off and are now laughing about it.
4	a timid	Resolve: {banker\|money launderer}	is a failure at life	My parents were deranged on some basal level. I grew up in chaos. I escaped as soon as I could.	empowers me, makes me feel confident. I was there for the whole thing and it didn’t beat me; now it feels like nothing can stand in my way	some problems are too big, systemic things that won’t budge to one person’s will	upbringing	critical opinions	you witness the degradation of others	suspicion and distrust. It makes me think someone is trying to deceive me.
5	a clever	Resolve: {office worker\|academic}	is hiding from someone	Somehow, through no fault of my own, I ended up with all this money and status. And now? I don’t know what happened to it all.	... well, it’s funny when you think about it, isn't it? We’re all just stuck here on this planet and absurd things just keep on happening	forgiveness is earned, and the person or people responsible haven’t earned it	political ideology	taste in Resolve: {art\|music}	you witness a death, or are faced with the possibility of your own demise	admiration. One day I'll do what they did!
6	a bold	Resolve: {soldier\|rebel}	has been stepping on the wrong toes	Someone once took me out to some isolated place and showed me something... something you wouldn't believe even if I could explain it. It gives me weird dreams to this day.	still leaves me numb with disbelief. Did that really happen? It can’t have happened. It doesn’t feel real	I can’t put it right, because what is done is done	attitude towards authority	positive opinions	someone shares words of wisdom with you	bravery, like I'm ready to face a schoolyard bully.
7	an inquisitive	Resolve: {artist\|musician\|performer}	is pushing the envelope	It was obvious from an early age that I had real talent. Everyone told me I'd be famous and successful... and, yet, here I am.	honestly gives me a feeling of renewed purpose. Odd as it may sound, everything lined up for me in the end. I know what I have to do with my life now	the system stepped in, the state or someone with the authority to take it all out of my hands	religious beliefs	nervous behavior	you encounter true beauty	amazement. Someone has to see this thing!
8	a circumspect	Resolve: {con-artist\|politician}	is a rising star	I took a job having zero experience that no one thought I could do. After a few years, I quit and didn’t look back. I can’t say why.	makes me feel weak and hopeless. Nothing matters, and the more I look at it the more I feel like the universe is a great, cosmic wave crashing down on us and there's nothing at all we can do about it	I don’t understand how it happened, and because I don’t understand it I can’t resolve it	family status	indulgent vices	you are challenged intellectually	simple acceptance. All of this is according to design.
9	an outgoing	Resolve: {hacker\|information warfare specialist}	is both respected and admired	Someone very close to me died under mysterious circumstances. No one will tell me what happened; the people in my life still refuse to talk about it.	... I mean, I can't sleep. I'm always on my guard. This could happen at any moment to anyone. I have to keep my head on a swivel for the next time	everything returned to normal on the outside, and just underneath that veneer of normalcy it sits	sexual preference	outward ambitions	you are treated with deference or respect	attraction. If I can just get a little bit closer...
10	an optimistic	Resolve: {stick-up kid\|armed robber}	is at the height of their field	Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Forever. One day I just had enough --- middle of the day, I just exploded in a rage. I left that life behind, and I try not to talk about it.	gives me an overwhelming sense of... of oneness. Have you ever laid in the grass and felt the Earth spinning around you? That's how I feel whenever I think about it	other things took priority, but there it is, still in the back of my head	gender identity	confident behavior	you see justice being delivered without mercy	zeal. I'm reminded of what is good in the world.

attitude character characters concept mvc name names npc npcs pc pcs personality surname surnames