>Level 1 character has a backstory

bait threads get more bites at peak hours

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>>53848985
>contrarian greentext thread

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>"I have a set personality for my character in the first session."

>>53848985
all my characters have my backstories, whether 1 or 100
everyone has a start, and i always have a story in my head for each character, to see how exactly he got into whatever he is doing
it is so much fun coming up with ways a simple farmboy could have become a level 1 fighter
heck i will even see if i can connect dirty street rat with wizard

>>53848985
What level 1 character should have, then?

>>53848999
i was wrong, you're gonna get hella (you)s

nice one OP

>>53849020
It's a valid point, even if baiting.

>>53848985
This.
Level one means you are fresh out of training. The most that is acceptable is a level one fighter who learnt on the battlefield rather then extensive training. Maybe a level one wizard who used to be the simpler magic npc class I forget the name of.

>>53848985
I am Wayne. Anam agent of chaos and stupidity. I am the clever idiot, the awesome retard, the stupid genius. I am that who is and isn't. I'm legion but I'm also one dude with a laptop. I'm openly bisexual but a prude towards men. I could fill a thread with clever quips and intelligent discourse... or I could post stupid Shit that's just retarded. I represent every board member and every post, and the futility of arguing and making a big deal out of Shit on here.

I did not study the blade. I did not come in your time of need. I have no idea how to be edgy. The Sausage Egg McMuffin always needs ketchup on it, and the Breakfast Burrito from the Hispanic place down the street is better anyway.

I'm here to make this thread so utterly stupid, so utterly retarded and unpalatable, that no one but me enjoy posting in it. If you think this is stupid, you're right.

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>>53848985
>(you)

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>>53848985
>all characters appear fully-formed at the start of the campaign, like they burst from the forehead of Zeus
Bro, any PC that shows up to any campaign with less than five lines of backstory - hell, they don't even have to be long or detailed ones! - is a PC that the player just don't give a fuck about playing.

Here's your >(you). Take it and fuck right off.

>>53848985
I hate this bullshit "HURR NOTHING HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE BEFORE THIS CAMPAIGN" reasoning fuckwits like you use. A backstory for a level 1 character isn't about setting them up as some uber powerful character, but instead in setting them up as someone who has the potential to become one. All a lvl 1's backstory does is establish WHY they've become an adventurer. I mean everyone ITT has a backstory but it's not like any of you have accomplished anything impressive. Autists like you just don't understand what the fuck 'backstory' means.

>>53848985
So, how did your Half-Elven Wizard get from a level 0 commoner to be a level 1 PC, then?

>>53848985
>>53850145
Level 1 character is already an adventurer. They're already a step above the regular dude. A level 1 fighter is a veteran.

There's already some backstory there.

Also, we had this thread just a few days ago.

>>53849767
>>53850145
>>53850224
>>53850251
What the fuck kinda backstory can you honestly produce when all you can fight is goblins and orcs?
>I'm a fighter, I found a guy to teach me swordplay, now I'm a level 1 Fighter.
>I'm a wizard, I found a guy to teach me magic, now I'm a level 1 wizard.
>I'm a rogue, I found a guy to teach me thievery, now I"m a level 1 Rogue.
Coming up with a detailed backstory for your level 1 character is about as pointless as producing a prologue to an established franchise.
>"Oh man, I hope Anakin wins that super dangerous pod race long enough to become DARTH FUCKING VADER!"
>"Oh man, I've never met this dude in the main series, I hope he doesn't suffer a horrible death before the end of the story..."
Just cut the shit narrativefag, your level 1 character's life isn't interesting enough to fill out an index card, just deal it.

>>53850273
>Luke Skywalker
>raised in the life of a moisture farmer
>experience with droids
>flight experience with a T-16
>wanted to join the Imperial Military Academy and defect
>found out his father was a Jedi
>trained under a Jedi for a short time
And that was all before level 1.

>>53848985
>Playing level 1

>>53850251
>A level 1 fighter is a veteran.
Only in a shit system

>>53850373
And everything that you just mentioned took place in less than 10-20 minutes of screentime because the most interesting bits of the story happened after they met Han Solo and got onto the Millennium Falcon.

Also, thanks for proving me right, because those six sentences wouldn't be enough to fill out even half of a 3x5 index card and yet it explains everything that you'd need to know about your level 1 character.

Better luck next time.

>>53850494
>Only in a shit system
in every edition of D&D except 5th

>>53850520
I repeat, only in a shit system.

>>53850517
What's it like being so autistic?

>>53850273
>What the fuck kinda backstory can you honestly produce when all you can fight is goblins and orcs?
And, you know, humans? Regular militia or thieves or whatever? Learning your ropes in going to some small-scale war against some other 0-level conscripts makes for a good enough backstory for a fighter.

>>53849493
>Breakfast Burrito
is that different from a normal burrito?

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>>53850273
You must be a blast to play with.

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>>53848985
>Level 1 character has absolutely any backstory whatsoever

What a stupid fucking binary statement. You're a retard.

>>53850532
I dunno, you tell me.
>>53850543
>Learning your ropes in going to some small-scale war against some other 0-level conscripts makes for a good enough backstory for a fighter.
Not after the umpteenth time you hear it though.
>>53850559
>You must be a blast to play with.
I am, because when I run a game, we don't waste time going through the nitty-gritty details of how a first level fighter learned how to fight and shit like a shitty audit, we dive right into the game assume that everything that happened between level 1 and level 2 is our character's backstory.
>>53850563
It only sounds stupid because you're suffering from cognitive dissonance. It's okay though, it happens to the best of us.

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>>53848985
>Levels

>>53850517
Six sentences on half an index card is just right for a first level character, though. It puts some color in the campaign and might turn out to be relevant later on.

https://boards.fireden.net/tg/thread/53661667/#53661667
MODS, DO YOUR JOB.

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>>53850691
So whose horrible backstory hurt you so much that you must keep on being on this crusade, thread after a thread, week after a week, responding to every single anon that dares to call you out?

You'd think you had better ways to waste time.

>>53848985
You start off with a backstory and personality but you let your experiences change your character.

I started with a rogue in my first game. Eventually I discovered how useful bottles are and started hoarding them. Then we switched my class to bottlemancer (alchemist).

>>53849004
are you armstrong?

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>>53850691
>It only sounds stupid because you're suffering from cognitive dissonance
I don't think that word means what you think it means.

