I was hoping to get some opinions on this matter. When starting a new campaign do you think its wise for players to openly tell the other players their background, or should it be kept a secret and found out through rp.
The current adventure that I am writing and playtesting has two groups. Oddly enough, in both groups there were different degrees of 'hidden backstory' so that at various times there were some great dialog between the players on the 'reveal.' In one specific case, there was a hidden character sheet so that the other players weren't aware they were a changeling at all.
So, I am a fan of secrets. We have all have them in reality, so it 'makes sense' that characters would have them. For a DM, it gives a lot of options for breathing life into a campaign. But it doesn't mean everyone wants that either. Being honest about background is a valid choice.
But I do believe that the players should have something handy so when someone asks you "Hey what have you been doing the last 4 years" they can answer it. doesn't have to be true, or even partially true.
Backgrounds are hidden from other players for a reason.
I think the idea of a character having some hidden secret in their backstory for the DM to incorperate into the adventure and have a dramatic reveal is the only reason players write backstories.
There are motormouths who just gush about themselves when meeting new people. I'm not one of those, but I met more than a few in real life. (Ironically, those people are the ones I remember the least about.) To the point, it's not completely impossible for someone to drone on about themselves from the get-go. Another possibility is having time to travel with the group for a bit and learning about each other before the first adventure and just covering that part informally with a round-table introduction. ...but that's not my preference if I'm allowed one.
In addition to having rather boring backstories (because I like to be a nobody at level 1 to become a hero and not already be a hero at level 1 before I even get started), I can't remember my life's story when meeting people for the first time IRL. Something has to prompt the memory to surface. I have detailed histories for me to read so I can keep it all organized, but for the DM, I still have a lot of gaps for the DM to play in.
(Another good thing about being a nobody who wants to be a hero, it doesn't always work out that way and one can end up becoming infamous for wrecking havoc by just trying to help. Someone who's always done great things will be breaking character if it doesn't go the right way. I place only the first LEGO block and not the entire mansion.)
TL;DR version: If someone wants to spill all, bully. If I wanna keep mine to myself (partly because it's uninteresting until the DM adventurizes it), that's bully, too. Right?
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I was hoping to get some opinions on this matter. When starting a new campaign do you think its wise for players to openly tell the other players their background, or should it be kept a secret and found out through rp.
This all depends on the kind of game you're playing. If it's a collaborative game where players are trying to come up with a group that's already cohesive before the game starts, then yes. If it's more of a subterfuge, espionage game then probably no.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
It can be mixed and matched. Even within the same character
There was a party of 4 that 3 of them started with their whole history and 1 just said (paraphrased), "I'm a pirate. I've always been a pirate. Stop asking," (which turned out to be untrue as one might expect).
A 5th character joined with a mix of backstory and withholding, a paladin looking for atonement but he hasn't spoken what he did requiring it despite laying out how he became a paladin and how he went through a ritual to transform him into a golden dragonborn. Even though he encountered his Order, the party tried to slyly get them to say more about it while disguised as part of the Order. The Paladins would talk like they didn't need to elaborate as if the whole Order already knew well enough. Foiled again to discover this great sin. ...and it was fun to see them try to dig for info while also trying to not let on that they weren't part of the Order.
The full backstories of the other 3 still had impacts on the group in effective ways, too. A dread god that keeps sending them on quests that don't make sense until the end. A shapeshifter that is extremely effective. A reunited his sister who became a home-schooled virologist because of their separation. Their backstories have provided hooks all the same as do the withheld stories.
So, it's not a requirement to give or withhold backstories. Either is useful. As I stated, my preference is to withhold. My favorite of my characters has two good story reasons to withhold any true information while gladly sharing untrue info.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
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I was hoping to get some opinions on this matter. When starting a new campaign do you think its wise for players to openly tell the other players their background, or should it be kept a secret and found out through rp.
The current adventure that I am writing and playtesting has two groups. Oddly enough, in both groups there were different degrees of 'hidden backstory' so that at various times there were some great dialog between the players on the 'reveal.' In one specific case, there was a hidden character sheet so that the other players weren't aware they were a changeling at all.
So, I am a fan of secrets. We have all have them in reality, so it 'makes sense' that characters would have them. For a DM, it gives a lot of options for breathing life into a campaign. But it doesn't mean everyone wants that either. Being honest about background is a valid choice.
But I do believe that the players should have something handy so when someone asks you "Hey what have you been doing the last 4 years" they can answer it. doesn't have to be true, or even partially true.
GLHF
Backgrounds are hidden from other players for a reason.
I think the idea of a character having some hidden secret in their backstory for the DM to incorperate into the adventure and have a dramatic reveal is the only reason players write backstories.
There are motormouths who just gush about themselves when meeting new people. I'm not one of those, but I met more than a few in real life. (Ironically, those people are the ones I remember the least about.) To the point, it's not completely impossible for someone to drone on about themselves from the get-go. Another possibility is having time to travel with the group for a bit and learning about each other before the first adventure and just covering that part informally with a round-table introduction. ...but that's not my preference if I'm allowed one.
In addition to having rather boring backstories (because I like to be a nobody at level 1 to become a hero and not already be a hero at level 1 before I even get started), I can't remember my life's story when meeting people for the first time IRL. Something has to prompt the memory to surface. I have detailed histories for me to read so I can keep it all organized, but for the DM, I still have a lot of gaps for the DM to play in.
(Another good thing about being a nobody who wants to be a hero, it doesn't always work out that way and one can end up becoming infamous for wrecking havoc by just trying to help. Someone who's always done great things will be breaking character if it doesn't go the right way. I place only the first LEGO block and not the entire mansion.)
TL;DR version: If someone wants to spill all, bully. If I wanna keep mine to myself (partly because it's uninteresting until the DM adventurizes it), that's bully, too. Right?
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
This all depends on the kind of game you're playing. If it's a collaborative game where players are trying to come up with a group that's already cohesive before the game starts, then yes. If it's more of a subterfuge, espionage game then probably no.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
It can be mixed and matched. Even within the same character
There was a party of 4 that 3 of them started with their whole history and 1 just said (paraphrased), "I'm a pirate. I've always been a pirate. Stop asking," (which turned out to be untrue as one might expect).
A 5th character joined with a mix of backstory and withholding, a paladin looking for atonement but he hasn't spoken what he did requiring it despite laying out how he became a paladin and how he went through a ritual to transform him into a golden dragonborn. Even though he encountered his Order, the party tried to slyly get them to say more about it while disguised as part of the Order. The Paladins would talk like they didn't need to elaborate as if the whole Order already knew well enough. Foiled again to discover this great sin. ...and it was fun to see them try to dig for info while also trying to not let on that they weren't part of the Order.
The full backstories of the other 3 still had impacts on the group in effective ways, too. A dread god that keeps sending them on quests that don't make sense until the end. A shapeshifter that is extremely effective. A reunited his sister who became a home-schooled virologist because of their separation. Their backstories have provided hooks all the same as do the withheld stories.
So, it's not a requirement to give or withhold backstories. Either is useful. As I stated, my preference is to withhold. My favorite of my characters has two good story reasons to withhold any true information while gladly sharing untrue info.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.