Do you prefer your character to be connected or unconnected to the adventure hook?

[Ovinomancer]

Yeah, and then you have a party like mine, where three of the characters lost wives to various villains. Three. I prompted none of them to do this for their backstory. Out of 5 players, only one has any living relation.

Oddly, only the players with actual wives chose this for their character backstories... hmmm....


To add my two copper though. I like characters that have a strong reason to be following that main hook. Even if that reason is a hunger for riches or glory. Characters/players that are only invested because it is what there is to do, or because the rest of the party wants to do it is... not something that sounds fun.

It's been my experience that players avoid having families, or kill them off in backstory, because of the commonality of GMs that punish them for having family. Most GMs look at things in backstory as hooks that hurt rather than hooks that are wholesome or fun. Having living family is more often an invitation to a kidnapping or murder than having to juggle attending Cousin Bob's wedding with clearing out some bandits for the Duke.

 

[billd91]

It's been my experience that players avoid having families, or kill them off in backstory, because of the commonality of GMs that punish them for having family.

That may apply to some people who have been burned, but it has been my experience that more people have families killed off the backstory to have motivating tragedy - a reason to be an adventurer since nobody of sound mind or comfortable history would ever be one.

 

[Ovinomancer]

That may apply to some people who have been burned, but it has been my experience that more people have families killed off the backstory to have motivating tragedy - a reason to be an adventurer since nobody of sound mind or comfortable history would ever be one.

I guess I've been doing it wrong, then? Where did I go wrong -- was it in having characters that have families but still have reasons to live a live of challenge and danger or is it when I GM and I don't punish foolish players that think they can have both a family and an adventurer's life?

 

[hawkeyefan]

I don't come into a campaign with an idea for a PC I want to tell a story about or anything like that. So I roll stats, see what cool PC I can make from that, and then he really just comes together in play after that. Plus in most of our campaigns low level PC drop like flies, best to not get too attached.

Okay, gotcha. I have done the same, and sometimes I still do. I let the character kind of emerge through play and see how it goes rather than committing to a specific idea ahead of time. But other times, I do have a specific idea ahead of time, and I go into the game with that in mind. It will still change or shift a bit depending on how things go in play. I usually try to have some kind of goal in mind, either an initial goal or a long term or both, and perhaps some kind of area of focus for the character.

Do you find you still have some variety among your characters? Or do you rely on class and race to kind of differentiate one from the other?

 

[hawkeyefan]

To add my two copper though. I like characters that have a strong reason to be following that main hook. Even if that reason is a hunger for riches or glory. Characters/players that are only invested because it is what there is to do, or because the rest of the party wants to do it is... not something that sounds fun.

I think it's good to have the characters have a reason to follow the hook.

More and more these days though, I'm trying to match the hook to the characters. Let the PCs have goals and objectives, and then tailor the obstacles and challenges around those.

 

[Lanefan]

Okay, gotcha. I have done the same, and sometimes I still do. I let the character kind of emerge through play and see how it goes rather than committing to a specific idea ahead of time. But other times, I do have a specific idea ahead of time, and I go into the game with that in mind.

Same here, though if-when I have an idea ahead of time I always have to temper my expectations until I see what the dice give me to work with, and have a Plan B ready if (when!) the dice let me down.

It will still change or shift a bit depending on how things go in play. I usually try to have some kind of goal in mind, either an initial goal or a long term or both, and perhaps some kind of area of focus for the character.

I rarely if ever come in with any specific goals in mind, but often the character will have an 'area of focus', as you put it. Goals develop during play as the character's career goes along, assuming it survives long enough to matter.

Do you find you still have some variety among your characters? Or do you rely on class and race to kind of differentiate one from the other?

In my case that's never a problem!

Giving distinctive personality and character to characters is the easiest part of the whole operation. Two characters can be mechanically exactly the same underneath (same class, race, stats, etc.) but once I get my mitts on 'em they'll be completely different both in play and in how they're perceived by other players/PCs - and if all goes well they'll be memorable in some way.

 

[billd91]

I guess I've been doing it wrong, then? Where did I go wrong -- was it in having characters that have families but still have reasons to live a live of challenge and danger or is it when I GM and I don't punish foolish players that think they can have both a family and an adventurer's life?

Gee, I would have thought it was when you retorted with a pointlessly sarcastic reply when someone was expressing a difference of experience. But you do you.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Gee, I would have thought it was when you retorted with a pointlessly sarcastic reply when someone was expressing a difference of experience. But you do you.

Sorry, your "difference of opiinion" was a pretty strong statement on adventurers not being able to rationally have families. If you're saying that's just how you do it, cool, but I wonder is you have issues with PCs not murderhoboing since you think it irrational for them to have attachments like family?

 

[Istbor]

It's been my experience that players avoid having families, or kill them off in backstory, because of the commonality of GMs that punish them for having family. Most GMs look at things in backstory as hooks that hurt rather than hooks that are wholesome or fun. Having living family is more often an invitation to a kidnapping or murder than having to juggle attending Cousin Bob's wedding with clearing out some bandits for the Duke.

I have never once (perhaps through sheer laziness) gone after a character's family. Things or goals the character wants? Maaaybe a well liked NPC the whole group likes? Never though a character's family. Maybe I am just not thinking evil enough?

 

[Ovinomancer]

I have never once (perhaps through sheer laziness) gone after a character's family. Things or goals the character wants? Maaaybe a well liked NPC the whole group likes? Never though a character's family. Maybe I am just not thinking evil enough?

Nope, sounds great to me.