You're basically saying not a single freshly made character should have even a single line of backstory - not even on their origin, their parentage, fuck-all. They just popped into the world, fresh out of aether. Are you sure that's what you're saying?

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>>53848985
>OP is a faggot

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>>53851524
>Posts in a blatant troll thread
>Shits on others about finding better uses of their time.

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>>53851542
>I'm going to blatantly misinterpret what he's saying in order to make my own point seem relevant.
>Oh, and I'll post a stale meme, that'll sure get the other anons on my side.

>>53849018
Multiple cocks in their mouths at all time like OP.

>>53851488
This. That's how everyone in my group makes characters.

>>53850517
>And everything that you just mentioned took place in less than 10-20 minutes of screentime

So 8-16%? Seems reasonable for a backstory

>because those six sentences wouldn't be enough to fill out even half of a 3x5 index card and yet it explains everything that you'd need to know about your level 1 character.

Regardless of level, a backstory should be between 100-500 words. Any more is writefaggotry

>>53851585
It's called flourish, anon. Its what differentiates Mark the Wizard from Bob the Wizard.

>>53851592
>blatantly misinterpret

You said "has a backstory" in the OP post. It's a pretty damn binary statement, isn't it?

If it's not, then exactly what the fuck did you mean? Where goes the line? Why must you be so fucking vague? How about make your statement actually clear instead of fishing for easy (you)s?

>>53850550

Yeah, instead of beans and carne asana and rice it has potatoes and eggs and bacon

>>53850273
you sir are a idiot. please review the post you linked to you>>53850145
you have ignored his points, that it need not be detailed and need not be set up for him to be the ultimate [insert thing here] it is his reasons for going on a adventure

>>53850691
you are either moronic or baiting, the jury is still out on that. you can not "waste" time going over how your warrior learnt to fight, his master affects him.
you can not "waste" time learning how the rouge became a thief/ assassin that is a fundamental part of how they act.
and your point on cognitive dissonance is daft

>>53851583
that's a creepy yugi

>>53851618
I agree with the word count minimum, but the maximum should be 200

>>53851641
Are you replying to the correct post?

>>53851694
>you are either moronic or baiting, the jury is still out on that
We get this thread at least once a fucking week. That puts it pretty firmly down to "baiting" in my book.

>>53850550
It's a burrito with disgusting shit like egg and sausage in it instead of beef and beans and onions.

>>53851652
I'm not OP but it's adorable how new you are, so I'll let that one slide.

My backstory is typically 'born from the aether to go on this adventure'. As in the character is a retarded baby man who has been thrust into the game with zero experience or sense

>>53851695
It's the core of the issue, I didn't bother to go back five posts of fag calling for my reply.

>>53851719
You know, that unironically sounds like a fun kind of a character to play one time.

>>53851713
Truly they were
Not OP But

>>53851730
Should we make a general? /cbg/?

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>>53851704
oh.... well I didn't know that
right bait it is.

oh and I forgot to link my picture to my post so here it is

>>53851731
I first used it in Shadowrun when I found out that clones in SR were retarded babymen so I just played a fresh clone

>>53851735
So what if it's bait? We can still have a discussion on what makes for a good backstory and what doesn't.

>>53851753
Of all the posts to reply to you chose the single one that doesn't mention any of the things you said

I prefer the level 1 character to have something, but something simple.

I mean, everyone has a childhood. There were some key events that shape starting attitudes, beliefs, and skill set. It could be as simple as being a farmhand with a poor yet stable family who got conscripted for a couple years and is generally wary of anything mystical, because farmer. Nothing there is overly dramatic or set in stone, especially for the younger character.

>>53851783
>everyone has a childhood
Wrong

>>53851765
Shh.

What is good backstory for a starting character, in your opinion?

>>53851783
No one cares to read your stupid boring-ass fanfiction explaining why your character acts this and this way, anon, just get to playing and roll your fucking dice.

>>53851694
>you can not "waste" time learning how the rouge became a thief/ assassin that is a fundamental part of how they act.
Yes you can, because every fucking Rogue develops the same basic backstory.
>"Hurr I was an ophan who grew up on the streets, so fucking original. Durr, I kill people for money because nobody hugged me enough, so deep."
Just cut the bullshit already for goodness sake and let us get into the game.

>>53851783
Nobody gives a fuck about how your life was as a child besides your therapist, and even then it's only because you're paying him to listen to your problems.

Just get to the fucking game and let your character develop naturally during play.

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>>53848985
>character is over the age of 20
>still level 1

>>53851817
>Just cut the bullshit already for goodness sake and let us get into the game.


>Wah it takes me more than 5 minutes to think of an interesting backstory this is hard

fucking players man

>>53851811
>>53851833
The duality of meme
But seriously they're not totally wrong, most other players don't give a fuck about your childhood, it's better to have an idea for a backstory than anything concrete so that later you can use your vague ideas as opportunities for character growth

>>53851811
>>53851833

> ten second backstory that sets up some context
> autistic screeching

Holy shit. Calm down.

>>53851817
>"Hurr an evil dark lord needs a powerful artifact, so fucking original. Durr, the paladin is a chosen one, so deep."

Fuck you DM, your shit isn't as great either.

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>>53851817
>Frodo and the Gray Mouser have the same basic backstory

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>>53848985
nice exact same bait as a week ago

>>53851811

Shouldn't you be playing 3.5 instead of posting here?

>>53851808
I mean there are plenty of answers to that and some systems have it so that your 'backstory' is part of how you determine your level 1 skills and stats. But in general DnD terms I go for the short and sweet 'retard who likes swords is told by his dad to get out and go fight monsters or something' or 'whack-ass hippie meets a talking animal that teaches him some druid magic'

>>53850273
I can't imagine how boring your life as a level 0 peasant must be then.

>>53851919
>level 0 peasant
>grow crops, chop wood
>one day just shrug, pick up a sword from somewhere, slap on some armor, set off to adventure

There's actually a pretty interesting concept there too.

See? These threads are pretty neat because even though OP is a faggot, taking that stuff seriously actually leads to some pretty funny characters.

>>53851856
No backstory made within five minutes is going to be interesting anon.

>>53851950
Any backstory spent more than five minutes on is a waste of fucking time, getting in the way of the DM's awesome and actually interesting adventure, and organic character development emerging from the game itself, and boring us to death with shitty fanfiction.

