Archive for June 2014
Character Background Episode 3
Past
In the past, I have been a game store style GM. I would make a world and say "join if you would like." After getting players who showed up every week, for a while, I would start working their background in. This style worked well enough for me when I actually ran a game at the store. Since having a group that plays regularly, this play style is kind of limiting. I feel like my story-line is separate, from what the characters are interested in. It creates a dichotomy between personal story and GM Story.
Oddly enough, I notice that in certain settings I ran differently. In Star Wars, I am almost always character heavy through out my story, if I had one prepared for the sake of their story. I cant really even explain it, but I guess its more media influenced. I feel like fantasy characters are almost wrapped up, in the story, where as sci-fi is more character centered. You see that most common in TV shows. In movies for example:
Star Wars is about the characters and their personal interactions with the Empire
Star Wars is about the characters and their personal interactions with the Empire
Lord of the Rings is an epic. The characters are part of it and they have value but the ring needed to be destroyed by someone. It could have been anyone at all.
I think its more because of these iconic stories. that I have always done that in the past. I have always been ok with this formula. even though I knew my players often gravitated to my sci-fi campaigns. Not to say either way is lesser. Its just a preference.
Another thing I have noticed is I have not been much for completion. In the sense that my players have always had an ending, but it has never really been as memorable as some of the middle parts. I cant really think of a time, where my players thought of my end boss as more than a big guy with lots of hit points.
Something else I did, in the past, was plan a big epic story arc, at least 12 sessions a story arc. Every play session was a direct pick up from the last session.
Currently
Since tooling around and listening to other GMs and writers, I have kind of changed my mind on this. Firstly, I have come to the conclusion that I get GM fatigue faster than my players get player fatigue. I think its because I have always done long story arcs, that were not directly focused on continuation. I have almost always done mini-campaigns. I get my fatigue when I feel like the PC's are not accomplishing much, which in reality is my fault. They had almost no influence on the world, unless they started to siege other cities and take slaves.
So, this time I took a very different approach. I let the players make the world. The world being a continuation, of a world that they almost destroyed with previous characters. Their new characters have no direct connection to the last set, but its a neat concept to play out. Let the players fix the world they destroyed. I am also going into this with a different event style of story writing. Instead of doing long continuing story arc, that I hope is just building and building up, I am going to focus in on smaller stories, like a serial. The larger story will be there because of the supported smaller stories.
How does the back story work in? So, I linked a forum in the background tools post about hash-tagging peoples background and adding those hash-tags, to my plot points. My goal is to make every session hit at least one character's background, and if possible more. I thought this was so simple, yet a great way that works for me. The goal to finding a way to incorporate backgrounds is finding what works for you. I am not going to tell you that you should do it my way. I am going to refer you back to the internet. There are so many good opinions out there.
The big thing to remember is don't write your story for you. Write it for them. That's where the backgrounds become so important.
Character Background Episode 2
Character Background Spread
Draw four cards from the deck. Place them one next to the other in the order they are drawn. The cards will help to shape your background and personality. The suits will give you a personality, while the values will determine the background events. This will provide a basic background frame work.Personality
For anyone that has never taken a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test, you should probably give it a go before continuing. Though most people probably have done one of these tests before. and may need a refresher so feel free to do a little reading and look at the 16 personality types (different site that presents the types in an easier to read format).In the test, you are measured in four categories with two possible options, i.e. four card draw. Naturally no one is exclusively one of the two possible options, all the time, but this can be used as a guide to the general behavior and personality of your character.
The categories are abbreviated for ease of use:
Extraversion(E)/Introversion(I)
Sensing(S)/iNtuition(N)
Thinking (T)/Feeling(F)
Judging(J)/Perception(P)
First Card's Suit - Attitudes
The first card's suit will determine the first letter, in your characters personality type.
