Seeing character sheets of other PCs

It might be helpful to be able to see the character sheets of the other PCs in the games you are in, or at least a short description from in game threads.

I'm on my first PbP, and it probably gets better once you get to know the PC's, but at the moment I keep having to refer to the 3-page character creation thread each time I want to know who the other PCs are (who to protect, who to react in what way to etc.).

Also, is there no search function? Was going to see if this had come up before, but couldn't find it.

If you got to characters and scroll down to select character library that is one option, if player's don't share out the character I believe the only one able to see it might be the GM.

There is a Character Library, but the character must be set to Public in order for anyone else to view. Should the player do so, you can click on their avatar/name in the game thread and you can see their character sheet.

There are other ways of keeping track, too. In one game I made a Personnel thread listing all the PCs available in the game, even though I wasn't the DM. If the game owner has allowed others to make posts, you could do the same.

Oh, nice to know, thanks :)

The idea was that a player may not want all their details revealed. A good question: should I add a visible flag to characters in a game, making them visible to the other players in the game?

If it was optional, I think that would be useful.

Yes, it'd be something somone would turn on or off. I'm thinking either the GM or the player could change it.

sometime I find that I would like to see a list of all the players and their character names when I click the characters tab at the bottom of the page when I am a player. just so I can remember who is playing what character. I love being able to see everyone when I GM

That we can do, a list. I remember at one point I was thinking of adding a notes field next to each so you could keep track of the other players/characters.

Yes, this would be very helpful!

I'd love for character sheets to be visible by default, even if only within the game. If anything, having a "secrets" section that is only visible by the player and the GM would be great.

I agree with everyone who says it's helpful to be able to see who's playing what character without having to slog through a (possibly outdated) 5+ page chargen thread to remind myself.

I'm doing this in my current game. That way it's a one-stop-shop for all character needs. Being a 7th Sea game, character stories (the advancement mechanic) are front-and-center so I can better weave them into the game, and for the other PCs to help each other achieve their story goals.

I'm uncertain where I fall on this. On the one hand, there are some things that you may not want other players to see, whether it is your statistics, a special item, or a piece of your backstory that's meant to be a secret. It also depends on the game itself (Paranoia, for example, has secrets within secrets). I also agree that at times, it is helpful to have a brief bit of text that describes the character, as far as race, class, and any distinctive appearances or personality quirks.

I guess I wouldn't necessarily agree with making character sheets visible by default, even within the game. I think a better approach would be to create a dedicated thread with each character making a post that describes their appearance and general personality. Such a post could also have a brief background detailing as much as the player wants. As the game progresses, each character post can be edited to reflect any changes, which should cut down on the number of pages (ie, 4 characters = 4 posts, +1 if you include the GM's notes).

There's also the Game Details link at the bottom of each game thread, which lists the character names being played by which individuals. Of course, that is as only descriptive as the character label is, so mileage may vary. At the very least, you would know that PlayerA has CharacterB, and hopefully that's enough to associate your character's history with theirs.