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>>53851864

>>53851937
>>53851912
>>53851719
>>53851731
This summer, in a world of over-defined characters that follow painfully cliche paths of destiny, three heroes will unite to fight a dragon or something, who cares. A newborn retard with a sword, some filthy peasant who wants to kill things, and a whack-ass hippie who talked to an animal once are about to reach

The First Level

>>53851874
Frodo and Gray Mouser wouldn't exactly be D&D Rogues either.

>>53851985
Hey, if you're automatically dismissing every character backstory as shitty and uncreative, then it stands for a reason that the DM can't possibly be any better, now can he?

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>>53851989
>and a whack-ass hippie who talked to an animal once

>>53851965
>the DM's awesome and actually interesting adventure

not being

>shitty fanfiction

>>53852011
The CR1/2 Goblins that you're fighting don't need a backstory though because they only exist to be slaughtered by the party.

Even then, assuming your GM isn't running a GMPC or some stupid shit like that, you generally won't know about any of their backstories unless you personally do some digging on your own.

>>53852002
What makes you say that?

>>53852044
>The CR1/2 Goblins that you're fighting don't need a backstory though because they only exist to be slaughtered by the party.
Well, now we've got real and solid evidence that you're not only a baiting retard, but a shitty DM as well.

>>53852053
>>53852044
>not informing the party in painful detail just how active these goblins were in their community
>not telling them about the lives and families they've destroyed
>not actively making these CR 1/2 goblins more sympathetic than any of the major characters simply to unnerve and upset your players

>>53852046
Because they're actually characters that are useful at something aside from "look for traps" and "stab a dude once when he isn't looking."

That and D&D Rogues only really exist so that martials are one-trick ponies who can barely tie their own shoes.

>>53852002
>>53852091
Meanwhile, Conan is the actual thief guy.

Funny how that works.

>>53852053
How often have you honestly stopped to think about the lives of the monsters you've killed over the course of your tabletop RPG career?

Never that's why, because nobody gives a shit about those shitty goblins and when the DM tries to force you to feel sorry for them, it's usually ham-fisted nonsense that ignores the fact that they were actively trying to kill the party.
>"OMG, you killed the poor helpless goblins, don't you feel like a hero...you monster."
Why yes, I do feel like a hero, because we killed monsters that were kidnapping people and we managed to save a bunch of peasants as well.

Get over yourself.

>>53852068
>>53852145
So it's either Goblins-tier "I'M SAD", or simple vermin that exist to be exterminated by the heroes like this was some fucking MMO?

More single-track binary thoughts, I see. No sense of nuance whatsoever. I'm glad I don't play in any of your games.

>>53852103
Conan is what the Fighter used to be, a dude who could fight well and use cunning to avoid traps and deal with magic-users.

Then somewhere along the line, D&D added the Rogue/Thief class and now, all martials have to choose between being a big stompy guy with the IQ of a potato or a skinny twink who can only afford to deal a shitload of damage to someone once, assuming that they even hit the fucker at all.

Like there's no reason why any of the Rogue's abilities couldn't be just a general thing that all martials get by default, like who the hell goes into a dungeon with no knowledge on how to look for/disarm a trap and who wouldn't want to be stealthy when everyone inside the dungeon wants to kill you?

Makes no sense yo.

>>53852172
Nah I get your point, but frankly beyond slight character quirks, why would you give the 'cannon fodder' enemies huge complex backstories that the players will never learn? A bandit thug who plays the harmonica is an interesting, slightly memorable bad guy that dies quick. Why bother creating details about his son's dance recital or what he majored in in bandit college when you know that shit will never, ever come up?

>>53852172
I'm glad you don't play in my games either. Assuming from your posts you'd probably try to revive the goblins we slaughtered out of some misguided act of mercy, only to get yourself and the rest of the party killed once the goblin takes a swipe and alerts the rest of the complex of your presence.

And for the record, goblins are vermin that exist to be slaughtered, that's how they've been since D&D was a fucking thing. Just because 3.PF added monstrous races as playable characters doesn't mean that their species is less monstrous as a result.

>>53852222
>'cannon fodder'

If you're not playing OSR, you shouldn't have cannon fodder enemies generally.

>huge complex backstories

So don't give them huge complex backstories. Give them small ones.

>Why bother creating details about his son's dance recital or what he majored in in bandit college when you know that shit will never, ever come up?

...Have you ever written a backstory? Or played a game in general?

>>53852222
>why would you give the 'cannon fodder' enemies huge complex backstories that the players will never learn?
The original argument was any "backstory" at all. Now you're talking about "huge complex backstories". You're moving the goalposts.

A bit of backstory, reason for their presence here and place in their ecology, perhaps a way to just talk to them and get past them without a fight, the occasional funny quirk like that harmonica bit - all very well, all adding to the game.

>>53852239
>goblins are vermin that exist to be slaughtered, that's how they've been since D&D was a fucking thing
You know fuck-all about early D&D. Back in the day battle was last resort, and you were supposed to try and sneak or trick or diplomance your way through the enemies first. Even goblins had some scale of threat and personality to them.

>>53852258
I'm not going to come up with details about the thug who the players are going to beat up in about two rounds max's home life, it's just tedious. If anything, his 'backstory' is who he works for and why the players are about to beat him up.

>>53852285
Then why put them there at all? What's interesting or memorable about him? Why not just skip the encounter altogether?

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>his system has (((levels))) and not Ranks

>>53852316
>((()))
dumb polposter

>>53852298
Because not all encounters the PCs have need to be life-changing moments for them. Sometimes you just want to give them a reason to have a bar fight or something. If every encounter is life-or-death, moral-compass-questioning drama, they're going to get burnt out pretty quick.

>>53852239
Your games sound stale, illogical, & boring

>>53852277
>Even goblins had some scale of threat and personality to them.
Yet they're always some of the first enemies that you end up fighting and usually die after one hit and are forgotten once the combat is encounter is over.

You might as well be writing fanfiction for the first goomba that you stomp on in Level 1-1 in Super Mario Bros.
>>53852298
Because most players aren't so autistic that they feel sympathy for a nameless being who only exists to get dunked on in this particular encounter.

If they live and become interesting characters later on, then that's a different story because we get to see their personality come out during play, rather than being awkwardly told why we should feel guilty for *gasp* defending ourselves.

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>>53852324
Again with the fucking strawmen and binary. Can you faggots not have a debate without twisting my every word into the exact opposite extreme?

