D&D General Wildly Diverse "Circus Troupe" Adventuring Parties

[Hussar]

I am not sure why it happens. I provide a 1 page sheet answering those questions before each campaign. Players let me know if they are interested. They are told that there with be a session as a group to discuss concepts with me and the group where all questions are answered.

They post on discord if they want a change etc. Character backgrounds are due 1 week before campaign starts. I work with each player to add information and help them with any setting needs or info.

It is really not that difficult. I have never had anyone in any group that I have run or played in just bring a random character.

All I can do is report my experience. I mean, you talk about a background being "due" a week before the campaign starts. Are they creating those backgrounds in collaboration with any of the players or only you? Are they creating those backgrounds in collaboration with you or are they presenting you with a fully formed background for you to approve?

Which, if they are, then they are bringing pretty much just a random character. They come to you with a completed background, subject to your approval, and, presumably so long as it doesn't contradict anything in your setting notes, that's a given.

Which is pretty much exactly what I was talking about. Everyone comes to the table with a fully formed character that has zero connection to any of the other characters in the group because all the characters were made in isolation. I think that we're probably having the same experience, but, spinning it in very different ways.

Let me ask this. You posit a fairly standard Sword Coast campaign. Say Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I come to you with a human fighter from Beregost who happens to be in Greenest on a holiday. Is that enough? Or do I have to sit down with you and/or any of the other players and collectively collaborate on my character and background? Because if my character is okay, then, that's precisely my problem. A fully formed background created with zero input from the DM or the other players.

 

[Remathilis]

Must be nice.

In 30 years of gaming, I have seen people come to the table with fully formed characters virtually every single time. I get questions about "What is permitted in the campaign? What is the campaign about (maybe)?" and then the players invariably show up with fully formed characters. And, I would point out, that this has repeatedly been shown in a number of other poster's posts as well.

I try to have a few character ideas in mind when I get to play. I keep at least one of them generic (meaning, PHB only) but I will usually have a few ideas that are PHB plus supplements or PHB plus a single 3pp option that I feel WotC hasn't covered. My current want to play is a dhampir sorcerer, so unless that option is flat out banned, that's probably what I'm going with. But if it is, I can always grab my tiefling dance bard or my goliath path if the giant barbarian. And if I'm whittled out of ideas, I'll gladly see myself out because I guarantee I'm not going to have fun in your campaign.

 

[Belen]

All I can do is report my experience. I mean, you talk about a background being "due" a week before the campaign starts. Are they creating those backgrounds in collaboration with any of the players or only you? Are they creating those backgrounds in collaboration with you or are they presenting you with a fully formed background for you to approve?

Which, if they are, then they are bringing pretty much just a random character. They come to you with a completed background, subject to your approval, and, presumably so long as it doesn't contradict anything in your setting notes, that's a given.

Which is pretty much exactly what I was talking about. Everyone comes to the table with a fully formed character that has zero connection to any of the other characters in the group because all the characters were made in isolation. I think that we're probably having the same experience, but, spinning it in very different ways.

Let me ask this. You posit a fairly standard Sword Coast campaign. Say Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I come to you with a human fighter from Beregost who happens to be in Greenest on a holiday. Is that enough? Or do I have to sit down with you and/or any of the other players and collectively collaborate on my character and background? Because if my character is okay, then, that's precisely my problem. A fully formed background created with zero input from the DM or the other players.

No. My players often collaborate on backgrounds, set up potential relationships, and then discuss options with me. They will write up their histories and then we usually do a round where we discuss concepts and set up hooks into the campaign.

 

[Dire Bare]

Yeah it is kind of funny that the concept of a protagonist who had a decent family life and loving home is considered unconventional. Gotta have a tortured past, one or more dead parents and a traumatic adolescence to have a mainstream hero character hahaha

This is a trope common throughout literature of all genres and all ages.

Broken people are generally more interesting than folks with little to no trauma in their background.

And IRL, everyone has trauma. Different kinds and to different degrees, but it allows us to empathize with the broken hero trope.

If that guy can overcome his demons, maybe I can too! My family wasn't murdered by a flight of dragons while I watched, we just grew up poor!

 

[Dire Bare]

I think the funny thing is that the original "circus troupe" party is the Fellowship of the Ring—humans, hobbits, an elf, and a dwarf. It only looks "standard" now because of authors emulating Tolkien and because of the defaults of early D&D and AD&D. In 20 or so years, tieflings and dragonborn and goliaths will all seem old hat.

What kind of circus troupe are folks going to complain about in 20 years from now? :O

In my campaign, I only allow goliaths, tieflings, tabaxi, tortles, aasimar, dhampir . . . none of that new-fangled weird stuff!

 

[Hussar]

No. My players often collaborate on backgrounds, set up potential relationships, and then discuss options with me. They will write up their histories and then we usually do a round where we discuss concepts and set up hooks into the campaign.

Oh, wow. What's that like?

 

[Hussar]

it allows us to empathize with the broken hero trope.

Oh, I get it. I do. It's just kinda weird that it becomes the default for PC's. I mean, the meme of parents being horrified that their baby was born an adventurer exists for a reason.

Like I said, I like to swim against the stream and make PC's that are not broken heroes. They are there to defend their family, or be inspired by their family, or even rebel against their family. My last character was a halfing whose family was warm and loving but, he was acting out because he wanted to escape their humdrum life.