How much back story do you allow/expect at the start of the game?
I don’t think the GM should give the players dozens of pages of backstory to read either. Both should work to create a shared story at the table.
Phion
Explorer
I mean to be fair, the players/characters are/ will have been affected by that lore in some shape or form. Also if 4 players give a novella worth of backstory its a bit much to expect GM to
A) read each one
B) remember the details
C) make a list of hooks while going along
Whereas all the players can read one writing of fiction and be on same wave length
Sure.
But it doesn't become a "shared story", nor cease to be the GM's many pages of amateur fiction, just because it is dispensed over time rather than presented all at once.
Well, the converse could equally be true: all the players/characters, including the characters etc managed by the GM, might be affected by the lore written by a player.
The Crimson Binome
Hero
The obvious answer is because you want to avoid the temptation to meta-game. It's the same reason why a player would avoid reading the Monster Manual.
Unless I'm specifically working with the player to run a campaign centered around that PC and their family, it's unlikely that any random element from their past will make an appearance during the course of the game. Even during the pre-game character generation, players don't have enough influence on the world to author anything that would significantly change the setting. And given the unlikelihood that any of it is going to show up during play, whether or not I read it is irrelevant.
(I'm not saying that I wouldn't read it. Personally, I would read it just so I can understand the character better. I'm just saying that this is one reason why a GM might want to not read it.)
Phion
Explorer
It could. But it is the GM who will be describing what the players see as the game progresses so its probably best that they have an idea of how the world works. I would argue the game literally can not function (or reach levels of high satisfaction for all people involved atleast) if the GM doesn't have a solid bullet point notes of important areas. Whereas the player backstory is a really good bonus to the world as long as it complies to the GM's established lore.
I meant to say I am not interested in reading the amateur fiction. I am fine with Gms and players injecting amateur fiction during play.
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
As a DM: I expect zero backstory beyond what your character generation rolls and-or choices (age, secondary skill/past profession, race/culture, class, languages spoken, etc.) might provide. If someone wants to do up an elaborate backstory that's fine, but there's still every possibility the character's going to die two sessions in; so my usual advice is don't waste yer time until the character has survived long enough to make such effort worthwhile. I'm certainly not going to listen to complaints about said wasted effort. 
As a player: I'll use the info given from the choices/rolls above to put together a possible backstory* in my own mind, which - if it ever becomes relevant - I'll reveal in character as the game goes along. I do it this way to leave it a bit malleable to incorporate things I learn about the game world along the way.
* - anything that would give me undue advantage or knowledge (as either player or character) obviously either gets cleared with the DM or doesn't happen.
An example: I've an active character - a magic user - who is from a Roman-like society. Didn't bother with much of a background for ages, but on learning more about how this Roman-like society worked I decided she had done a tour or two with the Legions as a staff mage and (what amounts to) officer cadet, and with the DM's permission invented some of her ex-commanders and some backstory involving them...and why she left the Legions. The other players/characters know very few specifics and not many generalities, yet this backstory largely makes her what she is and drives how she relates to others in the party.
Lan-"and sometimes I don't even bother doing this much, but instead just let the character's backstory define itself during play"-efan
As a player: I'll use the info given from the choices/rolls above to put together a possible backstory* in my own mind, which - if it ever becomes relevant - I'll reveal in character as the game goes along. I do it this way to leave it a bit malleable to incorporate things I learn about the game world along the way.
* - anything that would give me undue advantage or knowledge (as either player or character) obviously either gets cleared with the DM or doesn't happen.
An example: I've an active character - a magic user - who is from a Roman-like society. Didn't bother with much of a background for ages, but on learning more about how this Roman-like society worked I decided she had done a tour or two with the Legions as a staff mage and (what amounts to) officer cadet, and with the DM's permission invented some of her ex-commanders and some backstory involving them...and why she left the Legions. The other players/characters know very few specifics and not many generalities, yet this backstory largely makes her what she is and drives how she relates to others in the party.
Lan-"and sometimes I don't even bother doing this much, but instead just let the character's backstory define itself during play"-efan
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
[MENTION=762]Mort[/MENTION], the discussion was for a DM who just tossed out character backgrounds unread if they were too long. So my whole point here is players who are engaged to write vs. DM discarding with no warning.
Sure, if the DM has put guidelines out there that's a different story. I don't understand them but it's your table. But throwing caveats on afterward does not change the initial discussion point - just throwing out a player's 10+ page backstory unread is a di-dastardly move.
Sure, if the DM has put guidelines out there that's a different story. I don't understand them but it's your table. But throwing caveats on afterward does not change the initial discussion point - just throwing out a player's 10+ page backstory unread is a di-dastardly move.
Lord Mhoram
Hero
Depends on the game.
If I'm running a zero to Hero D&D or Pathfinder game - a paragraph and some bullet points will do.
If I'm running a superhero game, I want a page or so; origin, organizations in background that could be problematic, archnemesis (I insist on one of those), code to live by. Basically think a "why do I have this disad" for HERO.
For a SF game somewhere in between.
I tend to do "session Zero" although we don't call it that - that is "getting the characters ready for play" session.
If I'm running a zero to Hero D&D or Pathfinder game - a paragraph and some bullet points will do.
If I'm running a superhero game, I want a page or so; origin, organizations in background that could be problematic, archnemesis (I insist on one of those), code to live by. Basically think a "why do I have this disad" for HERO.
For a SF game somewhere in between.
I tend to do "session Zero" although we don't call it that - that is "getting the characters ready for play" session.
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