>>53852349
>Yet they're always some of the first enemies that you end up fighting and usually die after one hit and are forgotten once the combat is encounter is over.
But at least they used to have a pretty good shot at taking one of the fighters down with them, for your level 1 characters were hardly any better than the goblins. That alone made them memorable.

>>53852352
>why not skip the encounter altogether if he doesn't have a detailed backstory about his homelife
If anyone's twisting words, it ain't me

>>53852327
Why don't you go talk to some fleas about why they shouldn't be biting the shit outta your dog or something?

>>53852364
This.

Someone please summarize the debate. Its too autistic for me to start reading it from the top, its cringe worthy.

Just give me a quick run down of the statements and arguments each player has used.

>>53852366
Hardly, maybe one guy gets KO'd and then the Cleric would raise them back up to full, so memorable.

>>53852374
One side:
>Players need zero backstory, goblins are just mooks to be mowed down!
The other side:
>Maybe a couple lines, and something about how those goblins came to be, an opportunity to talk it ou-
The first side:
>NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR SHITTY FANFICTION OR YOUR SOB STORY ABOUT GOBLINS JUST BEING KICKED AROUND BY THE BOO-HOO MEAN WORLD

>>53852391
Yes, you've already made it clear that you've never played any edition of D&D before the 3rd, no need to rub it in.

>starting your players at level 1

I always boost them up to like level 3 or 5 at the beginning of the campaign.

>>53852422
>actually giving your players legitimate grounds to write some boring-ass fanfiction backstory for me to read through

No thanks senpai.

>>53852411
This happened in our first AD&D session dude, one dude got KO'd by some goblins and our magic-user used sleep once they got close enough while our cleric healed the dude back up to consciousness.

Keep fagging it up about how hardcore your dinosaur edition is though, I won't stop you.

Are there any systems that let you develop a backstory during play, rather than writing it all down before you begin? The Burning Wheel maybe?

>>53852437
>one dude got KO'd by some goblins
Ah, I see you used to play with the OPTIONAL death's door rule?

Hey, whatever floats your boat, I'm not judging.

>>53852448
Mummy: The Returned.
Literally tells you not to start with a backstory because you'll come up with one later

>>53852448
Burning Wheel is pretty much the exact opposite of what you're looking for: it puts a heavy emphasis on the character background and what they were up to in their first two or three lifepaths.

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>>53852402

>>53852462
I'll look into it, thanks.

>>53852464
My bad, I just heard the system was all about developing a character as you go.

>>53852449
Nigga, 90% of the fucking rules is optional. Also, nice goalpost moving.

>>53852473
That's pretty much exactly how the argument looks to an outside observer. Care to correct my view, anon?

I mean, if you'd like to start and argue about this like a reasonable adult that makes it 100% clear what they're talking about, by all means. But you'll be all alone.

>>53852370
I can't talk to fleas but my character can talk to goblins.

I know exactly why fleas bite, but goblins could attack for a myriad of reasons.

>>53852324
I'll take every encounter being life-changing over every encounter being a waste of time.

>>53852486
Did you also ignore the bit where the dude was stuck at a single hit point for the whole day and unable to do anything besides talk a bit? Because that's what it says in the rules you should do.

If you didn't do even that, then you were not only using an optional rule, you were actually doing legitimate houseruling. That'd remove what little ground you have in this argument.

>>53852500
Most of those reasons boil down to the same reasons why most Orcs rape and pillage defenseless settlements, because they're dumb, violent, angry, and verminous.
>>53852512
How exactly is going to be life-changing when it's always the same shit over and over again? Do you think every encounter needs to have some startling revelation like a prime time soap opera or some shit?

>>53852535
>How exactly is going to be life-changing when it's always the same shit over and over again?
Did you even read what you just said? Retard.

>>53851817
But anon my rogue is the son of a minor noble, who was dispossessed upon the discovery that he was leaving the estate at night not to woo some maiden, but to search out and rob from the local graveyards and tombs.

>>53852535
>they're dumb, violent, angry, and verminous
Well that's another point to a vast and well-developed campaign setting you've got, anon.

>>53848985
What happened?

>>53851817
yes of course I was a street rat, I became a thief of necessity blah blah blah. the rogues are all the same save us from bordom.
its almost like there might be better storys like oh I don't know.
rich heir whom decided that he had had enough with all the pomp and ceremony and need some thrill, turned to crime became a thief for the thrill.

battle hardened solider whom after several years of combat became a body guard. he became attached to the target of an attempted assasination and killed the attackers. the leader
offered him a job and thus he became an assassin.
and besides don't fix something that isn't broken, just alter it slightly.
>>53852037
now that's just bullshit

>>53852523
He was a shitty Rogue with like 3HP anyways so it's not like it really changed that much in terms of longevity.

Keep dragging that goalpost though, maybe someday you'll reach an actual point that doesn't make you look like a moron.

>>53852545
Life-changing shit doesn't just happen every single day, it's a gradual shift that forces you to rethink everything that happened before and start planning for everything that happens after.

Eventually, if every encounter is a life-changing event for the party, it's just going to become mundane and expected because "well, we only fight shit when it's scripted, so the DM probably is going to have us find out that the bandit king is actually just a pawn for some other dude whose evil because someone killed his wife or some shit."

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>>53852596

>>53852567
>Keep dragging that goalpost though
Me? You're the one going
>Nyu-uh, I've totally played early editions, goblins arne't dangerous at all!
>Sure, they shanked a guy, but we used an optional rule!
>U-uh no but we also dealt away with all the real consequences that optional rule pointed out we should use!

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>>53852551
*yawn*

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>>53852619
>Every backstory is boring, here, look!
>But anon, mine is nothing of what you just said
>I SAID EVERY BACKSTORY IS BORING!

>>53852560
Not really, creatures will always default to a general personality when addressed by certain stimuli and when you're a race that was made by a CE god who tells you every day about how the evil whi- er, I mean, humans keep stealing what's rightfully yours and keeping you down, there's only so many ways your life can go that don't all end up being violent and shit.

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>>53852619
*yawn*
look at the retard trying not to look silly how boring

ITT: murderhobo faggots who don't like roleplaying, and the bait-takers who give them (you)s

>>53852646
Well, that's your setting. I'm not telling you it's wrong or anything, it just doesn't sound very interesting to me.

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>>53852646
Oh hey, you're the fucker doing all those moralfag bait threads about paladins and orc genocide too, are you?

I knew they were all coming from the same source! I was right all along! IT'S A CONSPIRACY!

