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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thunderfoot" data-source="post: 5490413" data-attributes="member: 34175">I oddly use a mix of most of the things here (though I have to admit, the 5 things I'm yoinking, great idea).First we still create characters at the gaming table, usually devoting a whole or at least a half session just to character creation.  This has a couple of effects, I can make sure that no unauthorized rules are used and the players interact during the creation phase so less "I'm a brooding loner" types are created.  Often times this leads to characters that are either tied to each other via long-standing relationships such as childhood friends or the creation of families (siblings, parents and children (once had a dwarven family adventuring party the group referred to themselves as "The Adventuring VonTrapp's" you know like that Austrian singing family only we aren't from Austria, and we don't sing, and we're dwarves) or cousins and such).While they are creating their character I have them fill out the questionnaire du jour.  Inane questions that get the player's thinking about who they are and from whence they came.  I rarely if ever actually use any information on these sheets as story fodder, though occasionally there is just something that's way too good to pass up and things you would never have imagined.I have the players describe the characters to one another, kind of like a fantasy/medieval AA meeting with swords.  The rules are, no mention of class, level or abilities or obvious meta-game references.  Dress, speech mannerisms, distinguishing features, height, weight hair and eye color - that's all fine, using references to other more well known novelizations is allowed, but if you are playing Gandalf junior or Medieval Terminator, you get a lesson on imagination, creativity and copyright infringement. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />After all this, the players decide if they know each other or not.  Obviously if anyone has chosen life long friends, they know each other.  Unless they decide they were separated and this is their way of re-uniting. I had two players that were childhood friends that adventured for four days before realizing their childhood mate was now their boon adventuring companion and it wasn't a oh, BTW we are long lost friends, they wrote it that way, and it worked.Armed with all that, then it's my job to bring it together.  Do this a couple of times and NPC creation/description becomes easier.  Mostly, because you'll find yourself using these same techniques to flesh them out.  When the character exists clearly in your mind it's usually easier to get that across to the players.</blockquote>

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