Chapter 3: Reading Briefs & Asking the Right Questions

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Reading Briefs & Asking the Right Questions (Role, Fantasy, Faction, Player Fantasy, Constraints)

A strong character brief is a promise: the studio promises clarity; you promise decisions. But most briefs arrive incomplete, inconsistent, or overloaded with wish‑lists. Your job as a character concept artist—on the concepting side and the production side—is to interrogate, translate, and de‑risk. This article teaches you how to read briefs with precision, ask the right questions, map responsibilities across indie vs AAA, choose the right deliverables, and align with a practical collaboration map so the team can ship.

1) The Five Pillars of a Character Brief

A useful brief contains five pillars. When any pillar is missing or vague, you generate targeted questions and propose the smallest possible artifact to clarify it.

1. Role (Gameplay Function)

What it is. The mechanical job the character performs: tank, assassin, healer, controller, DPS, support, hybrid. Includes mobility type (dash, blink, grapple), effective ranges, and survivability profile.

What to extract. Hitbox expectations, stance, weapon/kit family, read distance, and encounter beats (start/active/finish silhouettes). Note mandatory tells (e.g., “shield charge must be seen from 20m”).

Common gaps. Role overlaps with existing cast; unclear counters; unreadable ability wind‑ups; animation/rig limits unspoken.

2. Fantasy (Narrative/World Lens)

What it is. The archetype and cultural framing: “desert ranger,” “biotech monk,” “clockwork envoy.” Includes tone (grim/hopeful), time period, and tech/magic rules.

What to extract. Shape and material language, ornamentation limits, relics vs cutting‑edge, and wear/repair stories that sell history.

Common gaps. Mixed metaphors (“samurai‑pirate‑astronaut”), unresearched motifs, or references that fight the project’s style bible.

3. Faction (Team/IFF Identity)

What it is. Visual identity rails: color bands, heraldry, symbol grammar, manufacturing variance, and rank/role markers.

What to extract. Palette slots reserved for VFX, pattern libraries, hardware standards (fasteners, trim levels), and silhouette norms (e.g., capes taboo, spikes rare).

Common gaps. Overlap with enemy team cues; palette already saturated by UI/VFX; ornamentation that breaks readability.

4. Player Fantasy (Why players care)

What it is. The fantasy loop the player buys: power fantasy, mastery fantasy, protector/caretaker, trickster/control.

What to extract. Emotional anchors (empathy hooks, ritual props), signature moments (finisher, clutch save), and “poster shot” composition for marketing.

Common gaps. Aesthetics that contradict usability (stealth hero with jingle belts); no emotional reason to main the character.

5. Constraints (Reality & Risk)

What it is. Poly/texture budgets, rig/cloth hair limits, platform targets, camera contexts, monetization and live‑ops requirements, cultural/sensitivity guardrails.

What to extract. Triangle budgets by LOD, materials count, shader hooks, cape lengths, collision capsules, outsource scope, and prohibited motifs.

Common gaps. Late platform changes; vague budgets; unspoken approvals (licensing, legal, cultural review).

2) The Question Bank (Use, Adapt, Paste into Emails)

Treat these as checklists. Ask only what advances a decision; propose a matching micro‑deliverable with every question you send.

A. Role & Mechanics

  • Which encounter verbs define this kit (protect, burst, debuff, reposition)?
  • What are the must‑read silhouettes for abilities (start/hold/impact)?
  • Required read distance in the target camera (TPP, FPP, ISO, VR)?
  • Any no‑go gear (e.g., capes in parkour, long chains near IK knees)?
  • Hitbox/capsule sizes and cloth safe zones?

B. Fantasy & World Rules

  • Two sentences: archetype + contradiction (“merciful executioner”).
  • Tech/magic equivalence rules (pseudo‑science vs ritual logic)?
  • Material honesty expectations (plastic cannot fake steel; metals show edge wear, etc.)?
  • Are there taboos (religious symbols, historical uniforms, real‑world insignia)?

C. Faction & IFF

  • Team palettes and reserved VFX hues?
  • Rank markers and where they live (collar, pauldron, sash)?
  • Icon/insignia resolutions (HUD, isometric, billboard) and contrast rules?
  • Manufacturing trim levels (common/rare/legendary) and material swaps?

D. Player Fantasy & Emotion

  • The poster moment we must enable (pose, framing, prop)?
  • Empathy hooks (keepsake, repair) that read in cinematics?
  • Expression range needed (grim stoic vs expressive cartoon)?

E. Constraints & Production

  • Budgets (triangles per LOD, textures, materials count, rig limits)?
  • Deliverables needed for this gate (silhouettes, orthos, callouts, expressions)?
  • Outsource or internal build? Acceptance criteria? Due dates?
  • Accessibility requirements (color‑blind, pattern redundancies)?
  • Localization or regional variants (insignia, colors, modesty)?

3) Reading Between the Lines (Signals & Red Flags)

  • Over‑stuffed references. Too many disparate boards = no north star. Propose 3 style pillars and a kill list.
  • Role drift. “Hybrid” often means undecided. Force a priority order (primary/secondary verbs) and test with silhouette A/Bs.
  • Palette congestion. If VFX owns the neon spectrum, plan materials in duller ranges and reserve value contrast for forms.
  • Cinematic vs gameplay tension. If cinematics demand micro‑ornament, provide a down‑rez gameplay variant.
  • Late “just add a cape.” Link to rig/cloth cost; propose alternative streamer elements.

4) Roles Across Indie vs AAA (Who Asks What)

Indie (1–20 devs)

  • Generalist Character Concept Artist asks and answers: decodes brief, proposes scope, produces silhouettes → orthos → callouts, then supports modeling/anim directly. You’ll also ask toolchain questions (engine, shader support) and suggest compromises.
  • Producer/Designer collaboration is conversational; you frequently test in engine and update the brief live.

