Make Your Players' Backstories Matter in DnD!

Рет қаралды 910

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 32

@Ramperdos Ай бұрын

That's the way I design my campaigns. The characters are always heavily involved and the story revolves around them, instead of them hanging out in a story that's just happening and they happened to be in the area.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

Exactly, they’re the heroes of the story, it should feel like it! Glad you agree!

@ploepiplayer6150 Ай бұрын

My friend taught me to just straight up ask the players "what do you want your character to do" and its such an easy way to involve a backstory haha

@vexeven Ай бұрын

I would suggest a bonus tip: make them manage secrets. This is a very engaging way of making the players curious about their own mysteries. It also makes them free of choosing when and how to deal with the other players. For example, in my last campaign, before starting, I gave each player one item and one information that linked them to the others. I had one rogue son of clan of assassins. Another player was a dragonborn whose mother was killed. I gave to the former a family dagger, without telling him that that dagger killed the mother of the latter. To the second player I gave a drawing that was secretly inscribed in the dagger, telling him that that symbol is all that he remembers from that event. This could also be way simpler, as giving a napkin, or providing the name of some important person. I found it interesting, and that's fun to see how they foreshadow those items/infos without being too explicit!

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

Any time you can weave their stories together is going to be great, it's awesome when players can react to each other's stories and roleplay tense events like that! And then you aren't the only one keeping secrets the whole time! Thanks for sharing!

@darcyw156 Ай бұрын

We needed this message. About time someone did a step by step through incorporating backstory. Great job.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

Thank you so much, I’m glad you found it useful!

@grr-OUCH Ай бұрын

I have ran four or five sessions of the Dungeon of Drakkenheim. The campaign is going well, and tying people, places, and backstories to the setting and other characters has really made it shine. It can be compared to being a soap opera.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

That’s awesome! I’m glad your campaign is going so well, adding in those personal touches really does increase the drama!

@DalfAxolotl Ай бұрын

i always ask my players to make a backstory or explanation for their background so I 100% agree with this!

@DalfAxolotl Ай бұрын

...too bad one of them wants to fight a god lol. I'll try tho!

@ploepiplayer6150 Ай бұрын

@@DalfAxolotl depending on the god, you could make the god get banished and have the player fight a weakened version (or let bro die, could be a very beautiful scene about powerlessness)

@DalfAxolotl Ай бұрын

@@ploepiplayer6150 I'll consider this thank you!

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

That’s great, sounds like a fun way to flesh out their characters even more!

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

Is it even DnD if the party doesn’t at one point threaten to fight a god? Sounds like it’ll be a fun ride!

@RottenRogerDM Ай бұрын

I very rarely asked for backstories. For various reason. 1. High School play was toxic. And we hardly ever used Backstory. 2. Due to table by the time we got comfortable with each other we started losing members due to PCS, Dating, Moves, Shift changes, and personality conflict. 3. If I did use a backstory, and player would decide to bail the week I decide their backstory pays off. 4. 7 players 6 DM/GMS no waiting on a game. And no finishing a story line. 5. Backstory is a novel. Your ideas great. Some I can’t use since I an Adventure League DM mostly. During my AL games I have used some backstories. Example. PC grandmother show up unannounced and took over the Trollskull Manor for a drunken family reunion. Ghost of same grandmother later appeared years later to help out in a Radiant Citadel adventure. Now my Wednesday group is dropping some good BS. Backstory. Backstory. Which I trying to shove into AL play.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

Totally understand that Adventurer’s League would make that hard (plus high school weirdness!), but glad to hear you’ve been able to incorporate them a bit more!

@TyanFH Ай бұрын

If you make them come up with a back story, you need to use it. I have found that by having the group have a combined back story, it will make it easier. Some one thing they all have in common.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

For sure, if they’re spending time coming up with one you should absolutely draw from it! And I like the idea of having shared parts of backstories too, great way to give them all a reason to stick together!

@TyanFH Ай бұрын

So much easier when they already know each other.

@BurningMonkey Ай бұрын

back stories are the one place that I really lack any motivation as a player. I know it will help the DM and what not, but I am completely fine with "power hungry wizard wants more power" as a backstory. I should get better about that to make it easier on my DM, I suppose. my DM does a good job of involving all of us though, which is pretty cool.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

I don’t think having a ton of details is important, a lot of DMs prefer it that way! Plus some players like figuring out their character as they play. But even what you just described - a power hungry wizard - has a goal to get stronger! I think the important part is giving your DM something to latch onto for plot hooks, not necessarily pages of minutiae

@xiongray Ай бұрын

Talked about my background in an attempt to persuade an NPC. Rolls a nat 1 & a -1 in CHA for a 0. Earned a Heroic Inspiration & used it immediately. Rolled an 8. And with a quest item, I suppose we made it work.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

That’s always tough when the dice don’t cooperate! But hopefully you were able to turn it into a fun moment!

@xiongray Ай бұрын

@TheBardsCollegeYT After the nat 1 roll, I mentioned, "I know there's no reason for you to trust me or my friends." Hands over the quest item, "but I believe every life deserves a chance, even this artifical soul." As the item hums a faint heartbeat.

@TheBardsCollegeYT Ай бұрын

Sounds like a cool campaign moment, glad it worked out!