unironically, this has become my favorite approach to character background over the years. Build out what the character can do, first, maybe pick a theme too. But create the character you want to play when you’re at the table. The first few encounters are a great forge to make a character from, and then you can extrapolate and improvise from there when necessary.
When I played AL I put in the minimum effort. Playing with a random group every week means no one is really going to appreciate it.
On the other hand, my current group is my close friends. Not only did we have to up write a fairly comprehensive backstories, but we also create a bunch of NPCs specifically bonded to our characters that the DM weaves into the plot. It’s really fun and engaging.
That’s what I prefer to do. Maybe just a general reason for going adventuring with the party, but otherwise discover and develop characters in play!
By all means people can write backstories if they want. I just sometimes see it being treated as mandatory and a sign of taking the game seriously, when really it’s just a matter of style and taste.
Can’t have conflicting backstories if you don’t write a backstory. My latest character was Gruk the Orc. His backstory was one word, smash.
unironically, this has become my favorite approach to character background over the years. Build out what the character can do, first, maybe pick a theme too. But create the character you want to play when you’re at the table. The first few encounters are a great forge to make a character from, and then you can extrapolate and improvise from there when necessary.
Honestly, I think it depends on the context.
When I played AL I put in the minimum effort. Playing with a random group every week means no one is really going to appreciate it.
On the other hand, my current group is my close friends. Not only did we have to up write a fairly comprehensive backstories, but we also create a bunch of NPCs specifically bonded to our characters that the DM weaves into the plot. It’s really fun and engaging.
That’s what I prefer to do. Maybe just a general reason for going adventuring with the party, but otherwise discover and develop characters in play!
By all means people can write backstories if they want. I just sometimes see it being treated as mandatory and a sign of taking the game seriously, when really it’s just a matter of style and taste.