Player investment in characters

[Elf Witch]

I give out extra XP and some non magical goodies with written backgrounds. I also give out extra XP for in game journals, and excellent role playing.

I don't require a complete written background but you have to give me something even if it is a sentence that says you are farm boy from a happy family and you are adventuring to get out of milking cows for the rest of your life.

I have found that players who do back stories tend to be the type to really invest in their character. That has been my experience and I am not saying it is a universal one.

 

[scourger]

The best role playing I've had from my group was in a game that included bonuses for between-session journals and painted miniatures.

 

[steenan]

XP awards never worked for me as means to increase player investment in characters. On the other hand, I found several other things that did work:
- Incorporating pieces of character backgrounds in the situations I present in game. This make players feel they are a part of the setting, not visitors.
- Actively engaging characters' goals, beliefs and weaknesses. Let them feel that the game is about their PCs.
- Being open to players driving the game and pursuing their ideas. Lack of control drastically decreases investment.
- Running the game with high pressure put on the characters (significant stakes, real chance of failure, putting in danger things PCs care for), but low risk of random death or unavoidable loss that players can do nothing about.

There are also things that improve player investment in the game in general, not specifically in their characters:
- Campaign chronicle, written either by the GM of by the players (and that's something I would reward with bonus XP)
- Interludes (roleplayed or written): short scenes showing important, fun or mysterious events that PCs didn't witness, but players can.

 

[scourger]

The game I ran had extra bennies for role playing - sort of like action points that could be rolled for bonus xp. I love it as a player and as a GM.

 

[EPSILIUS]

I am sorry for being off topic... Is the 5th edition worth the bang, over the 3.5 edition..

 

[Evenglare]

I'm with Celebrim on this one. I almost require my PCs for at least SOME backstory, because I get to tailor the game to their character. If they don't have a backstory anything I could ever write or run would seem cookie cutterish because literally any character could fill in the place for whatever I run. At least initially. After serveral sessions and things happen its easier but that is essentially because we "played" their backstory at that point. Of course this precludes things like convention play and the like.

 

[dman1123]

I never give out exp for a backstory. I require my players give me something that I can use as a plot thread for their subplot but that's it.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I used to game with a guy who, after a couple years, finally said he would run a game. We started at 20th level, so every player wrote an elaborate backstory for their character to detail how they had become so powerful.

The entire game lasted two sessions and was just playing out one of the elements of my character's backstory that was supposed to be in the past. He had actually prepared nothing for the game sessions.

We were not amused.

 

[SirAntoine]

Awarding extra XP for a good background is an excellent idea. 10% towards the next level is good.

 

[miniaturehoarder]

Not since 3E. The lower levels would be bypassed too quickly with bonus XP.