Players, how do you write you character backstories? Are there any patterns you've noticed in your writing.I noticed that when I'm making a backstory, I have a habit to make the inciting incident something sad, even if its not super tragic. I would like to hear how others managed to give their characters goal while having them stay happy.DMs, what kind of backstories do you like? Was there any that you really enjoyed? Any type of backstories you hate?
>>97895354Unwritten, emerging through actual gaming ones.That being said, if for whatever reasons you feel the need for them: adventures for the character in the past are not really necessary. Give us some personality, links to other (N)PCs that are actually useful for the adventure, and probably a problem or two the character need to resolve.
>>97895354I self-plagiarize, recycling backstories (and builds) of my older characters.
>>97895354>DMs, what kind of backstories do you like? Was there any that you really enjoyed? Any type of backstories you hate?The kind that's 3 sentences or fewer. Don't tell my about your character; play them. I will not incorporate anything regarding your "backstory" into the game. If you want it to be relevant? Play the character. Make it relevant.
>>97895354i copy the backstories of pre-existing characters and tweak things a bit.
>>97895452my character is wanted for a mile-long list of crimes in most countries and has a bounty on his head worth a small fortune, is that all forgotten as soon as the game starts?stop trying to LARP as a grog, underageb&
>>97895354Take some aspects of some other characters from media and make a corn beef Hash out of it. Works somewhat well especially when I do a interconnected thing be it with previous characters I've played or into the world the DM makes.Had a character who was a Cultist for the Demon Lords, he ended up dying so he was replaced with a disciple of his who would continue the work of his master. That being to keep deceiving the rest of the party to get to the end goal. Once he died I rolled up the daughter of the first dude, her goal was to destroy the macguffin and drag her father home unaware of how evil and very dead he was.
>>97895384>Unwritten, emerging through actual gaming ones.Word, I fucking hate backstories.
>>97895452This doesn't work when character backstory is an integral part of chargen, like in cyberpunk 2020
>>97895701I'll add that I don't think it's a BAD idea to have in mind some prior adventuring or something close to it (I dunno, you COC priest encountering some bizzarre shit in his time innamountains with hillbillies), generally speaking, if the game is not a one shot at least. But1) It's just some prologue to the real meat of the story, the one you will play out. Keep it short and not "high level". 99.999999999% of RPGs are about starting out, not a coda about the hero's life.2) Make your PC talk about it in game, if possible, and be open to interact about it with the other PCs. "This terrible weather reminds me about that one time at the Mountains of Whatever. Good times, right, druid?"
>>97895384>Unwritten, emerging through actual gaming ones.FPBP. in the early 5E days when they semi baked 'personality traits' into the rules, i told my players that, if they wanted to, they could give me a backstory. i did specify one side of A4 maximum (big mistake) but i would read and implement it all.i admire their creativity but NOTHING i did was ever 'correct'.>'you receive a letter from your wife, she says...'>'but my wife died.'>'oh, well, you didn't write that in the page you gave me.'>'yeah, i changed my mind, i just didn't have space.'>'okay then, ignore that.'>'why aren't i getting letters from my clan-brothers?'>'well, let's just move on and i'll have a think.'at first my players were super impressed i actually cared about their characters. now i'm full-in on the OSR shit. give me one or two sentences like, 'an apprentice cleric of Harvestus with a scruffy beard. formerly a turnip farmer.'your character might die, and i'm not 'keeping' them alive if a pit trap does them in.
>>97895707Too bad that chargen is boring. Who the fuck cares about siblings?(can be done, surprsingly enough Sword World's optional one is interesting)
>>97895664I started doing that and I am happy with the result.>>97895728Honestly sounds like a player problem. Usually when I submit a backstory, I treat it as sacred.
>>97895354Short and funny and silly. I have never given a shit about people's long tedious backstories.
>>97895354There's the other side of the equation - when a character has loved ones or next of kin back home oftentimes GM will kill them for cheap revenge plot hook...Best give yourself enstranged wife or cruel step-mother, so when any misfortune striker her you can just shrug it off because the bitch deserved it..
>>97895802Yeah, it's kinda bullshit, especially because the PC often didn't interact with them during the game.I would at least suggest to give hints before the deed, to make the PCs do something.
