DM "adding" to your PC's background?

[Barastrondo]

I always look at the conflict between contacts made during the game and contacts made during the period of a character's life before the games started as... not a conflict at all. In-game contacts are sausage. Background contacts are peppers. Having sausage on your pizza does not mean that peppers are an unworthy addition; having peppers does not mean we cannot have sausage. We like pizzas with both.

Seriously, I just got done running a session in which one of the players, the group wandering around her home town, asked me directly "Do I find anyone I know from way back when?" That's what she likes -- ever since I ad-libbed her meeting an old quartermaster acquaintance, she really likes the back-and-forth of my suggesting an old relationship she would theoretically have, and she in turn interpreting how she'd act with this as part of her experience. (In this case, she discovered a weaponsmith who'd forged her coming-of-age blade, a sword she liked so much that her arms-dealing family forged a generous relationship with said smith.) The game is constantly getting sidetracked from anything resembling a "main plot" -- but each sidetrack is something that comes out of specific character issues, enhanced by background elements the players gave me, and everyone's enjoying the hell out of it.

Dropping surprises into the backstories of characters is a tricky business, though, and I think it has to be utterly thematic -- which is to say, it has to be in keeping with what the player considers in the themes of his character. So, for instance, I know introducing a foppish but clever cousin modeled on Lord Rochester from Plunkett & Maclane, and an attendant intrigue surrounding said cousin, is absolutely fine with a player who's specifically from a large, extended House with a lot of family squabbles and intrigues. If I consider surprising a player, I know it has to be a surprise that makes the player say "I hadn't thought of that, but it's so perfect for my backstory." Those are harder to craft, but they're the ones that keep giving.

I know in the initial post you say "yes, it depends on the players, but" -- yet I'm not sure that there is a "but" that supersedes the technique depending on the players. It really does come down to that, every time.

 

[Barastrondo]

I'm curious - do you let players, in the middle of an adventure, declare that they are well known and respected in a town if they hadn't already written it in their background....or create at the spur of the moment an associate who will be willing to hide them in a town when running from the BBEG's men?

Personally I would say "no" to the first question -- but to the second, depends on the town. Had the player described this town as someplace they'd spent time in before? Then I'd maybe let him roll. A player with Streetwise whose concept includes "I've moved around a lot?" I would definitely let her roll.

To me, it's entirely rewarding to throw a player a short bit like "There's a trading caravan with House Dancredi colors in town, and you find the master is Giulio Dancredi; you used to throw dice with him when you were young, and you still owe him money" and watch the player adapt her approach to the guy accordingly. For one thing, it adds variety; I get to see PCs interact with NPCs they've never met all the time. It's a delightful thing to also get to see them open up interactions with a brand-new NPC with a line like "Giulio! So good to see you! I have the most interesting proposition for paying you back those 200 reganti, but we must discuss it right now!"

 

[Beginning of the End]

It seems to me that there are two separate issues here which are easily tangled together:

First, there's the question of who should have narrative control over a portion of the game world that they create. If the player creates an NPC as part of their character background, should it be understood that they have "ownership" over that NPC? Lots of RPGs say "the GM controls all the NPCs", but that doesn't make it feel any less wrong when a character that I created suddenly feels as if they're acting out of character.

Second, how far does mucking about with NPCs from my character's past actually infringe onto my narrative control over my PC? If you take a character that I envisioned as loving and kind and play them as traitorous and cruel, how much does that change my own self-image of my character as the person who could have been friends with a person like that? (Or duped like that by the character.)

I used to bump heads over this issue on a semi-frequent basis. But now that the discussion comes up, I realize we haven't had these issues since we started treating character creation as a more collaborative process. I don't know if that's because the collaboration between player and GM results in a sense of shared ownership; if it's because the GM has a better understanding of how the player envisions their character; or if it just affords the GM a chance to make sure the plot seeds he wants are planted from the get-go.

 

[Jon_Dahl]

My question to you is, why do you feel the need to do this? Do the adventurers lack the personal motivation to go out and stir up trouble on their own? Do you feel like you need to prod them to action all the time?

My D&D group is just great and we don't have the problems you mention. I'm just looking for more immersion for the PC's, but tbh I just want to surprise my players. They generally like surprises and they are open-minded.

One of the PC is a bastard. I mean he's a good guy but a bastard, ok? I've been really comtemplating things about his real father. And one of PC's has seen an omen about impending catastrophe.
So far I haven't touched these two background plot hooks, but they get me thinking... And I'd hate to consult them, because it'd ruin the surprise!

