by Gino Marinaro

Are you still with me? Good. That means you’re at least considering writing a background for one or more of your characters. I’m going to concentrate on character backgrounds for now. What makes a good background? Lots of different things make a good background. Let’s start with the “5 W’s.” Who, what, where, why, when. This will make for a good starting point.

The Basic Background

Who? Your character probably has a name. What is it? Do you have a nickname? What is that? This should also cover basic physical features, or looks of the character. That should cover the “Who.”

Ex. My name is Grog Bruisenthorn. My friends call me “Slammer” because I like to use a large mace to slam my opponents into mincemeat. I stand well over 6 feet and weigh nearly 275 lbs. My beard hides the scar on my right cheek.

What? What is your character? This will cover things like race, class, profession, family background, etc.

Ex. I’m a Half-Orc Barbarian from the Northern Spine. My father was one of the tribe elders, and leader of his people.

Where? Where are you now? You could be in a city, countryside, in the army, on a pirate ship, but you’re somewhere.

Ex. I have travelled south from my home to a large city called Crystal Fields. It’s the closest, large civilized city to my home.

Why? Now that you know where you are, why are you there? You must have had some good reason to leave your home. What’s the reason?

Ex. I was forced to leave my home when my father was brutally murdered by my cousin. I was exiled after extracting my revenge. I have no regrets.

When? This will cover the time frame of where you are now. The when can be a date, or relative to other events or the age of your character.

Ex. At just 16 years old and always being isolated to my tribe, I am naïve to the ways of men.

These examples are an over-simplification, but you get the idea. This is a good start, though. Where should you go from here? Let’s look at expanding the background.

The Expanded Background

There are two places to take your background that you’ll want to explore.

First, expand of some of the previous statements. I’ve mentioned the murder of Slammers father by his cousin, and the revenge. Who’s Grog’s cousin, and how did he murder his uncle? Exactly what did the revenge entail? These details will add several paragraphs to the background, and make it more interesting. The revenge will add insight to the character. Did Grog’s father deserve to be killed? Was the revenge quick and merciful, or cruel and unusual? Perhaps it was the nature of the revenge, not the revenge itself, that got Slammer exiled.

Secondly, add more incidents and incites to the character story. What events helped shape the character into what they are today? What inspires the character, does the character have any goals they would like to accomplish? These are all things that will add to the character story and shape the character. Here are some examples of things to be covered, borrowing heavily from “Castle Falkenstein” by Pondsmith and Eaken. Don’t feel that all of the areas below need to be covered, but they can be.

What are your best and worst qualities? This should cover things that are personality types. Are you honest or courageous? Are you friendly or generous? You should have some bad qualities, too. Are you spiteful or have a temper? Are you lazy or do you drink too much? These qualities should be covered somewhere in your background.

Describe your style. This should cover things like attitudes, quirks, and style of dress. Do you dress like a noble or a peasant farmer? This will help shape your character, and will tie in to the other parts of your background. For instance, you won’t often find a renowned knight dressed in dung covered rags. Your mode of dress affects your personality. Your attitudes and quirks tie in, too. A Druid will have great respect for forest creatures, where a city guard may not.

What are your likes and dislikes? Mention a few of your favorite things. Music, books, people, places, drinks, etc. Most people have things they don’t like, as well. This adds depth to the character, without a huge impact. You might also tell why something is on one of these lists. Maybe you liked the bard’s tales, but find elvish poetry boring. Dwarves are fun to party with, but the bazarre is overcrowded. The local mead is very tasty, but the wine is bitter.

What really matters to you? This should mean a great deal to the character, and you may not find most of it on the character sheet. What principle is most important to you? This could be honesty or love, or it could be vengeance, or maybe just to carouse with friends. What is your most treasured possession? Not necessarily your most valuable possession. Your mothers ring, a photograph of a lost love, the ceremonial sword handed down through generations, or even a worthless trinket your best friend gave to you when you were 5. Who do you value most in life? Sister, brother, teacher, lover. Who is it and why. Would you risk your life to save them? Maybe there isn’t anybody, maybe it’s just you. Whatever the answer, this will mean a great deal to the character.

Who are your enemies and allies? You’ve got friends. Who are they? What professional group do you belong to? Who supports your cause? What friends have you picked up along the way? At the same time, you’ve made enemies. Holmes has his Moriarty; you’ve got your someone. Maybe the Southside Boss thinks you’re a liability to his “family,” maybe you were too forward with the bar wench and a jealous patron wants to hurt you. You could be directly responsible for the destruction of the Spanish Armada and every Spaniard wants to see you dead. Whatever the reason, you’ve got a nemesis, possibly more than one. Don’t be surprised if your GM uses these.

Who are your romantic interests? Do you have a love life? Who have you loved and lost? Are you currently seeing anyone? You could be betrothed, have different love every week, or love from afar. Maybe you sabotage all of your romances. Describe some of those loves.

What are your goals? What would you like to accomplish? Think of different areas to address these goals. For example, you might have a professional goal. A megalomaniac might want to rule the world. You might have a social goal. That same megalomaniac might want to be recognized for his genius. You might have a romantic goal. Once again, the megalomaniac might want the most beautiful woman on earth to be his wife. Your character will have some goals, too. Johnny’s was to drink from dusk ‘til dawn, and even death couldn’t keep him from his ale.

What are you good or bad at? You’ve got strengths and weaknesses. Look at your character sheet. This will help you here. Look at your skills list and tell why or how you got 16 ranks of dancing. Who did you learn from? If you’re an extraordinary swordsmen, tell why you’ve done nothing but study swordplay since you were 12. At the same time, why didn’t you ever learn to count past 10?

What are you proud of and what are your regrets? What have you done that you feel most proud of? Did you save a child from a burning building? Perhaps you helped your countries army defeat an enemy against great odds. Be proud of your act. Maybe you’ve done something you regret, as well. Did you leave a companion behind that may have needed your help? Perhaps you lost your one true love.

What have you been up to lately? You’ve got a bunch of things to write about already, but what have you been doing over the past few weeks, months, years? Perhaps you’ve just investigated a robbery at the museum, saved the princess from the dragon, or just hung out at the local pub doing odd jobs whenever you can. Give an account of your recent history.

This should give you plenty to write about for awhile. There are other options that could be included. In fact, they’re endless. Anything that could fit into a life of a character, and might be of interest to a reader, can be included. In part 3, we’ll take a quick look at diaries and journals.

About the author:  Gino Marinaro has been gaming nearly all his life. It became a hobby, and not child’s play, when he was introduced to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in 1983. From there, he moved into advanced strategy games and game mastering his own adventures. He has written many of his own adventures, game rules, designed worlds, and play tested several games. Currently, Gino is an owner of Paddy’s Game Shoppe in St. Cloud, MN, (www.paddysgameshoppe.com).