Your basic OTE character consists of the following bits of information, sent to the GM in a Private Message.  He'll handle the mechanical bits where needed, edit when necessary, and let you know if he has any questions.<br/><br/>Name:<br/>Description: (age, height, weight, hair, eyes, gender, clothing, etc)<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Traits and Signs</span><br/>Central Trait:<br/>Side Trait:<br/>Side Trait:<br/>Flaw:<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Stuff</span><br/>Finances:<br/>Equipment:<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Background</span><br/>Motivation:<br/>Secret:<br/>Important Person:<br/>Personal History:<br/><br/><br/>And now, a little explanation.<br/><br/>A<strong>Central Trait</strong>is your character's overall identity.  You can think of it as a class or an occupation--it is, as the name suggests, central to your character.  It does<em>not</em>have to be your character's<strong>superior</strong>trait.<br/><br/>A<strong>Side Trait</strong>is a more specific skill, ability, or attribute that your character has.  It does not have to relate to their Central Trait, and in most cases it would be redundant to do so.<br/><br/>Your<strong>Flaw</strong>should be tied to your concept in some way.  It should also be something that will come up in play--'Can't Cook' won't cut it unless you're going to be duking it out a la the Iron Chef!<br/><br/>All traits have a '<strong>sign</strong>'.  This is a small piece of information that hints at your character's traits without spelling it out directly--usually a word or two will suffice.  It's much more interesting to say "I'm a tall, slim man who walks with a confident gait and wears a strange gold medallion around his neck" than "I'm agile, I come from a wealthy British family, and I dabble in magic".<br/><br/>Out of your first three traits, choose one to be your<strong>superior</strong>trait.  It doesn't matter which one you choose, save that this your character's best ability.<br/><br/>More advice to follow shortly.  ;D<br/><br/><em>To expand on the Trait/Sign thing (since my poor choice of examples has caused some confusion), I'm going to pick on poor Arthur Pendrick again.<br/><br/>Arthur's Central Trait is Mythology.  He studies the occult and religious beliefs of many different cultures.  His sign for this trait is that silver ring, inscribed with a Sanskrit prayer from the Tibetan Book of the Dead.  He makes his money by running seminars for rich people with a yen (ha-ha) for the spiritual...Side Trait: Manipulating People, Sign: Ingratiating Smile.  And although Arthur looks like just another guy in a suit, he's got a good dose of killer instinct...Side Trait: Scrap-fighter, Sign: that ingratiating smile becomes a smirk when there's a fight brewing.  His Flaw is that poor Arthur is losing his grip on reality a little bit, and the Sign is that when the going gets wierd, he starts muttering prayers under his breath.<br/><br/>Signs are meant to hint at the character's abilities without actually spilling the beans completely.  Hence, your characters are posted in the Cast Thread with just their physical description and signs.  Your game-mechanics stuff is kept in a safe place, to be used as needed.</em><br/>