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RP Character Building Idea: Creating a Backstory
brylars
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CREATING A BACKSTORY
This post is going to be a bit longer than my previous, but it is important. One of the things I have seen roleplayers struggle the most with is the creation of a backstory for their character. It seems to be a very daunting task, so much so that many question the need for one. They just say, “I’ll figure it out as I go.” The backstory is very important as it forms the foundation for your character’s personality and decisions. It tells the audience why they are the way they are and it gives opportunities for many stories in the future.
One thing that must be made clear. A backstory is not a full fledged biography. One of the pitfalls of creating a backstory is that the writer gets very ambitious and creates a story in a few pages that could have been written in a few sentences. You don't need to answer 100 questions. Keep in mind that your character, upon entering the group, is a “level 1 character.” Your character’s story is beginning now, not then. Put that creative energy, that would have been focused on an overly detailed backstory, into the creation of the next chapter of your character’s story.
Here are some steps and suggestions to help in building a backstory that both you and the one who DMs the events can use in creating a great story arc:
1. Decide on where your character was born.
The place of birth and the situation surrounding your character’s childhood can have a very big impact on who they are now. Were they born into a noble family? Were they born to commoners and lived on a farm? What was the political situation in the area? Was there a war going on or political strife? Was it a peaceful life? If your character is Dunmer, for example, but was not born in Morrowind, why?
2. Decide who the parents were.
The influence of the parents will be great in the early years of your character’s life. What did those parents do for a living? Were they educated? Xenophobic? Did they have a trade and teach their child the “family business?” If the character was born outside the “homeland” then what were the parents doing in another country? Spending time thinking about some details of the parents will add a great deal to the story. Even if your character is to be ignorant of their heritage, decide now who their family is and then guide the story towards your character finding out “who they are.” Their discovery does not have to happen right away, but it is best to plan ahead so the story can be realistic and fluid.
3. Build a basic timeline of your character’s life events.
Building a timeline of the key events of your character’s life will make it easier to understand your character’s personality development and their point of view. What were they like when they were young? Did they have a best friend? Was their family affected by a world event? Did they go on an adventure? Were they part of a political or social faction in their homeland? Building a basic timeline will give you a “bird’s eye view” of the formative events in your character’s life.
4. Decide what your character was doing before they entered their current situation.
You don’t need a long drawn out statement for this. It might have been touched on already by the previous steps. Where did they live? What was their life like right before their decision to start a new life? This then leads us to the next step.
5. Decide why your character left their life before.
You know now what they were doing before. Why did they leave that life? What was their motivation? Was there an event in their personal life that pushed them towards wanting to start anew? Once you have decided on something you like and it fits your character, you can then add little details to make it more interesting and realistic.
6. Decide what your character left behind.
To start over requires a great deal of commitment. Who or what did they leave behind? Did they leave behind wealth or the family business? Were they from a criminal background? Are people looking for them? Did they leave behind a lover? This is an area that can lead to other events in the future, like a happy reunion or a dark past to come back to haunt your character.
7. Decide what your character wants.
What motivates your character? The answer can be something very specific, like they are looking for an artifact or answers to their family origins. It could be something broad like they want to be accepted by their family or they want the prestige of serving the gods. Deciding on a broad motivation works well with roleplay because it allows your character to accept any challenge that is laid before them. The question of your character’s motivations and goals could have the heaviest impact on how you roleplay your character. If the motivations are just, righteous and true, then your character won’t lie or hide anything. Your character will believe in what they are doing and will not be afraid to tell anyone. If your character is “less than righteous” in their motivations, then they will be more guarded and will be less willing to reveal personal details.
8. Decide what your character fears.
What is your character's fear? Why do they have this fear? Is it from a personal experience or is it more associated with their culture or family history? Fears are always with us. They can influence our decisions and what direction we choose to go in our life. Your character is no different. Your character will have to confront their fears eventually during a roleplay session. Fears will give an opportunity for your character to develop and grow. Your character's fears can also be an inspiration for a future story.
When writing a backstory it can be very tempting to write down every detail that we think is interesting or funny. This can lead to a very long and overly detailed backstory. The audience does not need to know your character’s favorite food, a game they used to play as a child, or a favorite trip they had with their family. These details can be expressed at other times during roleplay situations. On the other hand, let’s say that the character’s motivation to enter the Tribunal Temple was a dying wish of their father. That would be an important motivation that would affect the character deeply. The backstory could then give some details of their relationship and why it was so important to their character to fulfill their father’s dying wish. Again, make sure your character’s backstory details are relevant.
