Life path system in-game

[Morrus]

So, I love life-path systems (like Traveller). I've used them in my own games (like WOIN).

I also like it when systems generate PC connections during character generation.

Traveller presents character generation as a mini-game. I like the idea of taking that further. A full game session which:

1) Generates the players' characters in a life-path way
2) Involves all the players at the table
3) Has actual gaming--roleplaying, social, exploration, combat--fully integrated into it.
4) Creates backstory, character connections with each other, etc.

This is the vaguest of ideas in the deepest recesses of my mind. Right now I don't know what that would look like. But let's approach this as a game design challenge.

I kind thought, what if the players played through several 'scenes', one from each stage in their backstory--one as a child, one as a young adult, one in their first career, etc. But for all the players to be involved, all the characters would have to know each other from childhood and have geographically similar lives. Each secene then increases stats etc. like most life-path systems do.

Perhaps each player has a scene and the others play NPCs. But that then means a LOT of scenes. And doesn't help with geneating connections between them.

Anyway. Just random musings of what's been on my mind this week! Any thoughts? How would you approach this problem?

 

[payn]

The Traveller system introduces PCs to each other from college into their careers. Going all the way back to childhood is interesting. Traveller does it by being pretty vague instead of descriptive. I often make it more specific for my own campaigns and fill in the blanks.

Im thinking instead of me doing that as GM, perhaps the players can take that simple description, "sent to school for the gifted," and then can act it out like a round of Fiasco to fill in the details together.

 

[Dalekdad]

One of the things I dig about Mongoose Traveller is providing a bonus if you can tie another PC into an event that is rolled during character creation, creating bonds between PCs.

Smallville did something similar, but it wasn't a lifepath per se.

I think games like Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay could benefit from similar rules since you can get wildly disparate PCs if everyone rolls up their character randomly.

 

[kronovan]

...I kind thought, what if the players played through several 'scenes', one from each stage in their backstory--one as a child, one as a young adult, one in their first career, etc. But for all the players to be involved, all the characters would have to know each other from childhood and have geographically similar lives. Each secene then increases stats etc. like most life-path systems do.

Perhaps each player has a scene and the others play NPCs. But that then means a LOT of scenes. And doesn't help with geneating connections between them.

Anyway. Just random musings of what's been on my mind this week! Any thoughts? How would you approach this problem?

I really like this idea.

For TTRPG with life path creation, I own Mongoose Traveller 2, Star Trek Adventures, Cepheus Engine, A Time of War (Battletech) and Mythras. As well, I consider FATE Core to be a life path TTRPG if the party of PC's use the technique of defining aspects in a round-the-table manner. IMO the concern is that PC creation for some LPs where the party is 5+ players, can easily consume a 4 hour session zero. So, doing backstory scenes as well would likely have to be run over another session(s).

I did something similar when I ran my FATE-Interface Zero (cyberpunk) campaign. I was one of the setting writers for IZ2, so as GM it was easy for me to assist players with aspect creation. I gave my players the choice of beginning in 4 different locations; Free City of Vancouver, Chicagoland, Republic of Cascadia-Seattle or Southwest Badlands-San Francisco. Other than than, it was high for player agency with them defining a lot of the scenes.

We used the Aspect Event idea from the Fate System Toolkit to setup 3 scenes (childhood, teen and adult), which streamlined them and allowed them to run quickly. We made Teens one of the paths, because we felt the cyberpunk/dystopian settings was condusive to teen years having grounbreaking/formative events. Trouble aspects could be created during any of the age path scenes, but High Concept aspects were only formed during Teen and Adult path scenes. While the other aspects and stunts could be created during any of the scenes. Scenes also played a role in how the PC's skills pyaramid was distributed. I let the players drive a lot of the scene creation and they enjoyed it, but I do recall it taking over 5 hours to finish.

Just a though, but if the LP scenes were structured the way quick encounters in SWADE work, the LP creation would have a better chance of being completed in a single zero session.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Sounds interesting. I think it would propably be best suited for more narrative types of games. Definetly worth exploring.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

So my basic problem with elaborate character backstory creation, which is why I tend to not enjoy lifepath systems and heavy-handed character creation prompts, is that at the outset I really don't know this character I haven't played yet, and whatever is created at the outset rarely really jives with who the character ends up being. I don't know how they will behave in the campaign, how they will gel with the other characters, or what their story in our shared narrative is going to be. Sure I don't mind starting with some character prompts to get the roleplaying going, but, when games allow, I now tend to fill most of the backstory in after I've played a few sessions and have a clearer idea of who the character actually is in the campaign.

