I'm currently trying to set up a campaign with my friends who are relatively new to TTRPG's and I'm also new to DM'ing. How do I get my friends to write backstories I can work into my campaign?

Do a session zero where you go over basic rules and any limits people have (e.g., profanity, sex, or any triggers someone my have. I once played with someone who would freak out if dogs were injured in the adventure. We learned quickly to not have encounters with wild dogs). At the session zero, go over character creation, including talking about the backgrounds of the characters. Get them to answer some basic questions about their characters: Why are they adventuring? Where did they grow up? What sort of family did they have? How did they get into their chosen profession (figher, wizard, rogue, etc)? Have they had any encounters with the law? Do they know any of the other pcs? If so, how did they meet?

The video has a bunch more questions that can help people build their backgrounds, but, they don't need to answer all of those questions, or they can answer other questions you may have.

Character Builder Questions

And, at the Session Zero, you can go over some of the characteristics of the world they'll be exploring. If you're playing within an established world (Eberron, Wildemount, The Sword Coast), share with them a map of the area and details their pcs would know. If it is a homebrew, you might not need to show them much more than the village/city they are starting in.

I would say... don't worry about "backstories" so much. All the PCs really need is a reason to go on adventures, or whatever stories you intend to tell. So yes, as above, have a session 0. In that session 0, explain what your campaign will be about. For instance, maybe you picture the characters being "ghost hunters" who will be fighting undead and evil spirits. If so, then you would ask them to each give a short background reason why their character would want to do this. That will give them a reason to go on your campaign.

As the game develops, you will no doubt find your players starting to come up with new ideas, on the fly, about their backstories. Let them, as long as what they're doing doesn't conflict with what has already been RPed. Players often get more of a feel for a character as time goes on. 

And always remember, what's happening now, in the campaign, matters, far more than what happened in the backstory of a character before the campaign ever began.

For newer players, it might be better not to worry too much about backstory. Just let them work on understanding the game mechanics, and how the story will unfold. Then for the second campaign, talk about in depth backstories for those that want one. And remember not everyone really enjoys that or will want one. Some people like a living, breathing character, others like a piece of paper with numbers on it — neither one is better or more right than the other.

But, if you really want them to do something, the wildemount book has basically a backstory generator. Roll on some table for a random family size, and life event or two. Playing in another world will take some massaging since there will be different countries and organizations, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. 

Don't worry about the backstory.  Every single backstory can be summarized to: I was a nobody, now I'm not.  

Caring about a "backstory" is a massive trap, because it has zero mechanical impact on the game, other than your background.  In fact, your background IS your backstory.  Don't really need to say any more.

 Some people like a living, breathing character.

And having a pre-written backstory doesn't necessarily have anything to do with a living, breathing character. I've seen people write 5-page single-spaced 10 point font backstories and then not do any real RP at all, or at best 'cartoony' RP that I certainly wouldn't refer to as a "living, breathing" character. And I've seen others who have a couple of lines on their background but make the character memorable and amazing in play.

I tried.  I tried so very hard.  I wanted to say it from the first time I saw the original post.  I wanted to say "Give them a pencil and a piece of paper and let them have at it."

Forgive me please, I am just making a joke.

On topic, you need not bother.  If they have picked a Background all the tools are in place and ready to go.  Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws can be selected from a list or rolled randomly, at your convenience, by your players.

Quote from SireSamuel >>

Don't worry about the backstory.  Every single backstory can be summarized to: I was a nobody, now I'm not.  

Caring about a "backstory" is a massive trap, because it has zero mechanical impact on the game, other than your background.  In fact, your background IS your backstory.  Don't really need to say any more.

I would also say -- a lot of people try to write a backstory like their PC is a character in a novel, or a movie. But most characters in a novel or a movie, unless you are reading/watching their origin story, have a large backstory because they are not level 1. They are already level 7 or something when you start the movie. So they need a backstory to explain how they got to be a marksman or a karate expert or what have you. If you are starting at level 1, then when your character gets to level 7, that level 1-6 game play *is* the backstory. There's no need to make up anything more involved.

