10 - Minute Background

So several months ago William and I were talking, discussing the idea of a communal blog of nerdiness, one that would embody our joint love of table-top gaming & hobbying. This was followed by his creation of Grim Dark Kitchen. Several posts later I’ve finally gotten around to contributing.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the slowly developed background of Mr. Arthur Monroe. It was well thought out and very well done. As a frequent game master, and as a regular player, I feel character background and concept is the backbone to enjoying the game. If you don’t know what motivates your character how are you going to know how he/she should respond when they stumble upon a piece of forbidden xenos technology?

However, many, myself included, are not nearly as talented is Mr. Daggerburg here when it comes to writing. For this, I have a solution. Several years ago I stumbled upon a 10 minute character creation. I’ve used it several times, making it mandatory for players. While I’m typically loath to make anything mandatory, I’ve found that it is just thought provoking enough to get a player thinking about their characters motivations. It also gives the GM a few tidbits of opportunity to pull the players background into the regular sessions.

The last time I requested my players fill out the 10-minute background I got the standard communal groan, in unison, from all of them. However, like champs they all sat down to try and oblige. What should have been a minor task of filling in the blank resulted in a soul searching experience for many of them. While the background is simply a short answer work sheet, all of them provided me with a background in story form. There is something to be said for that.

So without further ramblings, I present the 10 minute background:

Step 1: Write five background concept elements that pertain to the image of your character. This can include physical appearance, personality traits, and important life events; anything big that helps get the image in mind.

Step 2: List at least two goals for your character. One of these should be a goal the character has, and one should be a goal you as the player has. Be creative, and try to avoid “as I player I want a cool magic item” answers.

Step 3: List two secrets about your character. One I a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves the character, but the character is unaware of. This helps GM’s create plot points that revolve around the character. Lastly, it bares mentioning that the GM should create a third secret that the player is unaware of, allowing for some unexpected turns in the characters in game development.

Step 4: Describe at least three people the character knows. Two should be friendly to the character, one should be hostile. This eliminates the “an old friend contacts you” hook, and replaces it with something of the characters own choosing.

Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, quirks, or ticks your character has. These needn’t be overly descriptive, just enough to provide context and flavor.

That’s it; a simple means to encourage character development, before the first die is ever rolled, one that doesn’t require the master penmanship of Mr. Daggerburg.