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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haltherrion" data-source="post: 2049285" data-attributes="member: 18253">So far, it has worked out really well. As a ref, I've been making regular use of the portfolio friend and foes (there are 12 of each, 2 friends and 2 foes for each of 6 players) so if you don't make use of them regularly, you'll never get around to all of them in a reasonable period of time. The varied backgrounds have been quite useful to me as a ref. They've helped with the plot by providing relationships the PCs must honor (patrons and friends they are obligated to help), sources of information (the Pathfinder guild allows me to seed info inthe game through the PCs who are guildmembers), ready made encounters (when folks react to a war hero or the world-renown nymph). I've always thought that good PC backgrounds, even ones that grant PCs seemingly major bonuses like estates, titles, etc., are well worth it for the ref in terms of the plot elements it provides for scenarios and campaign stories. One note- this is a mature gaming group that has played together for about a decade and happens to be composed of fairly easy-going folks who aren't too competitive, at least amongst each other. Since there are so many variations from PC to PC, this might not work as well for groups newer to each other or with players who squabble a lot (I've had groups before where I'm not sure this would be a good idea.)  It can be done on a lesser scale. This particular scheme worked for our group, I think, because you had four sets of constraints which made the problem over constrained and therefore meant that there was not one optimal solution. If you simplify, you need to be aware that with some schemes (including very random schemes) some players may be big "losers" and others big "winners". Having a PC at major disadvantage the entire campaign due to a quirk in the initial session can be very frustrating for some players. The constraints for the scheme previously descibed were: Figure selection: all players had figures they loved, figures they'd accept and figures they would not play under any circumstances.  Suit cards: the benefits associated with the number of cards of a certain suit you held were structured so that a few of each suit gave nice, nominal results (gold, stats, etc.) and lots of one suit gave strong benefit and none of a suit was something of a penalty. For instance, if you had all stars cards, you'd have fabulous stats but you'd have few hero points, you'd be poor, and you'd have no dragon benefits. Bonus cards: these were associated with a particular figure. You only got the bonus if your PC was that particular figure. This threw a wild card into the mix: a favored figure might be associated with a lame bonus card (typically players regarded the skill bonuses as the weakest). One you weren't really interested in might be on a great card (like an ECL bonus- this happened to me.) Suit card face values: all suit cards had text on them for some benefit or penalty. Things like the granting of estates, war hero status, magic items, etc. The dragon suits had 3 armor cards, the more of these cards you held, the better armor (or bracers) you could have: one was +1, two was +3 and three gave you +5 intelligent. Anyway, if you wanted to do this more simply, I think you could work something up with something like just the suit cards. You'd have the constraint of the benefits of number of suit cards in hand versus the benefits of the face value of the cards. One note on the card face values: I think it is better to keep these very vague and let the detail come when you and the player work out their background. For instance, one card was "world renown love affair". It didn't say whether the affair was successful or not, whether the participants were still together or not. Just that at one time, the PC was involved with a love affair that most of the world knows about. By keeping it vague like this, a range of different PCs can make use of this. (Although there are limits- while the setting encourages very old PCs, most are over one hundred, some are 800 years or more and one is "firstborn" 2500 years old, there is also a six year old dragon in the mix. It would have been hard to have him be the world renown lover but fortunately, he didn't have that card.) If your PCs are starting at first level, you may need to be more restrictive in the card effects. But since we started at ECL 12 (all races were at least ECL 1 and nearly all PC races were ECL 4-5), it was possible to put in powerful magic items, wealthy estates, major war hero stuff. For low level PCs, much of this would not be appropriate. Put another way, the cards were intended to provide the backstory for PCs of high level. If you are providing the backstory for PCs of a lower level, you'd need different cards.</blockquote>

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