 

[Heathen72]

As a DM, I've been trying to think outside the box for some new ideas (always a bad idea) and I was browsing through my players' PC's bios. They're great, but there's some holes like missing info about family background, where received training etc.

Incorporating player background material into your game can be tricky and is not for everyone (some people hate it as you can see in this thread) but with the right group it can be very rewarding and can act as an instant and effective hook. You just have to negotiate with your players what they are happy with, and then respect that negotiation.

Player backgrounds are the exclusive purview of neither the GM or the player. If your player introduces something that doesn't fall within the scope or theme of your campaign, you have the right to nix it, as does he if you introduce something to the background that is inconsistent with how he feels his character came to be. The important thing to remember is that you don't want to crap on your players' character concepts, and that when you add anything from their background you ask for their recollections. If treated with respect, your players will generally try to accommodate you. If you want it can be quite collaborative e.g.:

(...it's the middle of the session where the players meet up with someone from the Jo's character's past)

GM: Jo, how did you learn to fight? You weren't in the military were you, so was it a fencing master, or some adventurer?

Jo: Um, I've never really thought about it really.

GM: Well, you don't get the abilities of a first level fighter in the school yard punching up bullies. Where did you get all your skills?

Jo: Um.... OK. A family friend was in the military. He stayed with us during a break in the war and trained me while he was there to pay for his keep.

GM: Were you a good student?

Jo: (laughs) Nah, I was always skiving off down the pub with the lads. But he was a hard taskmaster, and in the end I actually learned something!

GM: Did you know much about him other than that? What made him a family friend?

Jo: I dunno. Um. Alright, he saved my dad's life when the orcs attacked Northfields before I was born, and my dad said he owed him. He only stayed with us a few months, so I don't remember much else.

GM: Fine. Thanks. Well, you look across the room and there is Conrad (the man who trained you). He looks somewhat unkempt and appears to have had a few...

(and so on)

From there the GM should be at liberty to reincorporate the character, so long as what he does acknowledges what the player believed was true at the time. It is fine for the trainer to have fallen on hard times for instance, and to need a hand, or indeed for anything to have happened to him so long as it occurred after the time the PC knew him.

I would be a lot more wary of incorporating anything from that time (Conrad had an affair with the PC's mum, or was part of a secret military group with the PC's father) unless the player has given you some licence to do so or a hint that such a thing might be possible. I wouldn't think it would be out of bounds, though to suggest that given the above the father might have had more of a role to play in the fight against the invasion of the orcs than he might otherwise have suggested.

Still, if you are not quite comfortable with 'springing' this sort of thing on the players, yet, just ask more questions. Their answers will guide you:

GM: How did your father save Conrad's life?

Jo: I dunno. My father never spoke of the attack of the orcs

GM: Really. Hmm, was he always just a farmer?

Jo: I think so... though he did have some nasty scars he never talked about either. And he was a damn good throw with an axe!

(and so on)

For some players this will spoil the 'surprise' that their father played a role in the defence against the orc invasion. Other players will be upset if you spring things on them without working through it like we did above. It's classic 'YMMV', so you really need to establish conventions for your group, and to also get an understanding of what your players like. Just remember:

• Respect their character concept.
• If you are uncertain, ask questions to get more information - or to gauge what the players' reactions might be to your ideas
• Discuss with your group what works best for them

Oh, one last thing. Don't have bad things happen to the characters from your players background all the time (Unless you think the player would like that sort of thing) It's hard to play a happy go lucky swashbuckler if all your family and cousins have been killed, your hometown burnt down 4 times, discovering your best friend was actually a mass murderer and learning that your dog never liked you. Again, respect your players' character concepts.

 

[S'mon]

I don't see any problem with the GM filling in PC background; players usually like the spotlight on them. The only thing is you should be careful not to over-write the player's established conception of the PC. Never rewrite the courageous PC's background so he was actually a coward, unless you have the player's permission.

 

[Hand of Evil]

All my games start with a Q&A seesion, normal questions; where did you grow up, who was your best friend, why did you start adventuring, who is your daddy, etc. I then follow-up with questions based on the players answers, like: what no family - how did you live, where is your sister now, etc.

The players know I am gathering info that I MAY use doing the game. How often to I use it is the question. So, I horde it and will say, the big bad is running east, fleeing from you along the king's highway. Following him, you see the sign...Ranger BOB's Home town POP 1200...