Edited by brylars on November 2, 2022 1:52PM This post is going to be a bit longer than my previous, but it is important. One of the things I have seen roleplayers struggle the most with is the creation of a backstory for their character. It seems to be a very daunting task, so much so that many question the need for one. They just say, “I’ll figure it out as I go.” The backstory is very important as it forms the foundation for your character’s personality and decisions. It tells the audience why they are the way they are and it gives opportunities for many stories in the future.
One thing that must be made clear. A backstory is not a full fledged biography. One of the pitfalls of creating a backstory is that the writer gets very ambitious and creates a story in a few pages that could have been written in a few sentences. You don't need to answer 100 questions. Keep in mind that your character, upon entering the group, is a “level 1 character.” Your character’s story is beginning now, not then. Put that creative energy, that would have been focused on an overly detailed backstory, into the creation of the next chapter of your character’s story.
Here are some steps and suggestions to help in building a backstory that both you and the one who DMs the events can use in creating a great story arc:
1. Decide on where your character was born.
The place of birth and the situation surrounding your character’s childhood can have a very big impact on who they are now. Were they born into a noble family? Were they born to commoners and lived on a farm? What was the political situation in the area? Was there a war going on or political strife? Was it a peaceful life? If your character is Dunmer, for example, but was not born in Morrowind, why?
2. Decide who the parents were.
The influence of the parents will be great in the early years of your character’s life. What did those parents do for a living? Were they educated? Xenophobic? Did they have a trade and teach their child the “family business?” If the character was born outside the “homeland” then what were the parents doing in another country? Spending time thinking about some details of the parents will add a great deal to the story. Even if your character is to be ignorant of their heritage, decide now who their family is and then guide the story towards your character finding out “who they are.” Their discovery does not have to happen right away, but it is best to plan ahead so the story can be realistic and fluid.
3. Build a basic timeline of your character’s life events.
Building a timeline of the key events of your character’s life will make it easier to understand your character’s personality development and their point of view. What were they like when they were young? Did they have a best friend? Was their family affected by a world event? Did they go on an adventure? Were they part of a political or social faction in their homeland? Building a basic timeline will give you a “bird’s eye view” of the formative events in your character’s life.
4. Decide what your character was doing before they entered their current situation.
You don’t need a long drawn out statement for this. It might have been touched on already by the previous steps. Where did they live? What was their life like right before their decision to start a new life? This then leads us to the next step.
5. Decide why your character left their life before.
You know now what they were doing before. Why did they leave that life? What was their motivation? Was there an event in their personal life that pushed them towards wanting to start anew? Once you have decided on something you like and it fits your character, you can then add little details to make it more interesting and realistic.
6. Decide what your character left behind.
To start over requires a great deal of commitment. Who or what did they leave behind? Did they leave behind wealth or the family business? Were they from a criminal background? Are people looking for them? Did they leave behind a lover? This is an area that can lead to other events in the future, like a happy reunion or a dark past to come back to haunt your character.
7. Decide what your character wants.
What motivates your character? The answer can be something very specific, like they are looking for an artifact or answers to their family origins. It could be something broad like they want to be accepted by their family or they want the prestige of serving the gods. Deciding on a broad motivation works well with roleplay because it allows your character to accept any challenge that is laid before them. The question of your character’s motivations and goals could have the heaviest impact on how you roleplay your character. If the motivations are just, righteous and true, then your character won’t lie or hide anything. Your character will believe in what they are doing and will not be afraid to tell anyone. If your character is “less than righteous” in their motivations, then they will be more guarded and will be less willing to reveal personal details.
8. Decide what your character fears.
What is your character's fear? Why do they have this fear? Is it from a personal experience or is it more associated with their culture or family history? Fears are always with us. They can influence our decisions and what direction we choose to go in our life. Your character is no different. Your character will have to confront their fears eventually during a roleplay session. Fears will give an opportunity for your character to develop and grow. Your character's fears can also be an inspiration for a future story.
When writing a backstory it can be very tempting to write down every detail that we think is interesting or funny. This can lead to a very long and overly detailed backstory. The audience does not need to know your character’s favorite food, a game they used to play as a child, or a favorite trip they had with their family. These details can be expressed at other times during roleplay situations. On the other hand, let’s say that the character’s motivation to enter the Tribunal Temple was a dying wish of their father. That would be an important motivation that would affect the character deeply. The backstory could then give some details of their relationship and why it was so important to their character to fulfill their father’s dying wish. Again, make sure your character’s backstory details are relevant.
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