Red Cards(Hearts/Diamond) - Extraversion(E). Actions speak louder than words. You are driven by actions. For the most part, you act first then later take time to reflect on what information you have gleaned from the experience. You prefer to keep the hits coming and time with others, in between, to effectively recharge. Life is a great teacher, but you would rather move quickly through your lessons to get the most, out of it.
Black Cards(Clubs/Spades) - Introversion(I). Reason before action, You think about what you do, before doing it. This can lead to a more fruitful experience. When you need to recharge, you often seek solace in personal activities, avoiding the distracting business of others. Life is meant to teach deep lessons, so you take your time to carefully think about what you have learned, in your experience, and apply that to your future ones.
Joker - Wild, character owners choice
Second Card's Suit - Judging Functions
The second card's suit will determine the second letter, in your characters personality type.
Red Cards(Hearts/Diamond) - Sensing(S). Concrete evidence is needed to sway the masses. You want to find that evidence. It leads your actions. Hunches are for the uneducated. Details and facts are all the support that any action needs. The devil is in the details.
Black Cards(Clubs/Spades) - iNtuition(N) "Evidence" and "hard" numbers can be shown in entirely factual ways, that may seem to prove one point, but in reality it is how those details are presented. You abstract information, to it's base level, and trust the theoretical more than the "factual." You are more interested in the possibilities from that data. Understanding how the data is formed will lead you to the truth.
Joker - Wild, character owners choice
Third Card's Suit - Percieving Functions
The third card's suit will determine the third letter, in your characters personality type.
Red Cards(Hearts/Diamond) - Thinking(T) You make your decision most often, with a detached logical stand point. You measure your decisions to determine the best course, of action, using reason, logic, and consistent rules.
Black Cards(Clubs/Spades) - Feeling(F) You make your decisions most often with your heart. You always look at it from the other point of view, before making any rash or callous decisions. Often weighing the situation, to best fit the needs ,of the many, of the few.
Joker - Wild, character owners choice
Fourth Card's Suit - Lifestyle
The third card's suit will determine the third letter in your characters personality type.
Red Cards(Hearts/Diamond) - Judging(J) You have matters settled. You are content to show others what you believe in. You tend to show the world more of your preferred judging function (Second Card's Suit).
Black Cards(Clubs/Spades) - Perception(P) You like to keep decisions open and available. You prefer to show the world your preferred perceiving function (Third Card's Suit)
Joker - Wild, character owners choice
Background
With personality defined, remember to check up on your definition for the character's personality type for guidance. The next step is to put together a basic background for the character. For this phase, keep in mind that in Savage Worlds a suit of clubs is always a complication, and a joker is always a boon. For this character background build, I would use the elements that come up, as clubs, as defining points, to illuminate why a character has the hindrances they have on their sheet. Use jokers as a great event leading to jumping points for edges. It is recommended as a reward, for pulling a joker, that a player be allowed to use the "Born a Hero" rule from SWD page 94. With each topic, write down at least one to two sentences, explaining how the character feels about it or even a basic description of the topic.
First Card's Value - Origins
Origins is used to show how your character was brought up. Seed ideas:
- Immediate Family, alive or dead and what effect they had on the character
- Extended family and family-like friends
- Location, what type of place you grew up in
- Childhood events
Deuce -Born into Bondage, you were born into a society, where you were a slave. You may have been born from another class, but ultimately your fate is still the same. This is not just the typical form of bondage, this can also include being part of sex trade, human trafficking, and even such strange events as being adopted by a drug dealer to push his product.
3-4 - Vagabond/gypsy, you were always on the move as a child. You may have mixed feelings about the places you went, but you always remember the people you met there. For place of origin, you may think of no place in particular as "home," but perhaps you had an ancestral home.
5-7 - Poor/Lower class, you grew up with little but a roof over your head, and enough food to remind you that you were hungry. Things that others take for granted are seen as valuable to you. Warmth and a light at night are considered great victories, where you grew up. You learned how to make it work, because if you had not your old life would have chewed you up.
