Tips for Writing a Background

All backgrounds must be submitted and approved (preferably before your character comes into play), so you should relinquish any ideas you might have entertained about bringing your character in as royalty or a lavishly wealthy merchant lord or the prophesied deity of some culture. You also should not expect to claim ownership of a keep, castle, pirate/merchant/war ship, shop or other significant item of property. All characters will begin the game with an equal level of importance and wealth; what your character earns from there is up to you.

A background should include the basic events and people in your character's history that have influenced him/her in a major way and helped get him/her to the point where he/she is at today. The easiest way I have found for most people to generate a background is to work in reverse. Most players develop a fairly solid character concept when they make their character because they have to pick their abilities and race and generally know how they expect the character to behave. However, there are a few other things you should determine about your character before beginning to play beyond name, race and abilities like age, where he/she is from, and why he/she is here.

From that information, you can work backwards and determine facts like where the character learned what skills and abilities he/she has. Using the constants relative to all people, you can begin to flesh out your character's personality and what helped shape it. For example, a character's race may help determine where he/she was raised and what social climate he/she began life in. So start by determining some specific facts in a format like this:

* Relationship
* Race
* Name
* Physical Description
* General Position in Society (respected, loved, hated, high ranking, inconsequential)
* Occupation
* Relationship Details (love, hate, pride, disappointment, neglect, over-controlling)

The above template can be applied to mothers, fathers, siblings, friends, teachers, and any other significant individual in your character's life.

In the event that your character is an orphan with little to no recollection of your family, know that you are not alone, there are many many others who can relate, and that you can apply the above questions to your guardian instead. Also, if one of your family members does not fill this position, you should identify the key features of who helped you gain the skills you have learned

Now you can determine the "why" behind a lot of those facts. For example, if your mentor was not respected in town was that because he/she was a drunkard or was he/she simply mistrusted because of his/her race or past? You can also determine how those facts shaped your character's personality, goals and motivations. For instance, did the rivalry between your character and his/her sister incite you to run off and prove your worth?

Beyond the people, many events in our lives can shape who we are and where we direct our path. What has your character experienced that has affected his/her perspective or behavior?

Here are some general examples:

* Hardships: (poverty, slavery, sickness)
* Tragedies: (disappearance/death of a loved one, forced to leave home, personal failures)
* Triumphs: (occupational, marriage/family, combat)

Overall, that should provide you with a good picture of the character's life from the beginning until the present. It should also give you some idea of where he/she is looking to go from there. The next task is to put the highlights down in a form that the plot committee can read through and potentially use to entertain you and your fellow players. Writing a story or timeline are good ways to record the important info.