If you look at Lord of the Rings -- the hobbits are all level 1 when they start out. Now, the Ring, and Middle Earth, had an extensive backstory. But the individual hobbits really didn't. Frodo's backstory is pretty simple -- he grew up in Hobbiton as a pretty typical hobbit, was a favorite of his rich crazy uncle Bilbo, and went to live with Uncle Bilbo as he got older. Then the Ring passed to him, and THEN his story started. You see it all happen "on screen" or "in novel." Nothing important that happens to Frodo -- or to Sam, Merry or Pippin -- happened *before* the LOTR books started.

Now, Aragorn and Gandalf and Boromir and such have more complex backstories. But they are not level 1 when they come into the story. Aragorn is a 20th level ranger when the level 3 hobbits meet him in Bree. And Gandalf is a level 30 epic wizard long before he meets Frodo. So they need backstories to explain their high-level-ness. But the hobbits, who are the only characters to start at "level 1" in LOTR, all start out with very simple backstories that you could tell in < 1 paragraph.

Quote from BioWizard >>

Quote from SireSamuel >>

Don't worry about the backstory.  Every single backstory can be summarized to: I was a nobody, now I'm not.  

Caring about a "backstory" is a massive trap, because it has zero mechanical impact on the game, other than your background.  In fact, your background IS your backstory.  Don't really need to say any more.

 

I would also say -- a lot of people try to write a backstory like their PC is a character in a novel, or a movie. But most characters in a novel or a movie, unless you are reading/watching their origin story, have a large backstory because they are not level 1. They are already level 7 or something when you start the movie. So they need a backstory to explain how they got to be a marksman or a karate expert or what have you. If you are starting at level 1, then when your character gets to level 7, that level 1-6 game play *is* the backstory. There's no need to make up anything more involved.

If you look at Lord of the Rings -- the hobbits are all level 1 when they start out. Now, the Ring, and Middle Earth, had an extensive backstory. But the individual hobbits really didn't. Frodo's backstory is pretty simple -- he grew up in Hobbiton as a pretty typical hobbit, was a favorite of his rich crazy uncle Bilbo, and went to live with Uncle Bilbo as he got older. Then the Ring passed to him, and THEN his story started. You see it all happen "on screen" or "in novel." Nothing important that happens to Frodo -- or to Sam, Merry or Pippin -- happened *before* the LOTR books started.

Now, Aragorn and Gandalf and Boromir and such have more complex backstories. But they are not level 1 when they come into the story. Aragorn is a 20th level ranger when the level 3 hobbits meet him in Bree. And Gandalf is a level 30 epic wizard long before he meets Frodo. So they need backstories to explain their high-level-ness. But the hobbits, who are the only characters to start at "level 1" in LOTR, all start out with very simple backstories that you could tell in < 1 paragraph.

Spot on.  Now if you are starting at a higher level, then a more complicated backstory connecting your character to the campaign might be warranted.  But a level 1 or 2 starting character's backstory is little more than their background and a snippet from how they got a start in their class of choice. 

Something my first DM did was give all the players a simple questionnaire to help us nail down our characters in a fairly simple and interesting way. It's not really complex stuff like "where did your character come from", "who were their parents and what did they do for a living," but just some simple character stuff. Things like Favorite Color, Favorite Foods, whether they prefer warm or cold weather, etc. Then she allowed each of us to designate 3 people in our characters' backstories... it could be a friend, former lover, family, or even an enemy. But she limited us to 3 so that she wouldn't have to keep track of a massive cast of characters for everyone's backstory.

Quote from BioWizard >>

Quote from SireSamuel >>

Don't worry about the backstory.  Every single backstory can be summarized to: I was a nobody, now I'm not.  

Caring about a "backstory" is a massive trap, because it has zero mechanical impact on the game, other than your background.  In fact, your background IS your backstory.  Don't really need to say any more.

 

I would also say -- a lot of people try to write a backstory like their PC is a character in a novel, or a movie. But most characters in a novel or a movie, unless you are reading/watching their origin story, have a large backstory because they are not level 1. They are already level 7 or something when you start the movie. So they need a backstory to explain how they got to be a marksman or a karate expert or what have you. If you are starting at level 1, then when your character gets to level 7, that level 1-6 game play *is* the backstory. There's no need to make up anything more involved.

