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<blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 8215879" data-attributes="member: 20564"><p>I want two things in your backstory, and if I don't like the details I have veto power but really it's "let's discuss and massage to where it's good for both".</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Your call to adventure. What motivates you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Connections to the world.</li> </ol><p>I normally do more than half my world-building after session 0, backstories are just chances for players to add more details that they will have instant buy-in for, making my job easier. The name of your knightly order. The beggar king of a city. Your wizard academy rival. The tribe of hobgoblins that killed your mentor. The blacksmith that raised you. Poof, instant adventure stuff that they care about. Easy motivation for me.</p><p></p><p>It gives me plenty of material for character arcs. In my Masks of the Imperium campaign I've had the uncle one player dueled with, killed, and have to give up his noble title to escape justice for, was raised and is now a puppet of a baddie on the Council of Nobles. I'm just about to have the fact that the Wood Elf reservations are constantly feuding with giant tribes come to a head, and the Fell portals that the Order of Watchers paladin's knightly order guards about about to be opened. And that was just after traveling through the Feywild with their Eladrin bard celebrity, which helped but also left a bunch of wronged powerful fey knowing exactly who tricked them. All of those draw heavily from their backstories.</p><p></p><p>Players can easily overdo backstories. Full stop. But especially if running a module or your style doesn't build on them. But, if it does then a concise, well written/narrated backstory can be a mine of ideas for adventure and one that will instantly engage the players.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Blue, post: 8215879, member: 20564"] I want two things in your backstory, and if I don't like the details I have veto power but really it's "let's discuss and massage to where it's good for both". [LIST=1] [*]Your call to adventure. What motivates you. [*]Connections to the world. [/LIST] I normally do more than half my world-building after session 0, backstories are just chances for players to add more details that they will have instant buy-in for, making my job easier. The name of your knightly order. The beggar king of a city. Your wizard academy rival. The tribe of hobgoblins that killed your mentor. The blacksmith that raised you. Poof, instant adventure stuff that they care about. Easy motivation for me. It gives me plenty of material for character arcs. In my Masks of the Imperium campaign I've had the uncle one player dueled with, killed, and have to give up his noble title to escape justice for, was raised and is now a puppet of a baddie on the Council of Nobles. I'm just about to have the fact that the Wood Elf reservations are constantly feuding with giant tribes come to a head, and the Fell portals that the Order of Watchers paladin's knightly order guards about about to be opened. And that was just after traveling through the Feywild with their Eladrin bard celebrity, which helped but also left a bunch of wronged powerful fey knowing exactly who tricked them. All of those draw heavily from their backstories. Players can easily overdo backstories. Full stop. But especially if running a module or your style doesn't build on them. But, if it does then a concise, well written/narrated backstory can be a mine of ideas for adventure and one that will instantly engage the players. [/QUOTE]
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