So here's my dilema: I run this awesome RPG with great members, but I would really like to help them improve their characters. They definitely have neat characters--for the most part--but I don't think that they are developed as much as they could be. So I need your help thinking of a way to help my members (and me) work on building round characters.

But before you start posting, I need to explain a bit about the board. Firstly, I don't like word minimums. So I'm not telling my members that they need to post 200 words per post. Secondly, I want it to be something fun. Thirdly, I have trouble keeping up with member apps, so it can't be something waaay time consuming for me. Fourthly, it's probably going to be added in my "Character Development" section.

Any suggestions will help. Thanks.

Honestly I find that one of the best ways to devellop a character is through roleplay. Perhaps post a few good tutorials gently guiding them into building better characters, and on a main OOC discussion start a topic leading everyone to reflect about how the past 'year'/etc of game-time has effected their character. Ask them to go through and update their character sheets with changes to personality, etc. - you may find that many of them make better characters simply from having roleplayed with other people. :)

Hmmm . . . interesting. I like it. However, I don't know if my members really have learned anything about their characters. Not like I'm dissing my members of course, because they're seriously great members. But to many of them English is their second--or third--language, so it's pretty hard.

I'm thinking of making a bunch of "what if" questions for them to answer about their characters. What do you guys think?

We tend to handle that a few ways on our board (for which my co-admin usually does the posting around here, but I finally decided to de-lurk). In some cases, we (usually my co-admin, actually) will IM the person and gently point them in the right direction. If there are too many instances in your case to do that, however....

The 'what if' questions idea is a good one. On our board we actually posted a very long survey of the type you can find on anyone's blog and encourage members to fill them out from their character's point of view. It's fun, and a good way for members to get to know the people they're writing. Something like that could help. Just a suggestion :)

Surveys are nice, but my fellow admin and I have devised a competition in our roleplay. In this competition, each person will have to write a short vignette of a crucial stage in their character's life. The winner will have had the best combination of writing and creativity. Even if they don't win the competition, they'll still have that big event and perhaps it'll get them considering more ways to develop their character.

I think surveys are a great ideas. Make out some questionaires and get them to respond to them in character mode. It's often hilarious to read them, and helps other people get to know characters they might not necessarily be RPing with.

Simple things like:
What would you do if...?
"you hit a cat with your car?"
"you were the last person on Earth?"
"you went to school in your underwear?"

If a charafter is evil, or a villain, the answer is often funny and dark. It sort of helps people get into the minds of their characters, and really explore what their character would do in certain situations.

Sunday has a great idea, a simple challenge like that will get everyone involved and excited about it. It will also help members better form their character's histories, which can be very difficult to do.

You could also do things like making a sub-forum for plotting. Characters can form plots with each other to further how they might react with one another while role playing. It could also give them an idea or feel for how they want to handle their character. It may also help them figure out more pieces of their past and other personality traits.

What's the most common language used on the board?

The board is all in English, though people speak Swedish or French as their first language. (Yeah, variety, I know. ^_^ It's actually pretty cool the group we have.)

I thank you all for your suggestions. I actually thought of something similar to what Sunday proposed while I drove home from school today. I was going to have characters basically write a scene from their character's point of view (first or third person, whichever) of something which happened in their past. Maybe I will make it into a competition.

Oohes, that is a good idea. Well done, Makar and Sunday. ^_^ Teehee!