>>53852631
Your backstory is basically this fucker's backstory >>53852564 and we've all seen the "le rich guy becomes poor to become rich again" backstory before as well.

It's not my fault that class based systems tend to produce nothing but tropes and stereotypes.

>>53852564
A GM's story isn't necessarily better than a player's

>>53852709
>It's not my fault that class based systems tend to produce nothing but tropes and stereotypes.
I've never seen a player do any better in a non-class based system. They tend to stick to the tried and true stereotypes anyway.

>>53852618
If Goblins were actually supposed to be as dangerous as you claim, they'd be dangerous regardless of whatever rule we used in our campaign faggot.

You're just mad because you got caught up in your own meme.

>>53852612
>We need to have characters go through a life-changing event every single week, it certainly won't get stale and become a shitty soap opera like "The Young and The Restless."
Whatever you say senpai.

>>53852711
while that's true, but insinuating that just because its good it is shitty fanfiction is
A] a contradiction in and of itself
B]just plane wrong unless you have played it
C] it can not be a fanfiction unless it used an established character they do not have the rights to

>>53852709
come on then, do better. I dare you do any better and I will whole heartedly support any and all arguments you make, as will everyone else. come on motherfucker do it

>>53852666
I ain't listening to you SATAN!

>>53852669
That's how they're explained in D&D faggot. Hell, even the source material basically painted orcs as being barely sapient engines of death and destruction.

>>53852733
>they'd be dangerous regardless of whatever rule we used in our campaign faggot
Yeah, except if you houserule your players into immortality.

A single hit from a rusty sword completely incapacitated your rogue and should've made them useless for the rest of the day, but apparently you dealt away with that so now you're basically playing third edition. And third edition ain't deadly.

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>>53852687
GTFO and be sure to take this with you.

>>53852721
That generally happens because they're used to dealing with class based systems.

>>53852798
It's virtually the same fucking sentence, exact wording and all. You're the same guy. All the autism turns out to be the same person after all.

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>>53852787
>If you aren't causing a TPK every session, your players are immortal.

>>53852757
>that just because its good it is shitty fanfiction is

Not the reason why it's a shitty fanfiction. The reason is that 99% of games are tolkien rip-offs with characters from various media with their nametags filed off

>>53852845
>A single death = TPK
Another notch on the strawman table.

Look, all I'm saying is that if you use fucking homebrew to mollycoddle your players, you don't really have any ground then claiming the enemy isn't deadly. Without you fudging rules, one of the heroes would've died or at the very least the party would've been severely hampered for the rest of the crawl.

>>53852757
>come on then, do better.
Ah, the classic "you can't call my food shit because you aren't a professional cook" argument. Glad to see we've left rational thought at the door and are now completely embracing the shitposting.

>>53849493
Hi there!

You seem to have made a bit of a mistake in your post. Luckily, the users of 4chan are always willing to help you clear this problem right up! You appear to have used a name when posting, but your identity has nothing at all to do with the conversation! Whoops! You should always remember to stop using your name when the thread it was used for is gone, unless another one is started! Posting with a name when it isn't necessary is poor form. You should always try to post anonymously, unless your identity is absolutely vital to the post that you're making!

Now, there's no need to thank me - I'm just doing my bit to help you get used to the anonymous image-board culture!

Children tend to enjoy moral centric protagonists. It appeals to the moral policeman freshly instilled in their young brain. Older audiences tend to enjoy characters who are reflective of real people, characters who are morally ambiguous or at the very least are logically fleshed out.

Adults who cling to black and white heroes are essentially overgrown children. It is likely they own every silly piece of plastic Nintendo has spawned and think the Switch is an innovation.

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>>53852816

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>>53852895

>>53852874
Killing a dude who only has 3HP isn't exactly selling me on the whole "goblins are totes dangerous guys" debate though.

Especially when they still died to a sleep spell and a single hit from most weapons anyways.

Also, how exactly are we fudging the rules when we're using a rule that was presented within the book?

>>53852847
I must say then that you have had the worst luck in fucking history with your DMs.

currently I have had 3 different campaigns and all have been fantastic, and how many times have I or the party encountered anything with a direct rip off of media? twice. one was a joke the other was admittedly rather clichéd but we had fun.

>>53852875
no no no you bastard we left that point when you started with this>>53851817
and the fact your not writing means one of two things

A] you cant
B] you still cant
and you ignored the rest, I wanted proof you could be better. give me that proof and your absolved of all evils. the burden of proof is on you and you look like your struggling to lift it

>>53852894
Stale bait

>>53852923
Keep looking for boogiemen I guess, I'm not your handler so I can't tell you what to do.

>>53852937
It's self-evident, I mean, your own example of a "fresh" backstory more or less ripped off another poster's backstory and you both posted within minutes of one another.

If it were possible, wouldn't it have already been done by now, rather than you trying to foist the responsibility onto someone else because you know that you're full of shit yet don't want to own up to being wrong?

>>53852990
I never said fresh, I said that there are different backstories they are not all the same. even if there are only two options one is different to the option you described I am right and you are wrong. but still what responsibility? this is fucking 4chan there is no responsibility except not being retarded, and you have failed that. but still your stalling. I've put mine out there lets see you do better.
I'm waiting

>>53851488
This. Six sentences is enough to tell everyone at the table what they need to know about your character. It lets other players know how their characters might interact, and gives the DM info he can use to keep every character included and relevant.

>>53852932
>Killing a dude who only has 3HP isn't exactly selling me on the whole "goblins are totes dangerous guys" debate though.
>Especially when they still died to a sleep spell and a single hit from most weapons anyways.
Well, let's try and go a little deeper into this.

In earlier games, characters have lower ACs, hit less and not as hard, and have less skills or feats to draw back to. The rogue's sneak attack is less deadly and he doesn't get to dodge so much stuff unless his dexterity is phenomenally high - which tends to not happen much either, thanks to lacking point buy. They roll for hit points - your rogue had only half the theoretical maximum - meaning even a rusty shortsword is suddenly more of a threat. In 3.PF that same goblin wouldn't have gotten the rogue unless he hit the maximum damage and the rogue had no CON bonus whatsoever, and even then he would've just been stunned, capable of fleeing by his own power instead of having gone completely unconscious.

And unless your wizard was a specialist, he had precisely one Sleep spell prepared. He cast it on those goblins, then was out. A 3.PF wizard would have two or three Sleep spells, and given the same situation might not even needed to have bothered to cast a single one of them.

