D&D General It's Session Zero! How Much Backstory Do You Give Your Character?

[Tonguez]

What is an aspect? Is this an idea from a specific system? I'm thinking of putting together a fabula ultima game for my friends and it includes shared world building so I'm currently interested in different ways the world can be shared.

I dont know fabula ultima but Aspects are the core of the FATE system - an aspect is a narrative phrase that establishes a fact in the world which both players and DMs can then use (invoke) in game. The whole mechanics of Fate is built on them.

Most Aspects a used to define characters eg my character is “Exiled Warrior Zealot of the Storm-Bear Clan” - which establishes at least 3 facts 1. Warrior Zealots exist and 2.the Storm-Bear clan exists and 3. My character was exiled.

Aspects can also be applied to scenes and also campaigns

Eg I converted Keep on the Borderland
Setting: beleaguered keep: last bastion against the wild frontier
Trouble: “unrelenting raids from a squabbling coalition of monsters”

*the squabbling coalition of monsters indicates the DM can use different monsters but also that are there are factions of monsters the PCs might be able to manipulate.

the real fun happens when PCs interact with the setting with aspects like “dedicated defender of the Keep” Or “I escaped from the monsters lair before ”

The important bit now is during play that character can say “because I escaped from the monsters lair before I get advantage (+2) when trying to sneak through monster territory”

 

[payn]

This thread has jogged my memory about one of my favorite backstory stories that was posted right here on EN world i believe, but it was many years ago.

Player turns in an 18 page backstory while the others gave a single paragraph. Games kicks off and goes fine for many sessions. Then, the party is caught in a field by baddies and things go poorly for 18 pager. An unlucky crit and the PCs dies. However, the player informs the GM that, in fact, their PC was not dead becasue page 14 of the backstory talks about how the PC was cursed to be killed only by a red dragon. GM indicates that he never agreed to it and that its an absurd game condition, but player continually argues that the PC is alive. Finally, GM says a red dragon flies out on the horizon and breathes on the downed PC, thus killing it. Then, tosses backstory in nearby waste basket while the 18 pager player screams eff you at them.

 

[James Gasik]

This thread has jogged my memory about one of my favorite backstory stories that was posted right here on EN world i believe, but it was many years ago.

Player turns in an 18 page backstory while the others gave a single paragraph. Games kicks off and goes fine for many sessions. Then, the party is caught in a field by baddies and things go poorly for 18 pager. An unlucky crit and the PCs dies. However, the player informs the GM that, in fact, their PC was not dead becasue page 14 of the backstory talks about how the PC was cursed to be killed only by a red dragon. GM indicates that he never agreed to it and that its an absurd game condition, but player continually argues that the PC is alive. Finally, GM says a red dragon flies out on the horizon and breathes on the downed PC, thus killing it. Then, tosses backstory in nearby waste basket while the 18 pager player screams eff you at them.

Yeah, always read the backstories before you accept them as canon!

I'm reminded of the legend of Old Man Henderson.

 

[CleverNickName]

This thread has jogged my memory about one of my favorite backstory stories that was posted right here on EN world i believe, but it was many years ago.

Player turns in an 18 page backstory while the others gave a single paragraph. Games kicks off and goes fine for many sessions. Then, the party is caught in a field by baddies and things go poorly for 18 pager. An unlucky crit and the PCs dies. However, the player informs the GM that, in fact, their PC was not dead becasue page 14 of the backstory talks about how the PC was cursed to be killed only by a red dragon. GM indicates that he never agreed to it and that its an absurd game condition, but player continually argues that the PC is alive. Finally, GM says a red dragon flies out on the horizon and breathes on the downed PC, thus killing it. Then, tosses backstory in nearby waste basket while the 18 pager player screams eff you at them.

I agree that Mr. PlotArmor needed to have his expectations adjusted. But I would have gone with a more subtle approach.

I'd maybe tell the player that the critical hit was landed by Tobias "Red Dragon" Bloodhammer, an infamous bandit and renegade known for his fiery temper and red hair (and update my notes to include Tobias in my list of NPCs.) If I wanted to twist the knife a bit, I'd even thank the player at the table, for helping me design one of the major villains of the story.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

My answer is: depends on how experienced my character is.

Doing the equivalent of 1st level character? Not much. Some basics about where they grew up (if it's not pre-set) and family, training, and why they are embarking on a life of adventure (again, if not pre-set.) More importantly I would prefer to explain how my character knows the other characters.

Doing the equivalent of high level? All the above (if any is still relevant) plus any sort of interesting bits that inform who and where they are and how they got to be there.

I think it also depends on the type of game. Your average DnD-like doesn't encourage player contribution to the world building. Many other games do. For example any game that has a decent system for character advantages and disadvantages gives the player the chance to define things external to the character itself. e.g.: allies, enemies, places, institutions, yada yada yada. A game that allows me to define more of the world will by its nature get me doing more character background.

 

[CleverNickName]

It's been a few days, and here's what I've learned about the 1st level characters of ENWorld:

• Nobody uses AI to generate their character backstories (0%).
• Only two people won't use backstories at all (2.1%).
• Two people like immense, detailed, multi-page backstories for their characters--and they are offset by two different people who will only write a single sentence at most (2.1% each).
• Most folks write about three paragraphs of backstory for their characters (23 PEOPLE, 23.7%).