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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
DM question: how much do you incorporate PC backgrounds into the campaign?
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<blockquote data-quote="gepetto" data-source="post: 7939136" data-attributes="member: 6990165"><p>You dont get a strong character or anything interesting from a couple paragraphs about back when you were a turnip farmer. A strong character develops from choices that are made IN PLAY in response to the events of the world and the challenges you actually overcome, not things you just wrote down that you succeeded or failed at.</p><p></p><p>And no those backstories are never interesting. At best they are cheesefilled cliches and at worst they just stupid narcissistic puffery about why your super special. Blech.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I strive for efficiency. What I want is the most important. I'm putting in the most time and work so I'm the most important. If a player drops I can replace them in 2 hours, if I'm not there theres no game. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>My ideas are better. Thats why they come back to me over and over to run the games but all groan whenever someone else wants to take a turn and start pushing to change back after a few weeks. Its a meritocracy and I'm the proven winner with the track record to show it. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>A back story is the definition of pre-planned. Theres nothing spontaneous about it and they are almost never creative or unusual. Nor is that a good way to "make their decisions matter" which is sort of a stupid thing that gets said in forums anyway. If they survived then obviously their decisions mattered. If they had made the wrong ones they would have failed. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Actually they are saying exactly that. Thats what incorporating a backstory is. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>They are free to roleplay their character however they want. They cannot re-write the rest of the world according to their whims. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>No I should not. If they can convince the rest of the party to indulge their little sidequest then I will go along with what the majority of the party wants to do. Because its everyones free time, not just the one characters. I definitely should not be putting my thumb on the scale with regards to the parties choice though one way or the other. </p><p></p><p>And railroading is NOT universally regarded as a bad thing. Lots of players like a degree of railroading, even a fairly heavy degree and lots of GMs do to.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gepetto, post: 7939136, member: 6990165"] You dont get a strong character or anything interesting from a couple paragraphs about back when you were a turnip farmer. A strong character develops from choices that are made IN PLAY in response to the events of the world and the challenges you actually overcome, not things you just wrote down that you succeeded or failed at. And no those backstories are never interesting. At best they are cheesefilled cliches and at worst they just stupid narcissistic puffery about why your super special. Blech. I strive for efficiency. What I want is the most important. I'm putting in the most time and work so I'm the most important. If a player drops I can replace them in 2 hours, if I'm not there theres no game. My ideas are better. Thats why they come back to me over and over to run the games but all groan whenever someone else wants to take a turn and start pushing to change back after a few weeks. Its a meritocracy and I'm the proven winner with the track record to show it. A back story is the definition of pre-planned. Theres nothing spontaneous about it and they are almost never creative or unusual. Nor is that a good way to "make their decisions matter" which is sort of a stupid thing that gets said in forums anyway. If they survived then obviously their decisions mattered. If they had made the wrong ones they would have failed. Actually they are saying exactly that. Thats what incorporating a backstory is. They are free to roleplay their character however they want. They cannot re-write the rest of the world according to their whims. No I should not. If they can convince the rest of the party to indulge their little sidequest then I will go along with what the majority of the party wants to do. Because its everyones free time, not just the one characters. I definitely should not be putting my thumb on the scale with regards to the parties choice though one way or the other. And railroading is NOT universally regarded as a bad thing. Lots of players like a degree of railroading, even a fairly heavy degree and lots of GMs do to. [/QUOTE]
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DM question: how much do you incorporate PC backgrounds into the campaign?
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