How about a backstory that involves being part of an old adventuring party that won, but after years of inaction and starting a family, "insert current game plot here, ancient evil awakens etc.)
Wouldn't that work? Or maybe someone who's adventured before, but lost their dominant hand? all the feats and stuff they might've learned earlier were all with the dominant hand in mind. (d&d counts your main hand as the hand you attacked with first, but story > rules imo) so you would have to start from scratch to relearn how to fight with your other hand.

>>53852932
>>53853056
Now let's take the houserule issue:
>how exactly are we fudging the rules when we're using a rule that was presented within the book?

I'm just going to quote the book here:
>If a cure spell of some type is cast upon him, the character is immediately restored to 1 hit point - no more. Further cures do the character no good until he has had at least one day of rest. Until such time, he is weak and feeble, unable to fight and barely able to move. He must stop and rest often, can't cast spells (the shock of near death has wiped them from his mind), and is generally confused and feverish. He is able to move and can hold somewhat disjointed conversations, but that's it.

All evidence points to you flat-out houseruling this away. Your rogue was all okay after the healing. Am I wrong?

All these - lack of hit points, spell expediency, impact of negative health - point to the far greater threat of goblins. Had your rolls gone worse, had there been a few more of them around with anything even remotely approaching a plan, had you decided to not houserule the death's door to something less deadly, it might've gone even worse for you. In later editions they would've been mowed down, plan or not.

>>53853048
If that was your best attempt then I don't know what to tell you. For the record, stalling would imply that I'm worried about being wrong, at best I'm just sitting here waiting to see what sort of bullshit you can spout before someone notices that you snuck onto the computer again.

>>53852535
Listing a few reasons is fine enough, like have human settlements encroach on their land? Did a barghest take control of the tribe and is now making raid lands thry previously feared?

Goblins aren't orcs, so their "usual" reasons aren't the same. Even if equivalent, expanding on them a bit can give potential quests or make your world a little richer.

>>53853094
you'll waiting quite a bit then, but still I'm waiting for your phenomenal contribution to the genre of fantasy or sci-fy or whatever genre you want your character to be in. come on

>>53853117
They're fucking vermin, anon. Why would they have any depth?

Stick to making the noblemen and the princesses and other heavy hitters deep. Those are the guys the party will deal with often rather than just mowing them down at once (unless they're murderhobos).

>>53853056
>>53853076
It really depends on which edition you're using though, especially since 1e encompasses many different versions.

>>53853169
There's not a great deal of difference either way. It's not until 3rd edition where this starts to get out of hand, with player characters growing far stronger while goblins remain the exact same.

hmm seems loud mouth has shut up
>>53853169

what's the arguments here?

>>53852666
It's not bait if they're sincere.

>>53853140
Making an interesting character in D&D is like making an interesting character with alignment; either you have to outright ignore it entirely or you end up slotting yourself into a predefined niche with no hopes of escape.

I mean think about it, a Rogue by its definition is someone who steals shit and delves into the seedy underbelly of civilization, which means that they can't have any connections to anyone or anything that isn't already already connected to whatever thieves guild exists within the setting. If you make a character that doesn't fit into that niche, then they're no longer a Rogue.

>>53853227
>what's the arguments here?
Whether goblins were ever a remotely credible threat.

>>53853188
>There's not a great deal of difference either way.
Spoken like a faggot who has never actually read the books.

>>53853227
That goblins are a credible threat even though they've always been some of the first creatures that you fight in any edition of D&D.

>>53853261
There's not a lick of a difference in this context.

You'll have to rifle through piles of Dragon magazines before you find anything that'd make rogues better at backstabbing, wizards start with more than one spell, or to deal away with the whole crippling negative HP issue. At most you could have the party all roll up barbarians with weapon double-specialization, and even then they might not make the cut ability score -wise.

So three amnesiacs walk into a bar.
Bartender says, "Have I got an adventure for you three!"

>>53853280
I think the issue here is the change of perspective.

In later editions, something being the first creature you fought was never meant to make them a credible threat - just something to bloody your swords with and turn you into True Men. But early on, in AD&D and especially before that, there were no insignificant battles: if the goblins didn't outright TPK you, they did at the very least drain your resources, your precious spells and hit points, and you might've wanted to not have fought them if you could avoid it.

In my book, that's more than credible enough.

>>53853237
incorrect, while that is true that rogues by definition are "rouge" and as such un-lawful they are allowed connections beyond the thieves guild because they are human [or whatever race you want] you are also an adventurer, so do it right you can have friends in courts and armies. and for the record we have gone from backstories to characters, so from there my points are moot. characters are defined by the players at this point, so I cant actually say anything here without using anecdotes and that is not hard fact.

>>53853258
depends on my health, my armour, the rolls and how many of them there are

>>53853332
> if the goblins didn't outright TPK you, they did at the very least drain your resources, your precious spells and hit points, and you might've wanted to not have fought them if you could avoid it.
That hasn't changed one bit and that in and of itself doesn't make them credible threats, just a minor speed bump along the way.

>>53853379
>That hasn't changed one bit
It has changed plenty.

Every edition has only increased the power level of the player characters: even a first level PC is far more capable in 3.PF than in AD&D or earlier, with more hit points and spells and greater damage. But goblins are always the exact same 1d6-HP runts with no skills or feats to fall back to.

In AD&D, a pack of goblins on first level is to be taken at least remotely seriously. In 3rd edition and later, it's rare that they even get to touch us.

>>53853237
holy absolutes batman

>>53851730
That's because idiots keep on insisting on backstories for level 1 characters.

>>53851852
I've had college people burn butter at 4am. Negative levels should and would be a thing.

>>53849106
No it's not. Someone doesn't just spawn into existence as a level 1 character.

>>53853840
No, it's because you keep making the fucking thread.

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>>53853840
>>53853919
Wait, we're not going to have the entire fucking argument, absolutely identical, all over again?

At least wait for the next thread. There'll be a new one tomorrow, I'm sure.

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>>53851852
>character is under the age of 30

>>53853840
Alright then, from now on level 1 characters are now 10 years old and of common birth.

Enjoy your massive stat penalties.

>>53853840
HOW DID THEY GET TO LEVEL 1?

>>53851852
I have an elderly wizard who started at first level in my party.

He has a backstory to explain that.

I can hear at least three faggots in this thread have a fit right now.

