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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 5412964" data-attributes="member: 99">I feel that the way in which character backgrounds are helpful to me is because they help shoulder some of the creative load in such a way that I can also make the players more invested.  It needn't be overly detailed or complicated.  A player might have a background as short as this:Varsh was a thief in Deepford and part of the extensive Deepford Darklings, the local Thieves Guild.  However he saw an opportunity to grab more than his share of a big heist and betrayed them.  Later when he went to recover the treasure, it wasn't where he left it.  He fled the city with the other Darklings still out for his blood, never having discovered what became of the treasure.That short passage is a gold mine of adventure ideas.First the player has given me the name of an organization, the Deepford Darklings.  I immediately start to imagine how this thieves guild is organized.  I can also imagine that they are still very angry with Varsh and might have sent assassins or thugs after him, so that gives me a great foe I can have jump out of the bushes whenever I feel like it*.There's also the matter of that big heist!  The owner of the treasure may likewise have gotten wind of the fact that Varsh was involved and could also have sent people after him.  In fact the notion of two separate groups hunting him and the sorts of trouble that might cause if they should encounter each other all at the same time might be really fun and interesting.Then there is the issue of the Treasure itself.  Notice how it was left vague?  I'd consider that the mark of a good player because they have given me an idea but left it open to mesh with any ideas that I myself might have as to the specific nature of the Treasure.  It could be a lot of things.  Valuable jewels, a magic item or even some cursed artifact.  Maybe the fact that it was cursed is why it was missing when Varsh went to recover it from the hiding place.The bottom line is that I have a host of ideas I can pull from that very simple setup.  And I can use them in lots of different ways throughout the campaign, even if the party never sets foot in Deepford.*I point this out because I try to establish this kind of thing in almost every game I run.  Early in the game I want the PC's to run afoul of some nasty organization such that later on I can have minions from that group attack the party.  This works especially well if I run into a situation where the party is doing something I hadn't anticipated and I need a few minutes to gather my thoughts.  Out jump some ninjas and they can mix it up with the party while my brain is collecting itself about where things go next.</blockquote>

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