PDA

View Full Version : [3.5] Best of Both Worlds - Writing as a DM, Playing as a PC



balistafreak
2010-06-13, 07:37 PM
Out of some sort of mad whim, I started with a single character and used both a maxed-out Leadership score and Psicrystal-Leadership double-cohorting and Leadership-chaining to end up with a diagram of 15+ potential characters and over a hundred followers. All the characters from ECL 5 to 10 have descriptions and stories between them - even the followers are organized into small factions. As for which character(s, from Leadership if allowed) I select, I determine what kind of game's being played and select one accordingly. With 15+ characters, it's not hard to find one that fits a needed party role.

You said "have a backstory", but... anything but this.

Now for the actual question: have you folks ever had to reel backwards, patting the air around you placatingly, crying, "Enough with the character fluff, get on with the game!" How do you deal with a player attempting to make a case for their own backstory taking precedence over the established campaign fluff?

Personally, the response I get is something along the lines of "you want to write stories so bad, go DM". Which I've been doing recently - but I'm starting to get tired of it. I haven't played on the "other side of the screen", so to speak, in a very long time. But how would you reconcile the writer-side of the DM and the gamer-side of the PC into a happier medium than what I'm getting?

Trog
2010-06-13, 07:53 PM
Back story should contribute to the game world and, unless it directly conflicts with something relevant to the campaign, I, as a DM, let it in because it enriches the campaign.

Occasionally you see players trying to make their character a king or something well above their station and trying to use this as an excuse to bypass the challenges you, as a DM, worked hard for the whole group to solve - not just one with a ridiculously over-important back story who likes to flash his credentials. Unless the whole group is full of kings or something that puts that character on even footing with others, of course

As a DM, the most helpful back stories are those that allow me to weave them into the plot somehow. If the player's character has a back story where he owes money to a vile gangster then having people associated with that gangster show up and try to kill or apprehend that character makes for an interesting story.

And to help drive this idea home, think about the character of Han Solo in Star Wars... now imagine that the controlling DM didn't allow him to have a back story wherein he owed money to gangsters. Or that the player of Luke Skywalker wasn't allowed to have a back story wherein the main villain killed his father.

Makes for a more boring character and story, doesn't it?

WarKitty
2010-06-13, 07:57 PM
First off, make sure the player knows some of the fluff. Maybe not everything, but a fair idea of the world they're in. Depending on the players, you might need a few other rules. I would say anything that would have a moderate effect on the world needs to be approved - things such as natural disasters, secret organizations, etc. Players can go to the DM to have these things approved. Second, have backstories submitted ahead of time, so you know what's going on and can request a certain detail be changed. Finally, be willing to edit your fluff a bit, and let the players know this. If one of them comes up with a really cool backstory that can be worked in without major disruption, do it.

Knaight
2010-06-13, 07:59 PM
Normally, as a GM, I let the players make back stories that mess with the setting to some extent. Sure, there are limits, you can't just introduce magic into a historical game for your character, but connections that tweak the setting in more subtle ways just connect characters better, and make better stories come out of the game.

The above is the short version. A longer version is in the podcast in this link (http://www.feartheboot.com/ftb/index.php/archives/1581), about player "buy in", along with a bunch of less relevant chatter.