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<blockquote data-quote="Evilhalfling" data-source="post: 5224794" data-attributes="member: 16991">these are definatly questions that need to be addressed in each game. That first session or pregame work is important.&nbsp; As a DM you can ask players to write up thier backgrounds/motivations, and have a group discussion about why they are adventuring.&nbsp; Im just starting up a new game and im trying to encourage this in my players.&nbsp; At the same time they are trying to figure out who is going to play what role.&nbsp; The last game I started, more or less failed at this.&nbsp; One player changed his characters two days before the first session, and sent me 2 lines of background.&nbsp; Approximately &quot;somebody killed my parents, and I have been rangering in the woods ever since&quot; The first session I told them that they were all visiting the town librarian, and helped them work out why.&nbsp; The librarian hired them to clean his basement (im a traditionalist)&nbsp;&nbsp; The second session they were all investigating thier own problems, but kept running into each other at the good/cheap tavern in town.&nbsp; Over two weeks of downtime, they got used to talking over their problems, and of course it turned out the answers were all connected. This adventure was based completly on the backgrounds that the players had given me.&nbsp;&nbsp; By the time they were kidnapped, almost sacrificed, freed by the missing half-sister of one PC, avenged 3 dead parents, and fled town to avoid offical reprisals - they were pretty much bonded for life.My rule of thumb is that there is more than one way for a character to react to his adventuring companions, play out the one where you don't act like a d**k.&nbsp; Maybe the lone-wolf actually begains to feel like a member of a group, and likes it.&nbsp; Maybe the paladin decides to lead by example rather than lectures... discussing it out of character helps.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Evilhalfling, post: 5224794, member: 16991"] these are definatly questions that need to be addressed in each game. That first session or pregame work is important. As a DM you can ask players to write up thier backgrounds/motivations, and have a group discussion about why they are adventuring. Im just starting up a new game and im trying to encourage this in my players. At the same time they are trying to figure out who is going to play what role. The last game I started, more or less failed at this. One player changed his characters two days before the first session, and sent me 2 lines of background. Approximately "somebody killed my parents, and I have been rangering in the woods ever since" The first session I told them that they were all visiting the town librarian, and helped them work out why. The librarian hired them to clean his basement (im a traditionalist) The second session they were all investigating thier own problems, but kept running into each other at the good/cheap tavern in town. Over two weeks of downtime, they got used to talking over their problems, and of course it turned out the answers were all connected. This adventure was based completly on the backgrounds that the players had given me. By the time they were kidnapped, almost sacrificed, freed by the missing half-sister of one PC, avenged 3 dead parents, and fled town to avoid offical reprisals - they were pretty much bonded for life. My rule of thumb is that there is more than one way for a character to react to his adventuring companions, play out the one where you don't act like a d**k. Maybe the lone-wolf actually begains to feel like a member of a group, and likes it. Maybe the paladin decides to lead by example rather than lectures... discussing it out of character helps. [/QUOTE]

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