>>53850520
>except 5th

including 5th

>Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively untrained soldiers with only the most basic combat knowledge. Veteran soldiers, military officers, trained bodyguards, dedicated knights, and similar figures are fighters.

>As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane warriors around you?

>>53852879
Oh, I've been on here since the beginning. My investiture in namefagging is a artistic statement in defying social norms and how the entire concept of something we're not supposed to do in an anonymous board is ridiculous. Also because it fucking annoys people, and my fragile ego would be crushed if no one paid attention to me, and I'd probably be cutting my wrists while listening to My Chemical Romance albums if that were to happen.

In other words, I'm being very, very immature about something very very stupid because it's something so insignificant that people get riled up over.

Also any and all replies I get from this will only encourage me. The namefagging won't stop.

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>>53848985
>Level 1 character has a short concise backstory that's exciting yet reasonable to the scope of a starting character

>>53854077
Why don't you have actual trips, though? Might as well go all the way.

>>53853408
An AD&D Goblin has a THAC0 of 20, meaning it has a 55% chance of hitting something with 10AC. A 3e Goblin has +2 to hit (+3 with javelin), meaning it has a 65% chance of hitting AC10, 70% with javelin.

>>53854087
An AD&D character with 14 dexterity has 10 AC, giving those 55% odds. A 3e character with the same dexterity has 12 AC, dropping those 65% odds right back to 55% or 60%.

You'll have great many more characters with 14 dexterity in 3e, than you have characters with 16 dexterity in AD&D.

>>53854044
They were born

>>53854082
Because then any idiot wouldn't be able to pose as Wayne. Doesn't matter who they are or what they do, I don't care about being an individual, I care about making a statement. Besides. My introduction is "Hi, I'm Wayne, I'm an idiot who says mildly clever one-liners at times." With that kind of persona there's really little anyone can do to ruin any reputation. And yes, I've had people try.

>>53854113
Nice false equivalency, crack open a rulebook and look at AC sometime.

>>53854134
It's not. A goblin may have a bit better odds at hitting things, but the player character has better still AC and guaranteed maximum hit points - possibly with constitution bonus on top of that.

>>53854032
There are entire games based around children. That's fine if that's what you want to run.

>>53854081
Sure, that's fine. Just don't insist on it.

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>>53854154
Getting to adventure as a young kid is one of those games I've always wanted to play in but never get to.

>>53854126
>newborn infants get a starting feat, starting spells, at will combat powers, starting gold, starting equipment, a background theme, and level 1 ability scores and hp

Yeah okay

>>53854175
I don't need to insist on it because I've never encountered a single player with their head so far up their ass that they would think no backstory is needed. They all have at least a couple lines written down.

>>53854180
Yeah, that's basically sorcerer bloodline to a T.

Also children's stat mods will likely hamper most features being of any use

>>53854195
Fine then. You didn't insist on it. Good.

>>53854248
Nor did I throw an autistic fit when someone did write some.

>>53854261
Good.

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>>53848985
Jokes on you, my character is literally a magical entity inhabiting a suit of armor that just appeared as soon as I hit level 1.

>>53854448
>just appeared as soon as I hit level 1.

Well how did *you* get to level 1, anon?

>>53850543
um you seem to forget that for 99% of the humans in Genericfantasylandia Orcs are seven foot tall brutes made of muscle and rage with a greataxe the size of your torso and goblins are vicious, sneaky, cruel, little monsters that attack from the darkness in swarms. Its like saying "What kind of backstory can you make for a guy who can only hand-to-hand fight bears and wolves"

Level One Fighter isn't "farm kid who picked up a sword" it's at least the equivalent of a first degree black belt or marine corps veteran with training in a wide variety of weapons. "Martial Weapons Proficiency" alone translates to knowledge and training in what, 20 different arms from longswords to bows to polearms?
Level One Wizard/sorcerer means "i've learned to say some words and tell physics to get fucked and make reality my bitch."
Level One Cleric isn't Father O'malley you see every sunday, its someone of such faith the gods said "hey i like you, have some of my power on tap"

I get pissed the other way when the GM tries to make every town guard and guy at every village church level 5 PC classes.
Our one GM was a big believer that level one means you're a shitstain so we had to keep asking, if the guy hiring us to kill goblins in his mine is also a level 10 wizard why the fuck doesn't he just do it himself, if the dwarf blacksmith used to be level 10 fighter who rolled with said wizard why the fuck can't he get his own ore back from the bandits?

>>53854728
So they never fight, you know, other zero-level humans? It's all just goblins and orcs?

Being level 1 with 0 experience means you've literally never killed anyone or done anything of value your entire life.

>>53854550
He hit it.

Why are you insisting on a back story when you can't even read a sentence?

>>53854776
>A level 0 guardsman shoots a "dindu nuffin" orc boy in the back with his crossbow
>Instantly ascends to first level fighter, gains a mightyfine power up

This sort of a mechanic would probably rather keep tension going in the city. Guardsmen hurrying up to kill thieves for power.

Or maybe you're just a retard.

>>53854829
There is no level 0, retard.

>>53854858
It's called level 1 commoner in later editions, but the intent is basically the same. Zero class levels. Nothing whatsoever in their name. Just a bunch of schmucks.

>>53854764
>you know, other zero-level humans? It's all just goblins and orcs?
>>>
no not at all, but most people aren't even random jackholes in the army, they're farmers or laborers. We always see the world through the eyes of PC characters so our view is skewed.
Mr McFarmer is going to be just as shit scared of brigands who are big and know their way around a shortsword (one level in Warrior) as he is orcs or gobbos, but they aren't the same thing as what the game calls a "Fighter"
Think of movies, when the people in some old west town talk about a "gunslinger" they aren't talking about any jackass with a index finger who can use a pistol, that word means a special kind of person with special skills,

Man, this fuckhead would hate playing with me. Rarely do I have characters be what the class says on the tin.
No shit I've got a backstory to explain what they've been doing the past whatever years of their life and why they've now decided to go put their lives on the line. You don't go adventuring unless you've got a reason to do it.

>>53854050
Same here.
Mine quit magic and only got back into it recently.

