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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5559738" data-attributes="member: 92511">I like to keep it simple (well, what I think is "simple" anyway. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":P" title="Stick out tongue    :P"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":P" />).1. Where do you come from?This gets me a) a place of origin and generally leads the player to then think about things like b) societal status- was it a village, a farm, a well-known keep, whatever it happens to be and c) Were you poor, middle-class, rich/aristocrat, noble/title-bearing (which I generally will insist be in the rather low echelons of royal hierarchy so as not to end up with a party full of princes and dukes...but son of a knight? run-away daughter of the count? It can work.)?2. What's your relationship with your immediate family?This gets me a) Do you have a mother and/or father? Are they living or dead? Do you have any siblings (how many and what kind)? Do you get along with them or not? Over time the player generally will come up with names on their own...but I may prompt for them if I have some plot use/hook.3. What led your character to start adventuring?This will bring up things like "I want to be rich. I want to be famous. I want to avenge the brother I just created who was killed by so-and-so." etc. etc. ad infinitum.4. How did you learn your current skills?For most martial types, this is usually no big deal ("I'm self taught. My dad taught me. There was a retired soldier in town who gave lessons."), but for spellcasters, I do like to have an idea of who initially taught them (since magic-use/users are a normal aspect of the game world, but someone experienced enough to take on/teach apprentices are hardly a dime-a- dozen)...I also like to specify whether they (the PC) believe them to be alive or not. And if it gets the players thinking about fleshing out other figures from their past, romantic interests or classmates, that's great...though certainly not necessary.5. What is it your character is looking for/hoping to accomplish by adventuring/their current path?This harkens back to #3, but also forces the player to come up with some goal- as simple or conveluted as they like- for the character. I want to rich. I'm just in it for the thrills. I want to become powerful and take over the lands of the evil Baron who has oppressed (or slain) my family...etc. etc. ad infinitum. I've found those 5 questions generally lead to players expanding on their backgrounds as much or as little as they want. As noted, some players like to go "whole hog" on this stuff, which I will happily review and 'ok' as necessary. Some are content to answer the 5 questions as simply as possible and get to the "hitting stuff" part of play. Both give me ample material to draw from/expand on for interesting plot hooks or NPCs as necessary.Have fun and happy background checking. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />--Steel Dragons</blockquote>

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