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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dykstrav" data-source="post: 5154559" data-attributes="member: 40522">Getting players to give you backgrounds doesn't always necessarily suit your purposes as a DM. I think it's important to acknowledge that what you're really asking your players for are adventure hooks, or complications/interesting wrinkles into future adventures. I dislike questionnaires, as it seems a bit like homework or filling out a census form. Besides which, sometimes you want to gradually work out this information over time, revealing more and more about the character as the narrative progresses.I also try to avoid players writing spectacular backgrounds that span multiple pages and involve scores of NPCs. Although they can be quite good and add a lot of depth to the campaign, I can never possibly incorporate all of the material and the player might get upset if I don't. You also risk having the other players feel like one player is "stealing the show," becoming the campaign's star because they happen to be better at narrative prose than other players. Not only that... But spectacular backgrounds make adventuring seem mundane by comparison. I want the current adventure to feel like the most exciting thing the character has ever done, not just another footnote between their other exploits. For these purposes, humble or ill-defined (at least at first) origins can suffice, and in some cases, are preferable.When I have players create characters for my game, we sit down and discuss their character before they enter play. Here are my major areas of concern when introducing new characters:1) What was your family situation and childhood like? Happy or not? Did you get along with your parents and family? What place do you think of as "home?"2) How did you acquire your current skills? How did you learn to become a fighter/wizard/cleric/whatever?3) Why did you decide to become an adventurer? (Note: this is the single most important thing to me, it's essentially their motivation, and I always put in material specifically to play to a character's motivation).4) What are some loose ends from your past that might come back to bite you in the ass or become a priority from you? (This is my general, "provide me with adventure hooks for your character" thing. I generally require players to furnish me with at least two loose ends for me to work into ongoing campaigns.)I hope that helps. If you are interested in character design (from the narrative standpoint, not game mechanics-wise), I suggest you look into books about writing. There are several good books out there about character development for screenplays, novels and so forth, and these resources can help you create more engaging characters. If you have the opportunity, try to speak with a novelist or screenwriter about character development. I'm sure that you can learn a lot from people who do it professionally.</blockquote>

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