8-9 - Middle Class, you had a pretty normal life growing up, with normal friends and normal neighbors. Was that really such a good thing? You are more prone to take things at face value, and believe that hard work pays off. And hey if you got a club, maybe you had a creepy neighbor with a secret...
10 - Upper Middle Class, you grew up better than most, always having something a step better than your peers. In a modern game, you might have been that kid in high school, who got a brand new sports car as soon as he got his driver's license. Money was never really a thing for you, or at least it wasn't until you stopped going to school and started working.
Jack - Upper Class, you grew up privileged. Special schools, instructors and tutors, what ever was needed to insure you future success. With this came stages of rebellious tendencies, but who cares. You had enough money to make your problems go away, so long as it wasn't that bad.
Queen - The Elite, you were born into the 1%. You are used to attention, and for the most part you and your family deserve it. But like most children of the 1% you will be one of two options, either you care about the family business or you go off the wall and have daddy try to clean up your mess. You could have been a model child or arrested, the odds are about 50/50.
King - Lost legacy, your family was once kings and rulers of their domain, but that age has passed. You will fall into any of the categories below, for how you were raised, but even to this day your name has power. In some games, this may be limited to a specific group of people. If your family were once great magi, your name would garner you respect, at the Tower of Magi, or at least an audience.
Ace - Left to Die, you have no idea of who you could have been. You were left to die as a child. You may have been adopted or simply raised yourself. Either way, you have learned that survival is key and the person you can trust most is yourself.
Joker - Weird, Something about your childhood does not make sense. Well it might to you, but it sure isn't normal. This could range from being brought up by aliens, to being a sacrifice to a blood god that did not work out. You may remember the events but to you it was normal. Its only weird to those you tell the story to.
Second Card's Value - Virtue/Vice
Virtue is a positive quality, that your character shows. If you draw a club, you may take the vice associated with the virtue instead. A vice can be linked to a character's hindrances. GM's, who want to take it up a notch, may use the Vices Rules from the Horror Companion. The other option is to take the virtue to an extreme, where it would be detrimental to the character. For example, the virtue of patience. You can twist that to match the hindrance Death Wish, but make the character fully believe they cannot die until that moment they are destined for.
Deuce - Temperance, you have self control regard pleasures. You control your needs to indulge in excess, and restrain some of your more base instincts.
Vice: Indulgence, you willingly give into your pleasure of choice, whether its the dink or the opposite sex. You don't care as long as you get it when you want it.
Vice: Indulgence, you willingly give into your pleasure of choice, whether its the dink or the opposite sex. You don't care as long as you get it when you want it.
3-4 - Humility, you have a modest opinion of yourself. You have a clear understanding of your self-worth and understand how you fit into the greater picture of things.
Vice: Hubris/Arrogant, you know your value is greater than others. You feel entitled to certain benefits and status because of who you are.
5-7 - Courage, you are willing to do the right thing, and face any challenge that might stand in your way. Courage can some times be a double edged sword. Be sure not to become overconfident.
Vice: Cowardice, you are a coward. When the chips are down you will do anything to keep yourself safe, even sacrificing your "friends"
8-9 - Patience, you know that good things come to those who wait. You are not as aggressive as a Courageous person can be. You meet your challenge face to face in a calm manor. People may describe you as stoic.
Vice: Vengeful, others agitate you quickly. You are prone to acting rashly and giving into aggression.
Vice: Vengeful, others agitate you quickly. You are prone to acting rashly and giving into aggression.
10 - Tolerance, you believe that all people are entitled to their own beliefs and ways of doing things. It is not your place to judge them.
Vice: Bias, you believe that all others should believe and do as you. You will go out of your way to make up excuses why others are wrong and you are right. You favor certain things and those things are the only things worth preferring. Some might describe you as prejudice or stubborn, depending on how much you show your feelings to them.
Vice: Bias, you believe that all others should believe and do as you. You will go out of your way to make up excuses why others are wrong and you are right. You favor certain things and those things are the only things worth preferring. Some might describe you as prejudice or stubborn, depending on how much you show your feelings to them.
