Don't Play an "Edgy Loner"

Playing an "edgy, dark loner who plays by their own rules and grew up on the streets or joined an assassin guild," or something similar, can be fun. However, that character can feel stale or too predictable for both yourself and other players, to the extent that it's evident this character isn't a person, but rather the 10,000th iteration of some kind of gritty criminal or Batman-like figure.

I'm all for playing characters you feel comfortable and interested in; just consider the kind of social life these characters might have.

Being an "edgy loner" isn't merely about operating at the fringes of whatever social structure you find yourself in. For instance, if your character resides in a rich and posh city and you're the person who smuggles in drugs, or is a killer for hire, or carries out the dirty work for somebody, thereby keeping the working class in check, that's intriguing. However, how did they obtain that job? That requires a certain level of skill and a willingness to engage with other people.

All of this is to say, instead of portraying an edgy dark loner character with childhood trauma who's an assassin that somehow joins the party, play someone who seeks some connection with people, even if they don't realize it. If someone comes to the table and presents the stereotypical edgy-dark thief archetype, but the player knows that's who they pretend to be, and they genuinely desire connection and a found family, even if the "character" doesn't recognize it, that's instantly more engaging. This desire for connection, whether unconscious or conscious on your character's behalf, can introduce a level of comedy above the table, even in a serious game.

Alternatively, if you wish to have that character involved in a thieves' guild, make it slightly unconventional, perhaps they join the assassins' guild for health insurance. Or, if you don't want to delve into the complexity of that concept, they join the thieves' guild or the assassins' guild because their family was sick, and these guilds provide support for their members and their families due to the scarcity of individuals willing and capable of performing such tasks.

This adds a layer of humor, seriousness, and humanity concerning how human organizations function. Edgy loner characters have a limited lifespan. Humanoids are generally regarded as social creatures, so if you truly wish to remain alone in this world for extended periods, your quality of life would suffer, and depending on the level of violence in your world, survival might be improbable.

Therefore, flesh out your inclination to play a dark loner character. How solitary are they? What kind of relationships do they yearn for? Where do they seek connection with others? Pondering these questions is advisable before arriving at your table or discussing with your game master why your character would care about being part of the party.

In a game as logistically challenging as a TTRPG, when you come to the table, I believe you'll have more enjoyment if you play the character who, in their own unique way, consciously pursues connection.

If the idea is a gritty, loner character who only wears black and dark purples and carries knives everywhere, perhaps what they truly desire is to feel comfortable getting a full night's sleep or to have someone watching over them. Maybe they long to feel physically safe and not constantly on guard, or simply wish for someone to care for them as they see others care for their loved ones and friends.

Approaching the table with an idea like this transforms any dark stock character into a more compelling starting point for the story you and your group will craft. I understand that most tables probably develop such characters over time. However, I believe this conscious "unedgifying" is a better approach for players who wish to portray such characters and engage with the party.

This doesn't mean that these characters are all soft and mushy on the inside. It simply means they are individuals grappling with the world, which is more relatable to other players. Characters who don't play nicely with others carry a lot of baggage with them, which can restrict the kinds of interactions other players at your table want to have with you. So, don't play "edgy loners"; play people who think they want to be alone.