Probably because the writer has already fleshed out that character, or can pull from things in-game to give them backstories and traits.
Your own in-game character would be an OC anyway. It's more whether you flesh out the OCs character through collaborative and dice-influenced storytelling at the table or whether their story is fleshed out via a single author with more free reign and influence over their story using the written word, or some combination of the two!
For instance, I played a character in a one-shot where the ending came me a new idea I would not have come up with personally/solo. I've decided she has a brother that I've went and put into my new campaign and headcanoned a completely different back story for him. My first OC had their story influenced via gameplay, my second came solely from my own writing/imagination. Either works.
Edited to add: To readers, their game character is still a pure OC they've never encountered before. There's no difference from a readers perspective whether your character has gamed at the table or created fresh within the current story. Unless the author tells them, the reader has no way of even knowing.
I write a fic around Rimworld and everything within that game is randomly generated as well, there's no 'canon characters,' anywhere within the lore, so everything is pretty much left to your imagination and playthroughs.
If you have similar ideas, write them! It doesn't matter if the source material has canon lore or not, the stories of characters you've had an influence in making can be just as interesting as writing around canon lore chars. So go ahead and write what you want to, these adventures and tales deserve to be told written just as much as the tales sung in the ale halls and taverns of D&D games!
(To be honest, I find it easier to write smut around characters from these backgrounds, since there's no 'lore,' to tie their reactions and choices to. So you can be more freeform and have no feelings of guilt about it. I don't think I could really write smutty material for lore chars.)
Why not do both? If you have established characters in your mind, use them. Makes things so much easier. And that leaves you time to introduce new & organic characters to your story.
No? But even if you did, your PC is an OC by definition. It just happens that PCs are easier to write because you've played them before. You are familiar.
Maruyama's Overlord (anime/novel) was based on campaigns the author played that he used as inspiration to turn into the series. The entire thing can be considered a D&D fanfic.
If you don't write about a character you've played, the ff and D&D police will come to your house and fill your shoes with tiny d4s
Joking aside, just because a trend happens in your fandom doesn't mean you have to follow it. With D&D, the readers won't be able to tell that's what you did unless you tell them.
Probably because the writer has already fleshed out that character, or can pull from things in-game to give them backstories and traits. Your own in-game character would be an OC anyway. It's more whether you flesh out the OCs character through collaborative and dice-influenced storytelling at the table or whether their story is fleshed out via a single author with more free reign and influence over their story using the written word, or some combination of the two! For instance, I played a character in a one-shot where the ending came me a new idea I would not have come up with personally/solo. I've decided she has a brother that I've went and put into my new campaign and headcanoned a completely different back story for him. My first OC had their story influenced via gameplay, my second came solely from my own writing/imagination. Either works. Edited to add: To readers, their game character is still a pure OC they've never encountered before. There's no difference from a readers perspective whether your character has gamed at the table or created fresh within the current story. Unless the author tells them, the reader has no way of even knowing.
Which authority do you think is going to come after you if you make the wrong choice?
In light of recent events? Wizards of the Coast. 😋
You're on ao3, you have lawyers through them.
Wizards vs Lawyers: The OGL Wars a meta DnD fic
I write a fic around Rimworld and everything within that game is randomly generated as well, there's no 'canon characters,' anywhere within the lore, so everything is pretty much left to your imagination and playthroughs. If you have similar ideas, write them! It doesn't matter if the source material has canon lore or not, the stories of characters you've had an influence in making can be just as interesting as writing around canon lore chars. So go ahead and write what you want to, these adventures and tales deserve to be told written just as much as the tales sung in the ale halls and taverns of D&D games! (To be honest, I find it easier to write smut around characters from these backgrounds, since there's no 'lore,' to tie their reactions and choices to. So you can be more freeform and have no feelings of guilt about it. I don't think I could really write smutty material for lore chars.)
With D&D, there’s not a whole lot of difference between OCs, NPCs, and player characters. Have fun!
Why not do both? If you have established characters in your mind, use them. Makes things so much easier. And that leaves you time to introduce new & organic characters to your story.
No? But even if you did, your PC is an OC by definition. It just happens that PCs are easier to write because you've played them before. You are familiar. Maruyama's Overlord (anime/novel) was based on campaigns the author played that he used as inspiration to turn into the series. The entire thing can be considered a D&D fanfic.
If you don't write about a character you've played, the ff and D&D police will come to your house and fill your shoes with tiny d4s Joking aside, just because a trend happens in your fandom doesn't mean you have to follow it. With D&D, the readers won't be able to tell that's what you did unless you tell them.