Jack - Honesty, in all things you remain honest. You work in earnest and people find it easy to trust you.
Vice: Mendacity, you are prone to lying. Not just to get what you want but even on things that don't matter, in the grand scheme of things. You may even take pleasure in the act of tricking people and think you are smart than others. You almost never find guilt in the lies you have told and the reactions they have(if of coarse you acknowledge them).
Vice: Mendacity, you are prone to lying. Not just to get what you want but even on things that don't matter, in the grand scheme of things. You may even take pleasure in the act of tricking people and think you are smart than others. You almost never find guilt in the lies you have told and the reactions they have(if of coarse you acknowledge them).
Queen - Detachment, you have learned that things are only that. By not placing emphasis on things and people, you have allowed your mind to be open to more options in life.
Vice: Attachment, you need something in your life. What ever that is, it is deeper than just indulging. You have become so attached that you do not function with out it. If the attachment is to a person, you might be called a stalker if people found out.
Vice: Attachment, you need something in your life. What ever that is, it is deeper than just indulging. You have become so attached that you do not function with out it. If the attachment is to a person, you might be called a stalker if people found out.
King - Benevolence, you are known for your kind nature. You often will go out of your way to improve the mood and well being of others. Be sure not to forget yourself though.
Vice: Selfishness, you are concerned more with yourself than with others. You will only help others if it benefits you in some way, even if that person does not see how it does.
Vice: Selfishness, you are concerned more with yourself than with others. You will only help others if it benefits you in some way, even if that person does not see how it does.
Ace - Meticulous, you are very well prepared for any situation. You have plans with back up plans, back up plans for the back up plans, and in worst case scenario you have escape plans. Friends might call you overly cautious, but you have kept them out of trouble more times than you can count.
Vice: Reckless, you jump head long into things. Thinking about outcomes only wastes time. You have a "what doesn't kill me make me strong," look at life.
Vice: Reckless, you jump head long into things. Thinking about outcomes only wastes time. You have a "what doesn't kill me make me strong," look at life.
Joker - Double Edged Sword, Pick one virtue and one vice for the character. You cannot pick the vice associated with your virtue.
Third Card's Value - Major Event
Major events in life shape who we are. This is the same for RPG characters. Each event is open ended, again make your clubs count. The questions are there to encourage writing, but do not need to be answered in your background. It may come up as part of the game's natural progression. Talk to your GM, if you would like to cover the topic more in play, and there is a chance what you think you know is true may not always be correct.
Deuce - Inheritance, something of value has been passed down to you. The value may be more sentimental than material.
3-4 - War, you learned of war and it has changed you. This can be anything from feuding families who spilled blood to World War III.
5-7 - Dark Secret, you learned of an unspeakable secret. This could be related to a person, place, or even be magical in nature.
8-9 - Love, love changes everything they say. For you, this could not be more true. Perhaps that person made you better. Perhaps they made you worse. Love is a tricky thing, and it does not always have to be romantic in nature.
10 - Travel, you went somewhere that opened your mind to new experiences. How did you get there and what did you learn?
Jack - Crime, you committed a crime or assisted in one. You may not have been aware at the time, but the events of the crime have weighed on you. Were you caught? You may be wanted still, or have served your time.
Queen - Taken, you or someone you were close to was taken, perhaps for reasons you don't fully understand. It has changed the person who was taken. If it was a friend of family member what effect did it have on you?
King - Service, at one point or another you were in service to another. This could be anything from a high school job to service to a king.
Ace - Death, someone very close to you died in a tragic or sudden way. Or alternatively you almost died yourself. Who brought you back, and why?
Joker - Mentor, you had a mentor growing up, who shared his wealth of knowledge and experience with you. You may not have been aware as to what his intentions for you were, but he will always be someone you remember. Is he still alive, if so where?
Fourth Card's Value - Mystery
Every character should have a reason for going out into the world. Mysteries function as that. Sure everyone wants to get rich and meet an awesome person, to be with forever, but that's boring. Mysteries add depth to the character. Mysteries may change elements you have already written down, embrace it.