I did not force the big bad to fee east, I rolled a dice. I did not place BOB's home town there, it was the place the player picked. What happens when the players get there? How long has it been...Father dead, sister married...life has gone on and it is my job as the DM to fill in the blanks.

Now...my house rule on contacts. These are the places and people that the player character makes during non-game down time. At each level a player gets a (d6) random number of NPC & places he can pull out of a hat and BUY with EXP. They should have relation to his class or skills. A wizard will know of book stores, a fighter will know of weaponsmiths, etc.

I let my players use these in game in two ways.

1) At the end of a session, the players can go ahead and say they are buying a location or a NPC, they go away and when they come back they provided me the name and what they do. Cost: 200 EXP. Bob, basicly tells me he has made a contact that is a Fence (200 EXP), he lives in the city they are at (no cost). Info taken and stored.

2) During the game a player spends 400 EXP and pulls the rabbit out of his hat. Providing a Location or NPC. This basicly is the player saying, I know of an inn not far from here (400 EXP), it is run by an old friend of mine (400 EXP). Info taken and stored.

 

[Janx]

spunkrat's advice is good.

I recommend watching some TV.

In most of the shows, the heroes go help "new" people.

Then, occasionally, an NPC from their past that we the audience haven't seen before. And the story is about the hereo's past relationship.

That's how you do it.

 

[Tortoise]

I voted for DM consulting with player first.

This of course doesn't apply to one-shot/con games.

Having been the victim of a DM who almost always, not only adds to background without consultation, but even changes the background players create, I can attest to how annoying it is for players.

As a DM, I would rather work with players to help them have fun. The only time I "surprise" them on background material is when they have agreed to allow me to generate secret backgrounds.

One exception, and again players will know what is up and have accepted it before going ahead . . . starting a campaign with the PCs not knowing who they are. Have not done this one yet, but the topic came up in a discussion of campaign ideas a bunch of us were tossing out for possible short campaigns. That one is for Over-The-Edge, where they wake up in the morgue.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Coming from a background in improv comedy theater, I make it a point to state at the start of the game (especially when some of my players are not improv performers as well), the universal improv rule of 'Yes, And'. This of course shouldn't be a shock to most of us, because the DMGs make it a point to say 'Yes' rather than 'No' whenever possible, because it pushes story along.

As a result of this 'Yes, And' policy... they know and I know that we are collaborating to create a story, and that to make it work... we should do our best to accept the offers that each of us makes to the story. We do not deny what has already occurred, and we do not ignore what has already been established... but for everything else we have free reign to offer up and fill in additional story points.

What this means is that if one of the PCs asks "Do I know anyone in this town we're coming to?", I'll usually say 'Yes... AND it is the town blacksmith that had sold you your first sword several years ago when you first started adventuring." Now does saying this mean I'm "filling in" your character background? Absolutely. Would I expect you to be pissed off that I said this? Not at all (unless you had stated in your character background how you became an adventurer and got your equipment-- but then I wouldn't have stated that background point that went against that to begin with.) But this is the collaboration that comes with improvisation... you make the offer that you know someone in town, and I accept it and advance that offer by telling you who you know and how you know him. This pushes our story forward, because the players now have a plan of action to follow if they choose. They don't have to spend time spinning their wheels looking for someone to talk to.

Now some people don't agree or would go along with this kind of philosophy... and I would imagine it's because of one of two reasons. Either 1) they have a completely personal story they are trying to tell with their character, and don't want outside influences to derail what they are going for... or 2) they are just not comfortable "improvising" an entire grand story because it's just too much for them to parse, and instead they just want to throw dice, move their miniature around a game board, and be a passive observer as the game world progresses around them and their character. The second type of person I can easily work with... because they just don't care how much I incorporate them into the story (although I still will occasionally drop them in the middle of things just to keep them and the other PCs on their toes and to see how they react). For the first type of person... I thankfully have not ever played with someone like that (except in one or two PbP games here on ENWorld) and I don't think I ever would. That person would quit the game before too long I would imagine, because my style just wouldn't jive with what they want out of the game.

But the bottom line is... character backgrounds AND events of the campaign are all a part of the tapestry of this story we are trying to tell. And provided we don't deliberately change or ignore those threads that have already been woven into the tapestry... we are all allowed to follow those threads wherever they take us. Because that's what collaboration is all about.