This poll from Luethar asks what it is you concentrate on during character creation in a CRPG.

I said <other>, because I care for ALL the other points in the list to create a character that fits into a role I want to play in a game.

Actually, the first choice I make is the class, the main role of the character (but it's not in the proposed list). From there the ability scores are obvious, so I voted Skills.

Sure, I'm trying to get decent ability scores so my character can survive and function in its role, without min/maxing too much. The race and ancestry has some importance too, but it's a quick choice so the character is not a complete mismatch for the role.

I'm more interested in the skills, feats, additional abilities, spells, and all those customizations that really define what the character can do. Skills may not be the exact term, but it's the gist of it and the closest in the list, or I should have selected multiple items in a more detailed list.

The cosmetic and past history parts are interesting too, but I tend to spend less time on it, the story comes with the actual gameplay.

Originally Posted by HiddenX
I said <other>, because I care for ALL the other points in the list to create a character that fits into a role I want to play in a game.

Same for me!

The specific role I prefer is a diplomatic/wise/intelligent type, who tries to solve as many situations as possible by convincing people instead of fighting. I love games, where this is rewarded, e.g. in Planescape Torment, where you can overcome the end boss without fight, if you are specialized in such direction.

The role I like second best is a ranged type, preferably with bows or other ranged weapons. If that is not possible I might choose a ranged magician.

Other variants I like to try are sneaky/thief types, clerics or magicians with summons.

What I like least are close encounters, so I never choose melee types. I don't play games, which force you to fight in melee.
Edit: This holds for my avatar. In party based games I have a mix including melee types in my group usually.

Originally Posted by Redglyph
Actually, the first choice I make is the class, the main role of the character (but it's not in the proposed list).

Everything is in the list. If you can't find it, it is in 'Other'

I am more of a skills oriented player especially for CRPGs. Skills will determine my class, attributes, and overall play-style. In CRPGs, I usually play female characters because if I am playing over the shoulder I rather see a female's butt shaking than a male character's (sexist, I know, sorry).

Lue.

Well I can't say other.

Never cared about the backstory much. It's things of past and usually if not always does not matter for roleplay purposes in present or future apart from some references or easier "obstacles" solutions.

That'd be the least important thing to me. A bit more important, but not as much are stats.
Base and derived stats, cmon, these can be pretty much random and not lock you out of anything, the only question is if you're willing to roleplay a character that can't ever become a master of something but will often fail miserably.

When it comes to appearance, for faces I hit randomize a few times and that's it. Unless I'm okay with the default one (example ME) then I won't even bother.
For body modifiers, if such option does exist, I just go for something medium, never extreme. My characters are never life timewasted in a gym.
So let's say this one is somewhat important to me, but only to have character looks as ordinary as possible.

This leaves me skills.
I'd lie if I didn't care about these and I care a lot. I'm always trying to predict what the character is supposed to do as work and then I pick a certain skill set if possible or at least devise a plan on getting those.

I had to go with "other", because in the great scheme of things, I believe I actually prefer a classless system, one that's more free-flowing and doesn't confine a player to one skill-set or genre. All the other criteria listed seem to be about equal for me, insofar as priority is concerned. Kudos to a poll that really made me think for a bit!

Appearance! The rest (stats, skills, etc) is something to focus as I level up the character, not when I create it. I mean obviously I won't take 5 Int while playing a wizard, but that's a no brainer, it doesn't need any focus. High Int, low Str, snap of a finger, zero focus. When I create the character the thing that takes the vast majority of my time is making sure I'm happy with it aesthetically, in every little detail, including eye colour, tattoos, etc. The more options, the better. I only tend to avoid the "face sliders" that allow you to adjust every portion of the face width, depth etc as that's way too complex and I'd need to be a plastic surgeon to even grasp it, but other than that, I'm game.

Originally Posted by Carnifex
I had to go with "other", because in the great scheme of things, I believe I actually prefer a classless system, one that's more free-flowing and doesn't confine a player to one skill-set or genre. All the other criteria listed seem to be about equal for me, insofar as priority is concerned. Kudos to a poll that really made me think for a bit!

I can't see how any of the listed options conflict with a classless system. Predetermined class or not, you still learn abilities, have attributes or something resembling them, have a physical appearance, etc.

What I focus on is making a character that a) lets me do things I enjoy doing in a game and b) imparts some bias toward the choices I would make, thus allowing me to role-play and possibly replay the game with a different type of character. Choice of skills probably do that the most from this list, with attributes as a secondary factor.

This is going to be pretty different depending on the game. For those games that make backstory relevant (DA Origins, Cyberpunk, etc) my focus will be there, just as it is in a tabletop setting -- but very few videogames have that level of customization.

For a typical CRPG, the closest thing to character you have control over is skillset, so that's what I'll build a concept around most of the time -- but that's by default, not because it's the most interesting.

And in one game -- good old City of Heroes, a superhero MMO -- I always started with the costumes.

I went with other as I focus on many things and as Hexprone said it can really depend on the game and options.

For example in Skyrim and FO4, where I can spend a lot of time creating a character, then appearance would probably come first followed by … well for Skyrim that's about it as the skills and such come as you play. In FO4 I would follow appearance by stats (SPECIAL).

Now in a game like Pathfinder or Pillars or any older style game, where you don't really focus on making a 3D character to play, I would focus first on the race that I wanted - that would somewhat determine other things if I say only wanted to play 3 of 8 provided races, which is often the case.

After race I would then focus on class and whether you can have an animal companion as that could influence class decisions.

But skills are super important to play into the backstory and role playing so that is also a vital focus, if the game has skills.

I also wasn't clear if backstory meant the game provides you with a backstory (like DAO does or one of the simple ones in Kingmaker or WOTR) and then you focus on it … or when you make your own backstory for role playing on your own.

If that is the case then I could say Backstory comes first, before every thing. I create very long and involved back stories for all my characters. Without a backstory I wouldn't know what to pick for class, race, skills, etc. The back story is their character, personality, history.

So if making your own backstory is what is being asked that is my first focus. Then all the rest.

Beyond that they are all important as they all tie-in to an overall character.

I make complete characters where the race, skills, appearance, stats, and so on all meld together into a coherent whole as a single character. Because of that none is really more or less important as they are all vital parts to the complete picture, which is structured by the foundation which is their backstory.

Voted "Other", which for me meant "ALL of them of course". Similar to the other comments here. I like the skills to match the class and the looks to match the race/class/portrait. For CRPGs backstory probably not a huge focus for me, unless there's something in the gameplay where you get unique content depending on some backstory.

I make my character according to the content on offer. If it is largely a combat fest than I will look to have optimal ability scores. If it has diplomatic skills than I will boost the persuasion/intimidation because thats always interesting. If I am playing a rogue like I will experiment with lots of different builds to see what I like and then try to work out how to develop the character.

Doesn't matter as my handy cheat trainer allows me to play as a god.

So I guess I could chose other.

I thought I'd put a vote in for backstory. In the sense that if I have the freedom to fully create a character, I like to actually to imagine being the character - like a little kid, I suppose. I often go for a ranger - with his animal friends in the woods, and a bit tasty with a bow. Or a mage, poring over scrolls in his rickety orery.

Obviously depends on the specific game as some RPGs don't even give options for all these categories (though they really should). I'm inclined to say "other" because rather than focusing on any one factor I would try to create a character where everything goes together and makes sense… I pick the class I want to play and then the stats, appearance, backstory, etc. all develop naturally from that.

Other. I prefer to be inspired by something unique to the setting, then build a character around that concept.

All of the above, so other.