How much back story do you allow/expect at the start of the game?

[Shasarak]

Speaking as a Player, I find it difficult to come up with a lot of Backstory while at the same time still being a 1st level Character. I do prefer to try and create my character as a result of game play.

 

[Bawylie]

Encouraged: 1 tweet's worth of backstory.

Most I'll read: 3 sentences.

One of those three must include some reason your character became and adventurer.


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[ccs]

Encouraged: 1 tweet's worth of backstory.

Most I'll read: 3 sentences.

One of those three must include some reason your character became and adventurer.

"Hi, my name is: (something Elvish sounding)
I'm an Elf from the woods.
I'm an adventurer because that's how this game works - you're either the DM or you're playing an adventurer, & since I'm not the DM...."

 

[Jhaelen]

I don't expect any back story, but I approve if a player provides one.
What I _do_ expect is a list of personality traits and personal motivations/goals.

What my players actually provide for their characters varies wildly:
One player really enjoys writing short-story length backgrounds for his characters - something I'm not entirely happy about. It's just too much information; it's too restricting when I want to create a side-story onvolving the character's background.
Another player (who's also a professional writer) usually supplies 1-2 pages of background that are always a fun read and usually full of plot hooks that I can make use of.
Then I have a player who prefers to provide no background info. He prefers to develop it over time, as he develops a better idea about the character through roleplay.
Most players only have two or three sentences describing their characters.

Myself, I typically only prepare a list of bullet points with important details about the character.

I've found it isn't the amount of back-story that is important. It's how well it's suited for use within play.
Motivations and goals are way more important than background details.

 

[Imaculata]

I'm currently playing in a sci-fi campaign, in which I provided the DM with not just a backstory, but also a list of contacts and business partners of my character, and descriptions of all of them. In a way, these side-characters say more about my character than the backstory, which I thought was an interesting way to write a character for a change.

I've noticed that quite often when players write a backstory for their characters, these characters don't seem to have any life, friends or family. And as such, they don't feel like real characters to me. Why are all PC's orphans with no friends and no family? Why don't they have a job, and other people that have a role in their lives?

 

[Bawylie]

"Hi, my name is: (something Elvish sounding)
I'm an Elf from the woods.
I'm an adventurer because that's how this game works - you're either the DM or you're playing an adventurer, & since I'm not the DM...."

That's plenty good enough to start playing!


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[Jacob Marley]

Quite frankly, I'd rather a player be explicit about what hooks their character than tease that information out of a multi-page backstory. Give me three-to-five sentences that explicitly express a belief, a goal, a motivation, a rival, a plot-line, whatever, and fill in the details as they emerge in play.

 

[Caliban]

If the player gives me more than a non-verbal grunt or knowing look for their backstory, it's too much. I kill their character and have them make a knew one.

They are in my world now, I will provide all the story they need. If they have earned the privilege of a personal history for their character I will provide it for them.

 

[Arilyn]

All these complaints about 10 page backstories, but does this actually happen? Players, in my experience, are usually kind of lazy. I think a player handing me a backstory that was more than a few paragraphs would be such a shock, I would definitely read it, while celebrating having such an enthusiastic participant.

 

[Sunseeker]

I'm currently playing in a sci-fi campaign, in which I provided the DM with not just a backstory, but also a list of contacts and business partners of my character, and descriptions of all of them. In a way, these side-characters say more about my character than the backstory, which I thought was an interesting way to write a character for a change.

I've noticed that quite often when players write a backstory for their characters, these characters don't seem to have any life, friends or family. And as such, they don't feel like real characters to me. Why are all PC's orphans with no friends and no family? Why don't they have a job, and other people that have a role in their lives?

Because of:
A: the player things it makes them edgier to be a lone wolf abandoned by their parents living live on the edge with no connection to anyone or any thing!
or
B: the DM tends to kill these people.