AAA (100+ devs)

  • Exploration/Vision Artist: Asks world‑scale questions (style pillars, faction rails, cast taxonomy). Produces direction boards and silhouette families.
  • Production Concept Artist: Asks build‑scale questions (seams, rig notes, texel density, sockets). Produces orthos, callouts, expressions, vendor packs.
  • Skins/Live‑Ops Artist: Asks guardrail questions (silhouette invariants, rarity treatments). Produces variant packs.
  • Cinematics/Marketing Artist: Asks close‑up fidelity questions (face grammar, microfabric). Produces hero shots and expression nuance.

Across both scales, the core habit is identical: surface the assumption, pair it with a testable artifact, and time‑box the decision.

5) From Question → Deliverable: The Smallest Useful Artifact

  • Role unclear? → 30‑minute silhouette A/B page with labeled role reads; gather votes.
  • Faction palette ambiguous? → Color chip rail across 3 silhouettes with VFX overlays; pick 1.
  • Expression tone unclear? → 6‑face expression strip + eyebrow/lid overlays.
  • Gear fit unknown? → Holster/weapon fit sheet with hand grips and reload path arrows.
  • Cloth/rig risk? → Ortho with skirt profile + “no‑twist” zones; 10‑min paintover on block‑in.
  • Accessibility risk? → Pattern/IFF redundancy strip tested with color‑blind filters.

These micro‑deliverables protect momentum while avoiding speculative overwork.

6) Collaboration Map (Who You Ask, Who You Unblock)

Design (Game/System/Level): Provide silhouettes, pose thumbnails, ability start/impact silhouettes; request verb priorities, read distances, and counter rules.

Animation/Tech Animation: Provide pose sheets and orthos with joint centers and skirt profiles; request joint limits, cloth layers, cape lengths, and holster paths.

Character/Tech Art: Provide callouts with seam/stitch logic, material IDs, shader hooks; request texel density, topology needs, and LOD expectations.

VFX/Audio: Provide emitter/socket marks, impact materials, and timing thumbnails; request palette reservations and audio motif constraints.

UI/UX: Provide icon silhouettes and portraits; request IFF contrast rules and HUD occlusion constraints.

Cinematics/Marketing: Provide expression sheets and hero frames; request close‑up fidelity targets and hair/helmet collision allowances.

Production/Outsourcing/QA: Provide named, versioned packages with acceptance criteria; request due dates, vendor slots, and bug triage cadence.

7) Email & Meeting Templates (Copy/Paste)

A. Kickoff Clarification (Short):

  • Subject: CH_[Name] — Clarifying Role & Guardrails
  • Body: “To validate role reads and faction rails, I’ll deliver a silhouette A/B page + color rail by EOD. Can you confirm read distance (TPP 15–25m) and any reserved VFX hues? Also, list any taboos or no‑go gear.”

B. Decision Gate Note:

  • Subject: CH_[Name] — Gate 1 Decision Package
  • Body: “Attached: 3 silhouettes (A/B/C), color chips, and a 6‑expression strip. Please pick one silhouette and one palette. Next gate will include orthos + callouts for build.”

C. Risk Flag:

  • Subject: CH_[Name] — Cape/Rig Risk & Alternatives
  • Body: “Cape length conflicts with roll and stair climb. Attached: shortened hem variant + streamer alternative. Recommend Variant 2 to preserve read and avoid cloth sim cost.”

8) Review Gates & Checklists

Gate 0 (Brief Decode → Explore)

  • Confirm role verbs + read distance; agree on 3 style pillars; list taboos.
  • Deliver: silhouettes A/B/C + color rail + 6‑expression strip.

Gate 1 (Explore → Decide)

  • Lock silhouette + palette; approve expression tone; align on kit affordances.
  • Deliver: painterly turnaround; pose thumbnails; gear fit quicksheet.

Gate 2 (Decide → Build)

  • Lock construction and materials; mark emitters/sockets; define collision capsules.
  • Deliver: orthos + callouts (+ materials table + tech notes), expression sheet v1.

Gate 3 (Build → Support)

  • In‑engine read test screenshots; accessibility pass; vendor acceptance checklist.
  • Deliver: bug triage paintovers; icon/portrait pack; marketing hero pose.

9) Common Anti‑Patterns (And How to Recover)

  • Question avalanche. Don’t interrogate without offering artifacts. Pair every 3–5 questions with a test page.
  • Over‑prompted aesthetics. If references fight each other, collapse to 3 pillars and kill list the rest.
  • Late palette flips. Keep a “pressure test” strip (fog/bloom/night) on every color page to avoid late surprises.
  • Vendor drift. Version everything (CH_Name_F01_v023), keep a one‑line change log, and include a cover page.

10) Sustainable Habits (Daily/Weekly/Monthly)

Daily. 30 minutes on a question‑driven micro‑deliverable (silh A/B, fit sheet), plus one paintover for a partner team.

Weekly. Brief review with cross‑disciplines; update kill list; run an engine read test; archive rejected variants for skins.

Monthly. Post‑mortem a shipped character’s brief → artifact trail; refine your email templates; update the vendor acceptance checklist.

11) Final Thought

Reading a brief isn’t passive. It’s active design leadership: extract the role, align the fantasy, guard the faction, amplify the player fantasy, and respect the constraints. Ask focused questions and pair them with the smallest useful deliverable. Whether you ship as a nimble indie generalist or a AAA specialist, you win by turning uncertainty into shared, shippable decisions.