The Two-Minute Profile Check
A profile is ready when the intended reader can understand the character, imagine a useful interaction, and know what is open for collaboration. It does not need every field completed. Use this checklist after drafting and before changing the profile from private to public.
1. Can the Premise Be Understood Quickly?
- The first screen names the character and gives a one-sentence playable premise.
- The current role or situation appears before deep history.
- The profile does not require knowledge from another page to make basic sense.
- The title and summary describe this character rather than a whole setting.
Ask a simple question: if someone reads only the name, summary, and first paragraph, can they explain why this character might enter a scene now?
2. Is There a Current Want?
- The character wants something specific enough to affect choices.
- An obstacle, cost, deadline, or relationship makes the want difficult.
- The desired outcome is not already guaranteed.
- At least one other character could help, oppose, question, or complicate it.
“Wants freedom” is broad. “Needs a witness to retract a statement before the council meets” supplies action, another person, and time pressure.
3. Are Traits Visible in Behavior?
- Important traits have one observable example.
- Strengths create responsibilities or costs.
- Flaws affect decisions rather than serving as decorative labels.
- The profile avoids telling every reader what they must think or feel.
Replace “intimidating” with the physical or social behavior that produces that impression, then let other characters respond in their own way.
4. Is the Appearance Easy to Remember?
- The silhouette or posture is clear.
- Two or three visual anchors carry most of the recognition.
- Clothing communicates function, condition, or choice.
- Exact measurements and low-value inventory do not bury the useful details.
If this section remains difficult, use the focused character appearance template.
5. Do Relationships Create Openings?
- Important connections state trust, debt, tension, or unresolved history.
- The profile does not decide another player character feelings or future actions.
- Open roles remain flexible enough for collaboration.
- Private relationship spoilers stay outside the public profile when appropriate.
6. Are Abilities and Limits Fair?
- Capabilities are concrete enough for a partner to understand.
- Limits, costs, uncertainty, or counters are visible where they matter.
- The profile does not guarantee outcomes against another character.
- Content that could strongly affect a scene is discussed before play.
7. Are Privacy and Boundaries Clear?
- No private contact details, precise location, or unrelated personal information appear.
- Public and private notes are separated deliberately.
- Mature themes and content warnings use the available controls.
- Collaboration boundaries describe your own limits without judging other people.
- You are comfortable with every detail being visible to the selected audience.
8. Is Every Image Safe to Publish?
- You created the artwork, commissioned it with suitable permission, or otherwise have permission to publish it.
- The creator credit and source are preserved where required.
- Signatures and watermarks remain intact.
- Alternative text describes the meaningful visual content.
- The image does not reveal personal or location data unintentionally.
If permission is uncertain, remove the image from the public profile and keep a private reference until the rights are clear.
9. Does the Profile Work on a Phone?
- The summary does not begin with a wall of text.
- Headings divide biography, appearance, personality, and hooks.
- Paragraphs are short enough to scan.
- Links have meaningful labels and still work.
- The most important hook is not hidden at the bottom.
Preview the profile at a narrow width. Look for clipped artwork, long unbroken text, overly dense lists, and actions pushed far below the content they affect.
10. Is the Next Interaction Obvious?
- Two or three open hooks suggest meetings, questions, conflicts, or shared tasks.
- Each hook gives another character a choice rather than an assigned outcome.
- A first scene can begin without reading every private note.
- The profile has one clear next action for the intended audience.
Publish Less, Revise Better
Remove fields that repeat the same point. Keep deep chronology, unused trivia, and future reveals in private notes. A shorter public profile with a current want and three open hooks is more useful than a complete archive with no clear entrance.
Final Go or Hold Decision
Publish or share when the premise, current pressure, permissions, audience, boundaries, and next interaction are clear. Keep private when artwork rights are uncertain, personal information remains, mature-content controls are incomplete, or the concept still assigns choices to someone else. You can return after one editing pass; a private draft is a safe working state, not a failure.