>>97895354>DMs, what kind of backstories do you like?Ones that have answers to these:1. What made your character an adventurer/mercenary/edgerunner/investigator.2. What's your character's immediate and long-term goals.3. What are the connections of your PC to the world (locations/NPCs) and other PCs.4. If your character is a grumbling loner, what makes them stick around. The last one isn't obligatory, if a player wants to retire a PC, the excuse of the grumbling loner going their own way like they always did is handy.As a player I include all of that, but also write way more than needed. :-P
>>97895767>Usually when I submit a backstory, I treat it as sacred.what do you mean, anon?i started hedging it with shit like>i might not interpret what you write the same way you do. so if you say your character's brother was killed by an evil warlord, i might portray him differently to how you imagined. paint in broad strokes, just go along with it, we're all here to have fun.these were face-to-face games and yeah, about half the players i played with were cool with it. i 'wove their backstories into the game' as nuD&D players say.but the problem players were the other half, which is why i had to give a whole 'inb4...' spiel. i don't even mean some 'i am the Dungeon Master, my word is law!' nonsense. people get really weird. they'll write 'Dwarfbeard is believed to be the last survivor of the Meatbread Clan' and if you DARE suggest rumours of another Meatbread dwarf, they'll screech at you.if all your players are on-board and love when you do this type of thing, that's honestly lovely. but i got tired of even trying. something i love about OSR and the maxim of 'don't write backstories, play to find out what happens' is that i can just say shit like:>Dwarfbeard, you remember the brewing halls back home, you notice the next room has a faint odour almost like yeast. [oh no, mushroom monsters]>Pardieu, as a travelling holy-man, you know all the holy symbols of men and elves. But the sigil on the altar is not one you recognise. [it's that false god they heard about!]no 'skill system' bullshit to get in the way.
>>97895354Backstories are generally going to be the building blocks of a somewhat dysfunctional person, as most people do not go on adventures. Risking life and limb to get paid is a dangerous thing, even if you are competent at extracting yourself from dangerous situations. If I want someone mostly sane, I go with 'inciting incident, related motivation to adventure, reason to be at starting line'. On the other end, if I want someone who's more directly adventurous 'bizarre motivation, realization I need allies/associates to do this, reason to be at starting line'.As far as what I like, I mostly want a backstory to answer questions about a character, rather than some crafted narrative. Like, people your character knows, attitudes on life, opinions on various groups in-setting, ethical beliefs, and motivations. The point of a backstory from a GM perspective is primarily to derive reason for the PCs to do things, to poke and prod the character and further refine their personality and beliefs. It can be useful to grab characters from, but this has always been the exception over the rule in the games I've been in.
>>97895354The backstories of my characters are pieced together through character options, and anything irrelevant to actually playing the game is either glossed over or ignored.When I sit down to play a game, I'm not there to write a book.
>>97895354Everyone can appreciate an origin story.
>>97895354I usually just come up with a one or two sentence backstory to explain why my character is on the adventure.>He got caught stealing a magical artifact and now has to work off his debt to society>He is a noble running away from an arranged marriage. Made a pact with an eldritch being and now is trying to find a way out of it. >He was a criminal turned cleric and now feels he has a duty to redeem other sinners. >He is a Mage-Knight in service to the kingdom trying to gain accolades to his name in order to approach his love's father for her hand in marriage.And then I just fill out details while playing. It does land me in some trouble with my GM since I tend to make stuff up on the fly and so sometimes my story doesn't match with what I said previously because I need to work on my note taking but it's gotten me through enough games.
>>97895802>Does your character have any family?>Yes a mother whom he loves very much.>Okay she is now imperilled by the wandering momsnatcher >HOW DARE YOU THREATEN MY CHARACTER'S MOM? IF I HAD KNOWN SHE'D BE USED AS A CHEAP PLOT DEVICE I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD ONE!Help me understand this mindset. What is the purpose of the family members if not to be used as cheap plot devices and character motivation? Do you want to roleplay interactions with your fictional mom, do you want mom to become a recurring NPC? What's the deal? I will populate my character with any amount of relatives and important people and defend them to the death, because I think that's a good way to create some narrative stakes. When I run I appreciate that, so why do people revolt against it?
>>97895354Try playing games for once.