If you look at Lord of the Rings -- the hobbits are all level 1 when they start out. Now, the Ring, and Middle Earth, had an extensive backstory. But the individual hobbits really didn't. Frodo's backstory is pretty simple -- he grew up in Hobbiton as a pretty typical hobbit, was a favorite of his rich crazy uncle Bilbo, and went to live with Uncle Bilbo as he got older. Then the Ring passed to him, and THEN his story started. You see it all happen "on screen" or "in novel." Nothing important that happens to Frodo -- or to Sam, Merry or Pippin -- happened *before* the LOTR books started.

Now, Aragorn and Gandalf and Boromir and such have more complex backstories. But they are not level 1 when they come into the story. Aragorn is a 20th level ranger when the level 3 hobbits meet him in Bree. And Gandalf is a level 30 epic wizard long before he meets Frodo. So they need backstories to explain their high-level-ness. But the hobbits, who are the only characters to start at "level 1" in LOTR, all start out with very simple backstories that you could tell in < 1 paragraph.

 I disagree. Yes, you are right about Aragorn and Gandalf, but even they had a developed backstory before they came into Hobbit and LotR, particularly Gandalf.  Sam was a gardener. Frodo's parent's died when he was 22 and he was adopted by Bilbo. Bilbo has money, so that is a pretty good start to a backstory.

Even at level 1, you have a backstory.  How did you decide to become a <insert character class here>?  One of my players is a rogue assassin who was orphaned.  Why was she orphaned?  Did her parents die naturally, were they killed and if so, who killed them?  She could say that all she knows is that her parents died, but she doesn't know why.  As a DM, I would LOVE that hook - I could weave it into the storyline.  She gets a hint about how her parents died and can choose to follow it up. What were their professions?

As long as the players have a decent character concept, I agree that a ton of backstory isn’t required.  In my personal experience as a player, I find that I need to write at least a couple of paragraphs before I really get the character concept down.  In my experience as a DM, I find it much easier to build interesting, immersive stories if I have an idea of my players’ backstories.  

However, as my players are mostly new as well, I helped them build their characters, including their backstories.  We used the character tables in Xanathar’s, which made it much easier.  Some did more, and some less: one player has written me two or three pages of material so far, because she discovered that she loves writing about her character; another just did a short, bare-bones style paragraph, because character creation is hard for her.  A third has next to nothing, but he’s a veteran player, and has a strong character concept, so it’s not really needed.  When I start incorporating personal arcs into the plot, I’ll probably ask him for a little more, but for now, it works just fine.

 My point is, different people can be equally engaged with different amounts of effort.  I highly recommended the character tables in Xanathar’s for people who can’t, or don’t want to, create stuff out of thin air.  The point of having backstories is to facilitate roleplay and increase immersion.  If that’s happening already, then you might not need them.  If it isn’t, you should probably talk to your players first, and explain why you want them to write stuff.

For new players I would not burden them with backstory. 

Work with their character background, it's more than enough.

I've been simply asking my players for ideas/questions about their stories. I give them a prompt or two, and then they answer questions relating to their origins.

For example, one of my players is a Warlock. So I questioned them on who their patron is and how they entered into a pact. They built the story, but the story was the natural result of the questions.

It's also very workable to answer the backstory questions as you go.

I watch a Savage Worlds stream called Wildcards, and the GM asks the players a different question about their character each session. He'll say at the start, "I want you to tell the audience your name, your character's name, and then..." And one session he might ask, "A nightmare your character has had in the last year that terrifies them." Or, "Your character's favorite movie." Or, "What movie star your character would want to play them in a movie of your life." Or, "What did your character used to do on summer vacations back home?" And little by little, they build the "backstory" of their character.

EDIT - And I want to say, the players make it quite clear that they are making this up in answer to the question, based on what they have RPed of their PC to this point, and they did NOT have this written up anywhere beforehand.

For new players, the simplest approach to help them "get into character", is to let them pick a character from a book or film that they want to use as the basis for their character - at least it gives them something to work with.

Quote from Farling >>

For new players, the simplest approach to help them "get into character", is to let them pick a character from a book or film that they want to use as the basis for their character - at least it gives them something to work with.

