Mastering Your TTRPG Character Backstory: Tips for Immersive Roleplay
So, another potentially scary part of making a character is writing a backstory, but you need not to be worried about it. This little post is about tips and tricks to help make your TTRPG character have a great backstory, or one that you can be proud of. This can work for any system, and it’s been a good help that I personally like to use to get the gears turning in your head into writing down a good and well thought plan.
Why a Strong Backstory Matters in TTRPGs
So, a strong backstory can make or break a character, but it is important to note that not every single character needs a deep and inspirational backstory. Some characters, especially silly or one shot characters don’t need to be fleshed out. These characters are the outliers, and are made or used for comedic purposes, or are in a temporary position. But for those characters who do take the spotlight, who are around for a while, a backstory would work quite well. It helps flesh them out, give them reason to be on the move, and a want to help. A strong backstory can help you play as your character, get to know them better, feel how they would, understand what they’re going through.
Key Questions to Define Your Character
A good way to define your character is simply to ask questions and respond as your character. A few good questions you could ask to inform yourself about the character your playing could be as follows:
What was your occupation before you set out on this quest?
Who are the people closest to you?
Why did you accept going on this quest?
What drew you to your class? Was it a choice?
What’s your greatest fear, and greatest desire?
How was your childhood?
This list is not exhaustive, but it is a good starting point to get to know how your character acts, thinks, and wants. This gives them ties to the world, and makes it easier for them to act in accordance with the world.
Incorporating Personality, Motivations, and Flaws
It’s no surprise that no human on Earth is a flawless person, and that isn’t true in fictional worlds as well. Whether it be fantasy, sci-fi, or somewhere between, from the shortest dwarf to the tallest elf, no one is without flaw. A personality is not only how a person acts, but how they react, interact, and go about their day in a world that might be quite unlike our own. Motivation is their drive, their passion, what they want to achieve in the grand scheme of things. It could be to build a close relationship, make a discovery, or perhaps create a grand vision for the world to marvel at. Flaws are things your character does that are negative, or perhaps it’s a personality quirk that is not the best, such as being far too trusting. It makes them dynamic, where the good of the person ends to an extent. Maybe it’s a behavior quirk, a vice, or something that otherwise makes them not the best that they can be.
Tips to Refine Your Backstory
So, to refine your backstory, make it better, to give that je ne sais quoi, is to make it perhaps a little more personal. A good way to feel more like your character is to put a bit of yourself in your character. In your backstory, you might want to put something similar to what you have felt. Another good way to refine your backstory is to make it tie in with the world. Talk with your game master about the world, how it works, and some good landmarks to tie into your character to make them feel like a traveled or well learned person if that’s your angle. An extra tip would be to define the relationship between you and some non player characters, or NPCs. Flesh out your relationship with these people, and give them details, such as names, personality, quirks, flaws, similar to your character, but probably a little less than the character you plan to play. And lastly, your backstory doesn’t need to be incredibly long. Keep it nice and short, and make sure it is consistent. Don’t make it more than a page or two, as it can get overwhelming to everyone if it is longer than that.
