Character Build Quads

Discuss the practical use of Dramatica. Have questions about how throughlines should be used, how to create Complex Characters or even the various combinations of the 12 Essential Questions and how they will affect your story go here.
dono
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Character Build Quads

Postby dono » Oct 19, 2011 11:41 am

Hello--

I know this topic has been addressed before but the answer came across a bit hazy to me.

Now that I have gotten down to my storyform--and it may have happened before that, I didn't check--my character builds have the characters doubled up in the quads across the board in the grids for all four elements: Movitvation, Methodology, Evaluation and Purpose . It says in the "Build Character" explanation for making complex characters that a character must only occupy one square of any quad set within the element. But I have, for example, under "Motivation" a character who occupies both the "Uncontrolled" and "Feeling" squares, which are side by side in one of the quad sets.

I assume it will mess with the storymind's balance if I leave things as they are, right? So do I just take him out of one of those squares, even if it seems as though he could represent both elements? Or is it only a problem if one character occupies squares that are in the "Dynamic" position in relation to one another?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

--Dono

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phillybudd
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Re: Character Build Quads

Postby phillybudd » Oct 19, 2011 1:49 pm

I have also come across story forms that will give e.g. the Protagonist adjacent squares within a block, but they see to be rare -- for example, give the Protagonist Consider and Faith, as opposed to Consider and Pursuit, which seems to be more common. It just has to do with the story form you settled on.

You can of course assign any characteristic you want to you characters, by dragging and dropping. The only thing you want to avoid is assigning a dynamic pair of characteristics to a single character, e.g., giving your Protagonist Consider and Reconsider.

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phillybudd
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Re: Character Build Quads

Postby phillybudd » Oct 19, 2011 1:52 pm

I just realized I misunderstood your question... in the standard archetypal characters, the Emotion character WILL have both feeling and uncontrolled in those two blocks. The Contagonist character will have both Temptation and Hinder, etc. You create complex characters when you switch some of these out. For example, I have given my Contagonist Temptation and Help in those two blocks.

dono
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Re: Character Build Quads

Postby dono » Oct 19, 2011 2:50 pm

Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember seeing the acrhetypal character quads featuring companion pairs of the same character. But in the "Complex Prep" window following the complex characters build decision screen, it says:

"A character should not have a relationship with himself or the dramatic function will be obscured. As a result, you should not assign a character to more than one element in any group of four."

The companion pair of "feeling" and "uncontrolled", in our archetypal example have a relationship with one another, as described in the right hand window of the Build Characters screen. If it is the same character--as the archetypal character creation provides--it is in contradiction to this advice.

Maybe this is just an example of why complex characters are more interesting, and the Dramatica suggestion offered regarding the repeat presence in a single quad is simply there to make the characters more complex.

Any other input will be greatly appreciated!

--Dono

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Chris Huntley
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Re: Character Build Quads

Postby Chris Huntley » Oct 23, 2011 11:22 am

Here is a Dramatica tip that explains why the pairs are in the same quad:

http://dramatica.com/theory/tip_of_month/tips/tip0905.html

Cheers,
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers Inc.
http://dramatica.com/
http://screenplay.com/

dono
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Re: Character Build Quads

Postby dono » Oct 23, 2011 9:49 pm

I thought that must be the case, Chris, but then is Dramatica saying that for the "Fixed Attitude" OS, it works best for companion pairs to be the same character in several of the tiles and therefore, relationships? Or should I switch the characters out so I don't have one character appearing more than once in a quad?

I apologize if it seems as though I am asking for some rigid rules to cling to here, but I am going with the mentality that it is best to do everything by the (Dramatica) book my first few times around, just to be as thorough in my understanding of Dramatica as possible. And as things are a bit murky here and there, I have this feeling that if I just do as I am told, it will all work out for the best!

Thanks for the input and any further you can offer.

--Dono

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Chris Huntley
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Re: Character Build Quads

Postby Chris Huntley » Oct 26, 2011 8:48 am

No rigid rules in Dramatica, though there are strong suggestions that always include exceptions. The Fixed Attitude class is the exception to the "no two elements in a quad" rule, but it is an exception ONLY if you choose to go with character archetypes.

I recommend STARTING with character archetypes, then using the Build Characters window to mix it up a bit by reassigning character elements. Archetypes are simple characters, though not simplistic. However, when you change them to complex characters by adding, removing, and re-arranging character elements, the characters seem more "real" than archetypes.
Chris Huntley
Write Brothers Inc.
http://dramatica.com/
http://screenplay.com/


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