 I agree wholeheartedly! I know that it's common to make fun of players for essentially just playing as an existing character but in D&D... but it's still a great stepping on point for new players! It's hard to come up with a new, wholly original character... writing is hard, that's why people who are really good at it get paid to do it. If playing as a Shadow Monk who's basically just Naruto is what a player needs to get into the  game well... might as well let them. If their idea of a mastermind Rogue is someone whose parents died tragically and they travel in the dark dressed as a giant bat... hey, it gives them a direction to go. Maybe they'll learn a lot from playing this version of the character and once they get through their first campaign they'll be eager to try something new.

The only downside is, well... sometimes D&D doesn't do a great job recreating characters. Most Superheroes essentially start as 10+ level characters, and often require multiclassing to accomplish the amazing skills of these characters. I think as a DM the best thing to do is to guide them toward focusing on the core personality and motivation of the character they're emulating, rather than on their specific powers. You can play as someone who thinks and acts like Superman, but you don't need to be able to fly and lift a continent over your head to be like Superman.

Quote from BioWizard >>

It's also very workable to answer the backstory questions as you go.

I watch a Savage Worlds stream called Wildcards, and the GM asks the players a different question about their character each session. He'll say at the start, "I want you to tell the audience your name, your character's name, and then..." And one session he might ask, "A nightmare your character has had in the last year that terrifies them." Or, "Your character's favorite movie." Or, "What movie star your character would want to play them in a movie of your life." Or, "What did your character used to do on summer vacations back home?" And little by little, they build the "backstory" of their character.

EDIT - And I want to say, the players make it quite clear that they are making this up in answer to the question, based on what they have RPed of their PC to this point, and they did NOT have this written up anywhere beforehand.

 Why would it matter if they had it written down before?  Maybe I am misreading, but you sound like you think putting thought into your character's backstory is a bad thing.

Quote from HazelSage >>

As long as the players have a decent character concept, I agree that a ton of backstory isn’t required.  In my personal experience as a player, I find that I need to write at least a couple of paragraphs before I really get the character concept down.  In my experience as a DM, I find it much easier to build interesting, immersive stories if I have an idea of my players’ backstories.  

However, as my players are mostly new as well, I helped them build their characters, including their backstories.  We used the character tables in Xanathar’s, which made it much easier.  Some did more, and some less: one player has written me two or three pages of material so far, because she discovered that she loves writing about her character; another just did a short, bare-bones style paragraph, because character creation is hard for her.  A third has next to nothing, but he’s a veteran player, and has a strong character concept, so it’s not really needed.  When I start incorporating personal arcs into the plot, I’ll probably ask him for a little more, but for now, it works just fine.

 My point is, different people can be equally engaged with different amounts of effort.  I highly recommended the character tables in Xanathar’s for people who can’t, or don’t want to, create stuff out of thin air.  The point of having backstories is to facilitate roleplay and increase immersion.  If that’s happening already, then you might not need them.  If it isn’t, you should probably talk to your players first, and explain why you want them to write stuff.

Quote from HazelSage >>

As long as the players have a decent character concept, I agree that a ton of backstory isn’t required.  In my personal experience as a player, I find that I need to write at least a couple of paragraphs before I really get the character concept down.  In my experience as a DM, I find it much easier to build interesting, immersive stories if I have an idea of my players’ backstories.  

However, as my players are mostly new as well, I helped them build their characters, including their backstories.  We used the character tables in Xanathar’s, which made it much easier.  Some did more, and some less: one player has written me two or three pages of material so far, because she discovered that she loves writing about her character; another just did a short, bare-bones style paragraph, because character creation is hard for her.  A third has next to nothing, but he’s a veteran player, and has a strong character concept, so it’s not really needed.  When I start incorporating personal arcs into the plot, I’ll probably ask him for a little more, but for now, it works just fine.

 My point is, different people can be equally engaged with different amounts of effort.  I highly recommended the character tables in Xanathar’s for people who can’t, or don’t want to, create stuff out of thin air.  The point of having backstories is to facilitate roleplay and increase immersion.  If that’s happening already, then you might not need them.  If it isn’t, you should probably talk to your players first, and explain why you want them to write stuff.

 Agree 100%. Some players really love the role playing aspect, some are just ready to roll dice, and others like something in the middle.  I tend to think a lot about my characters' backstories, but I read a ton of fantasy scifi and so it is easy for me.