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09-11-2002, 09:55 AM

I agree, too many character histories include great tragedies or amnesia (the other most common one I've found). I disagree 100% with the idea that to avoid this, you should go absolutely 180 degrees in the opposite direction. You don't have to be a janitor or another character who is planned by you to not rise in the society in order to portray someone who is not a hero or villian.

My characters have simple, untragic backgrounds, they never come into the game as hero or villian. That is not to say they don't have important people in their lives (a mam who loved to tell stories that my character repeats, a Priest who taught her how to read, a childhood sweatheart who she is uses as the standard for all the PCs who court her down the line, etc.) They also all have backgrounds like being farmgirls who wish to serve their god more directly so they come to the city. Being the child of traveling merchants and hating being on the road, so settling down in one city. Growing up in a neighboring village and wanting to be the first of her village to serve in such and such guild. Even my thief character has a non-dramatic background. As a teenager in a poor family (a common thing in the era of the game), she started taking little things from folks around her, it grew into a habit. She was a typical teen who rebelled against her parents, she just never grew up and got a real profession after her teenage years. Those types of backgrounds are not "hero" or "villian" backgrounds. They leave the door open for the roleplay to continue down the path of mundane or rise to a more prestigious position over time.

No matter how simple or uneventful a background, I think it should always be writen out ahead of time. You should know who those important people in your characters life was when he/she was a child. You should know what goal drove them to be in the city they are in or the profession. You should know what events in their life are meaningful to them. You should know these things in detail enough to return to them months or years after you created the character and have them be consistent. Do not make the mistake of thinking events have to be traumatic. Think about your own life and which memories stick out to get a feel for what types of things your character could remember.

Okay, I'm stepping down off my soapbox now. *wink*

Sapphar

09-11-2002, 09:55 AM	#15
Sapphar Posts: n/a	I agree, too many character histories include great tragedies or amnesia (the other most common one I've found). I disagree 100% with the idea that to avoid this, you should go absolutely 180 degrees in the opposite direction. You don't have to be a janitor or another character who is planned by you to not rise in the society in order to portray someone who is not a hero or villian. My characters have simple, untragic backgrounds, they never come into the game as hero or villian. That is not to say they don't have important people in their lives (a mam who loved to tell stories that my character repeats, a Priest who taught her how to read, a childhood sweatheart who she is uses as the standard for all the PCs who court her down the line, etc.) They also all have backgrounds like being farmgirls who wish to serve their god more directly so they come to the city. Being the child of traveling merchants and hating being on the road, so settling down in one city. Growing up in a neighboring village and wanting to be the first of her village to serve in such and such guild. Even my thief character has a non-dramatic background. As a teenager in a poor family (a common thing in the era of the game), she started taking little things from folks around her, it grew into a habit. She was a typical teen who rebelled against her parents, she just never grew up and got a real profession after her teenage years. Those types of backgrounds are not "hero" or "villian" backgrounds. They leave the door open for the roleplay to continue down the path of mundane or rise to a more prestigious position over time. No matter how simple or uneventful a background, I think it should always be writen out ahead of time. You should know who those important people in your characters life was when he/she was a child. You should know what goal drove them to be in the city they are in or the profession. You should know what events in their life are meaningful to them. You should know these things in detail enough to return to them months or years after you created the character and have them be consistent. Do not make the mistake of thinking events have to be traumatic. Think about your own life and which memories stick out to get a feel for what types of things your character could remember. Okay, I'm stepping down off my soapbox now. wink Sapphar