Deuce - The Occult, something unnatural pulls at you. It pushes you to learn more about the world around you. Perhaps you were a sacrifice for an evil cult, as a child, and you need to learn more about why you were chosen. Why your parents would allow it. Or perhaps you hear the whispers of something truly great beyond human understanding. Perhaps you were chosen to go on this mission by such a being that hides it's true self from you. Who commands you?
3-4 - Vision, you have had a vision showing something that you must find. Its meaning is fleeting and abstract. You quest to find your answers. This may have been a one time occurrence, or perhaps it haunts your dreams. This one is best sorted out with the GM.
5-7 - Mistaken Identity, someone has either taken your identity and you are in a mess because of it, or you were mistaken for someone else and in a mess because of it. The person who set you up probably knows what they are doing and has a good reason for it, but what does that mean for you?
8-9 - Missing, something or someone is missing. You are searching for them, why? Or alternatively why is that thing so important?
10 - Stranger, you are a stranger in a strange land. The very nature of your mystery is the journey itself. You are a bit of an explorer going to new places. You must learn to adapt, and with each lesson it pushes you forward.
Jack - Destiny, you have no say in what you do, or at least it seems that way sometimes. People call you the chosen one, or some other equally ridiculous name, and all your trying to do is be normal. But their hope in you gets the better of you and pushes you in to action. Deep inside your heart you have always wondered what you were chosen for, prophecies are never really that clear.
Queen - Escape, you are running away from something. You may not show it, but you adventure to get away from something and it may be following you.
King - Mysterious Employer, you have been paid to be here. At one time, you didn't care what the job was or who was hiring you until this employer. Your latest boss does not show him/herself, always sending letters, emails, or liaisons for communication between the two of you. You have even questioned the liaisons, they have no idea either. Who ever the employer is, this is big.
Ace - Big Bad, you are some how connected to the big bad of the story. His name might be familiar to you, or you could be his second cousin's niece's brother-twice-removed's grand baby. You are driven not only to bring him down but to find out what made him that way. Could you end up the same way? Is the big bad really all that wrong?
Joker - Connection, one of your compatriots is connected to your mystery. Pick another mystery and get with the GM. GM's are encouraged to set the details, of the connection up, and hide that from the players for them to discover, during the game. It is sometimes better if the connected character has unintentionally been involved with the mystery.
Character Background Episode 1
 |
| Meet Freefall (aka Trent Thompson) |
The start of this series is going to be short, mainly tools to help. With any luck you will find it as useful as the Character Creation Saga episodes. Aside from books, movies, and game setting books there are lot of online tools as well.
Some basic all around tools and articles:
Ash's Guide to RPG Personality and Background
- A bit longer one to use, but very inclusive, focused mainly on personality and how to then build a background from said personality. I think someone in the Google plus community, for savage worlds fans, is actually looking to create a click and generate version, of this for ease of use.
- Fairly generic questions, that a fully fleshed out character should be able to answer. Some of these will actually help put the polish, on your background.
- There are five linked articles, in this post, each with another idea on character creation and background.
- A quick and easy method that hits the highlights, without dragging it out
- Scroll for a bit to get to it... Kind of an in-between one, this one is short but breaks down social classes focused on personality, which is a good jumping point for background.
- I like the first response post. Using hash-tags since everyone is now forced by social media, to conform to the standard. Everyone already knows how to use them. Plus, if you have pre-planned adventures, and someone doesn't show, you have other options based on attendance.
Other helpful tools more specific:
- My almost exclusive name generator
Google Image Search
- Not even kidding, great source of inspiration
- also not going to link that...
- Works with names from 20000 Names if you want to mix it up
- Character images just like the one used for this article
Random Pathfinder Background generator (works for any fantasy setting really)
- You can also see the full list of options on the site rather than using the generator.
RPG Character Generator
- On android market place, also a premiere version. One click backgrounds