Which is all to say for me to get behind a lifepath system like this the "fill in the lifepath and act out flashbacks" session would be after the third level-up or something, and then the flashbacks could be events that tie into who the character actually is, rather than who the player thinks they want them to be before they've played them.

 

[payn]

So my basic problem with elaborate character backstory creation, which is why I tend to not enjoy lifepath systems and heavy-handed character creation prompts, is that at the outset I really don't know this character I haven't played yet, and whatever is created at the outset rarely really jives with who the character ends up being. I don't know how they will behave in the campaign, how they will gel with the other characters, or what their story in our shared narrative is going to be. Sure I don't mind starting with some character prompts to get the roleplaying going, but, when games allow, I now tend to fill most of the backstory in after I've played a few sessions and have a clearer idea of who the character actually is in the campaign.

Which is all to say for me to get behind a lifepath system like this the "fill in the lifepath and act out flashbacks" session would be after the third level-up or something, and then the flashbacks could be events that tie into who the character actually is, rather than who the player thinks they want them to be before they've played them.

I kinda vibe with this. I definitely find out my character through play. However, I always viewed lifepath as an organic way of developing a backstory that delivers where the character has been and why they possess the skillset they have. It doesnt prevent me from developing the concept into a character once the campaign actually starts through play.

That could be a result of Traveller's rather vague lifepath categories and events. Nothing is really solidly built and I have the thought in mind thats on purpose. How far into developing a deeper origination system gets away from that concept to character process is something I'm cautious about, but willing to lean a bit and find out.

 

[Morrus]

So my basic problem with elaborate character backstory creation, which is why I tend to not enjoy lifepath systems and heavy-handed character creation prompts, is that at the outset I really don't know this character I haven't played yet, and whatever is created at the outset rarely really jives with who the character ends up being. I don't know how they will behave in the campaign, how they will gel with the other characters, or what their story in our shared narrative is going to be. Sure I don't mind starting with some character prompts to get the roleplaying going, but, when games allow, I now tend to fill most of the backstory in after I've played a few sessions and have a clearer idea of who the character actually is in the campaign.

Which is all to say for me to get behind a lifepath system like this the "fill in the lifepath and act out flashbacks" session would be after the third level-up or something, and then the flashbacks could be events that tie into who the character actually is, rather than who the player thinks they want them to be before they've played them.

Probably not the target audience for this one!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

So, I love life-path systems (like Traveller). I've used them in my own games (like WOIN).

I also like it when systems generate PC connections during character generation.

Traveller presents character generation as a mini-game. I like the idea of taking that further. A full game session which:

1) Generates the players' characters in a life-path way
2) Involves all the players at the table
3) Has actual gaming--roleplaying, social, exploration, combat--fully integrated into it.
4) Creates backstory, character connections with each other, etc.

This is the vaguest of ideas in the deepest recesses of my mind. Right now I don't know what that would look like. But let's approach this as a game design challenge.

I kind thought, what if the players played through several 'scenes', one from each stage in their backstory--one as a child, one as a young adult, one in their first career, etc. But for all the players to be involved, all the characters would have to know each other from childhood and have geographically similar lives. Each secene then increases stats etc. like most life-path systems do.

Perhaps each player has a scene and the others play NPCs. But that then means a LOT of scenes. And doesn't help with geneating connections between them.

Anyway. Just random musings of what's been on my mind this week! Any thoughts? How would you approach this problem?

If I recall correctly, the Agon RPG kinda does this - allowing PCs to loop their backgrounds together in scenes, though it's still more narrative than dice-rolling. When I played a one-shot of it, those were some of my favorite moments.

 

[Lidgar]

One way to organize the life path is to think about what make up the foundational pillars to a character's personality and drive. I'll suggest three:

1. Parents/childhood upbringing

2. Early relationships/mentors

3. First career

Add to each of these some kind of major event that needs to be resolved through dice rolls. I think Xanther's guide has a pretty good list of potential life events that can act as some starter sauce. This can also provide a mechanism where players first encounter one another through one or more of these events.