>>53854050
Ran a rouge who was a vicious thug before a run in with another party member's father who not only showed him respect but ended up giving him a job, now years later its amusing to watch his daughter react when the sweet old butler who she's known all her life is getting back into the swing of knife fighting and garroted a man with a cheese wire and the rest of the party watching the one eyed guy who just drove a blade though someone's skull fuss over a teenage girl like a doting nanny

>>53851852
>>53854050
>>53855150
>>53855717
>>53854032
>>53854154
>>53854177
It's the kids and the old men that make the best characters. Who the fuck would want to roll up a yet another strapping young man?

>>53851730
That image would be pretty nice if it didn't have the worst K-On in it.

>>53854728
shit system

>>53848985
isn't a level 1 PC the same as a level 20 NPC? so I mean, they have to have motivations for doing what they do, and that means backstory.

unless literally everyone in the campaign has amnesia.

>>53854180

Starting gold is actually a good point-

how'd you get the money?

>>53856347
What, parents don't give you allowances?

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>his character is anything more than a soulless machine that exists solely to deal hitpoint damage to anything that stands in his way

>>53853840
Fuck H.P. Lovecraft, this is Cosmic Horror. You and your ilk are seemingly infinite and utterly incomprehensible. I am an inconsequential blip unable to stave the tide of stupidity.

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>>53856386
>gibesmedat

>>53856386

no, I was a poor street urchin who spent my days pickpocketing and, when necessary, selling my body in order to keep my younger siblings from having to succumb to a life of crime and to keep us from starving

duh

>>53853919
A background means experience. Experience means they shouldn't still be level 1. A starting character should have a paragraph at most.

>>53854032
Volo's Guide to Monsters has a 10 year old kid and he's a level 2 wizard with above average stats. He also has a backstory before level 1.

>>53856706
Good. Stop insisting on backgrounds then. Play the game instead of wasting time on frivolous shit

>>53856747
Ok, so there's your starting gold. Why did you ask a question that you already knew the answer to?

That's stupid

>>53856831
How do you get starting gold without writing backstory?

Because what >>53856747 said is a backstory.

>>53856860
Depending on classes , at least for dnd, you can roll for starting gold.

>>53856754
A background can be represented in any number of ways and length has very little to do with it. A level 20 demigod can have a millenia long backstory that's less than a paragraph while a level 1 aspirant can have several pages just for his name. Not only that, but any character of any level can be at any age have accomplished literally anything and still have a reason to be at the level they are.

I'm going to try and communicate with it, wish me luck.

>>53856798
What is your definition of a background?

>>53856946
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/background

Google is an easy resource to use

>>53857020
For the purposes of this discussion, I assume you are referring to the third definition:

>one's origin, education, experience, etc., in relation to one's present character, status, etc.

Am I correct?

>>53856906
>So Johnny Barbarian, how'd you get that big-ass sword?
>I rolled a 5 and a 6 on my starting gold roll

>>53857104
Look man, I can't help you with your English lessons. Keep up and learn some basic vocabulary.

>>53857315
You need to be absolutely clear about these things or else the entire discussion will be founded on very brittle ground. If you insist on masking your whole argument behind a cloud of uncertainty and lies, how can we even take you seriously? You'll just strawman and move the goalposts out of the mess, as you've done this entire fucking thread.

So, is your definition the third one on the dictionary? If it's not, which one is it?

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>start at Level 1
>DM insists we make a backstory anyway
I'll make a framework backstory to provide some explanation for motivations and such. It gets fleshed out later as the campaign goes on.
I believe this to be one of the better ways to go about it.

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>>53857427
Personally, so long as it's not a novel or something, I have no preferences and can go with anything, however detailed or skeletal.

Honestly it's really weird how people can still find ways to disagree with this, to the point of daily threads each reaching autosage. What kind of a fucking autist can get so pissed off by such a minor issue? Do you not have any legitimate grievances in your campaign that you must make shit up out of nowhere?

>>53848985
>"I base my characters largely after myself."

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>>53848985
>Level 1 character has a backstory
>Since they used to be Level 99 up until a week ago

>>53857315
Okay, so you've implied that a background is not what you consider to be part of the game. What games are you referring to, and what do you consider to be the core of these games then? What's fun for you? Does your group share these sentiments? If you were game with people who disagree with these sentiments, how much patience would you have for them to do their thing? Can you understand why someone might enjoy that thing? If someone doesn't game with you, do you care if they include backstories in their level 1 games?

>>53857470
A thousand paper cut can bleed someone to death.

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>>53857566
So this is but one of the thousand little issues you have in the campaign? Why do you choose to focus on this one to such an autistic extent? Why this, of all those thousands, is what gets you to make a yet another thread about it every single god-forsaken day?

And if those other nine-hundred and ninety-nine issues are equal to this one, how angry would you have to be when they all combine in your mentally stunted, perspective-blind mind? How have you not murdered someone yet? Or are you writing to us from prison?

>>53857380
You need to set a goalpost before you can move it. There's nothing to move on what constitutes a background. I've provided the definition of the word itself. If you still can't read a dictionary entry then you have no right to question anyone.

>>53857598
I'm not the OP. I haven't made a thread in 4chan for years.

>>53857624
You are the one that initiated this debate to begin with. You either are the OP of this thread or you agree with him. The burden of proof is on you. The defendant is you. You are the one that must make your stance clear, yet every time you are challenged you respond with inane bullshit, twisting the other side's argument into some ridiculous strawman - which you can do entirely because no groundwork has been set.

When prompted to do just that, you wholeheartedly refuse even when there is no reason to do so, even when it would be easy to concede a little bit of ground for the sake of the debate. Then you claim we are the ones whose fault this is. This more than anything reveals just how brittle your argument is, and that you absolutely know this: you refuse let anyone truly challenge it, for then we would all realize how hollow and empty you are, as if we didn't already know it.

You're either seeking validation, or just trolling for the lack of anything else to do or anyone to speak to. Either way your life is empty, and you have my pity.

I'd suggest to stop with this and instead go outside. Maybe there you will find something truly worth living for. Godspeed.

>>53857772
Why the fuck is anyone a defendant? This isn't criminal court. Seriously stop embarrassing yourself.

You sperging out is just depressing

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53858000
You've gotten the reward already, you got all the (you)s. Well done, son.

You can go outside now.

>>53858039
Reward feels hollow and stupid, but thank you Senator

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>>53848985

I agree!

The story is the game and the game is the story.

Any backstory that won't fit on a three by five card is narcissistic fucking wankery best left for the local theater.

"But I am so special I can only play something special and here is my 10,000 word backstory on how my special character got to first level"

Yeah, fuck that and fuck that guy.