Re: Fundamental flaw of RPG's
First off, if a player doesn't deign to create a backstory or motivation for his PC, don't expect the DM to do his work.
As a DM, I've got enough work to build the world, create the adventure, and create fitting hooks for the players whose characters I can empathize with. Two of my players make great backstories - and I use them for my plot ideas, for personal rewards, and unforeseen difficulties.
Two others just make up a character sheet. Even after 5-6 sessions, I still couldn't foretell how they'd react to a given situation, except that the players will avoid any complexity at all costs. They haven'tg put a dome of thought into this, more than "Can I be a human who has also elven advantages, and who becomes a bladesinger later on?".
And that with me giving out character questionnaires where the question "Why do you choose to go adventuring, and why is that reason more important than personal safety" largely goes unanswered.
I won't do their work for them.
Sorry.
As a player, I always try to create a memorable character, with flaws and motivations. When I get into an existing group, I try to adapt a little to see a motivation for teaming up with them, if needed. I also assist the DM in finding motivation for going on the adventure in question. And surpisingly, that works well.
reapersaurus said:
This is the fundamental flaw in RPG'ing - that one person is too responsible for the management of the story.
In my experience, if I asked a player whether he'd like to flesh out the wizard's guild, or the hometown, or tghe customs in his far away homeland, he'd decline the offer rather quick, or jump at the chance before not doing anything.
At least someone is responsible for the management; I have found that most players shy every ounce of responsibility.
One example that strikes me as perfectly suited:
Situation - the PC is a wizard who doesn't remember anything, but is strangely familiar with the elements, most notably fire. He didn't have time for a background, so I chose to do his work, as he is a good friend of mine. I thought he would get problems in his past (naturally), but eventually be greatly rewarded.
Backstory - the backstory I chose for him. The PC had been born after a depraved ritual where a monk had fornicated with an efreet. Before he could be introduced into the monastery's dark ccustoms, he was kidnapped by an elemental wizard of fire.
Said wizard was possessed by the spirit of a great Demon, called "bane of Karsis" because of its part during Netheril's downfall. The demon was defeated, but only by splitting his essence into four parts and binding them into four wizards, each of one of the elements. These wizards could transfer the spirit into a willing vessel (at their own death), but when none was chosen the spirit would possess a random being.
Furthermore, while the demon could give great powers to the possessed, there was also the danger of it gaining control (and the alignment drifting off to CE until the demon would totally rule).
In the time since the demon's defeat, two hosts had been already defeated. In Myth Drannor (where another PC's backstory would lead the group anyway, in search of a lost artifact), those two had faced off, and one did kill the other, subsuming the power of its "brother".
So, over the course of many adventures, the PC met his undead mother (just waiting for her son's return, giving him some gifts, and then crumbling to dust), ventured into the caverns of the netherese wizard's school and relived the events leading to the demon's defeat and banishment, learned how to control and call his demonic powers, learned also how dangerous that was.
He was told about the heroic death of his wizardly mentor, who was killed when he saved two other's lives - leading to the PC being possessed and by the shock, losing his memory.
He was told by a sage that he would surely lose all he had if he didn't learn to trust or be a little more friendly. He would need to find real friends, he would need to tell them thr truth, he would need them.
I didn't want more of him. Do you imagine he ever told his companions about his situation? Do you think he was friendly, or trusting? No. He threatened everyone with death, he made rude comments at the other PCs, he scoffed at them.
When presented with a possibility to find out more about his predicament, to find the other possessed not yet controlled, to gain help, he said, "O.K.", but when the other PCs asked why they should venture that and there, or pay someone, he refused an answer and simply ignored the hook.
Needless to say, I also invented an elemental homunculus to be his familiar, a creature the player completely disregarded. (Letr he told me I hadn't played off the familiar enough)
What more to do?
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There have been numerous occasions where I took the task of creating personal plots for the characters,, only to have them utterly disregard any chance of furthering their own backstory.
One even let the father of his sister's child (who could have helped him into a secret group he wanted to get into) die AFTER I spend one whole session of subtle and not-so-subtle reminders regarding his fate.
They knew he was caught by evil priests, knew he had 10 days to live until ritual night.
The player (actually, all of them) never wondered about the character anymore. Could he be saved? How many days have we got left?
I had NPCs granting them spare time to save their friend. I had NPCs offering them help in saving him. I had NPCs offering maps to save him. I had NPCs wondering aloud what might have happened to that guy.
Nothing.
The character in question chose to craft a nice gemstone into his staff, spending the whole 10 days with it.
And of course, he complained later on that he'd had no chance of getting into that secret organisation.
In the end, that let me to retire the group I DM'ed in, and when I get behind the screen again, I won't play with all the same players as before, and I won't take up the trouble of doing the PC's work.
Prove me wrong.
Beranmdor
