What to do about backstory.

This may surprise some of you, given my other TTRPG thoughts. I know many folks don’t like a lot of character backstory. “It should emerge through play”, they say.

And sure. That’s reasonable. There isn’t a wrong answer here.

But if I’m starting a campaign I expect to last for a while? I’m happy to incorporate that backstory into the game.

So here’s what I do –

First, I send the players some history on the campaign world. I try to keep it brief and manageable. Twenty pages of history can be a barrier to play for most groups.

If you’re not sure what the limit is for your players, just ask. (This technique solves a lot of problems.)

When you write it up, include a lot of interesting hooks. If you have multiple ideas on what your game could be about, these little adventure ideas is a good way to include them. More importantly, it’ll spark ideas in the players heads and you’ll get to see what they latch onto.

You want them to write any backstory after reading your brief. This gives them plenty of opportunity to bite down on those hooks and get excited about your ideas.Once you have everyone’s backstories, then you can start planning your campaign in earnest.

Populate the world with locations and NPCs pertinent to your overall plot and the stuff just for the individual characters. You need your Mount Doom to toss the ring into, sure. But how about the house of the forgotten uncle for that orphan character? (There’s always one.) Or the tavern where the lackeys of the Rogue’s arch-rival drinks?

For me, sessions tend to alternate between focused on the overall goal and individual characters backstories. It’s important to pay attention to how much spot light everyone is getting.

I could go on… and I think I will. I’ll likely go more in depth on this in a podcast episode. Interested? 

-James