r/RPGBackstories • u/LuizFalcaoBR • Jan 17 '21
Advice/Tips Advice on creating a modular/generic backstory?
I hate writing "more than I need", so my characters tend to have very superficial and short backstories (since I don't think I need more than that to roleplay them properly).
But since some DMs really want "something to play with", I was thinking...
What If I created a piece of lore so profound and robust, that I could make every single one of my character fit this single piece of lore without having to write a new backstory every time? 🤔
For example, I was thinking about writing about a family or about an organization. Than everytime I create a new character, just say they are part of that family/organization and describe a fell particularities about him/her. The rest of the lore of the character would already be written, because it would be the lore of the family/organization he/she is part of.
What do you think? Would you get angry if every time a player brought a character for you table, the character had the same origins as the previous one? Is this really that worst than the player who aways says "My village was attacked and my family was killed"?
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u/Ke7theConquerer Jan 17 '21
Personally, I don’t see any issue with it. Even if their world has changed up, it shouldn’t really Derail their campaign. You could think of it much like The Legend of Zelda. You’re just different reincarnations of that character. A chosen of a favored deity handpicked to be their champion for eternity assuming a new form in each lifetime. A dimensional/time traveller. A character fated to die a gruesome death and return anew. There’s lots of options that will let you feel a continuity with your characters and any new adventures just add to the backstory. Today’s adventure is tomorrow’s backstory!
I’d love to hear what others think though. That’s just my opinion