One of the most fun yet hardest aspects of playing DnD or any other tabletop RPG is creating your Playable Character (PC). And I’m not just talking about your character’s stats, skils, class, etc. I’m talking about their backstory. Their lives before becoming adventures. That scar across his face from a battle long past. Her reason for forsaking an arranged marriage to live a life of rouge stealing from the rich. That sly smile the bar maiden gives you as she serve you drinks. The DM isn’t the only one telling a story. Some of the most seasoned DnD players will have all sorts of lore behind their character so that they can deeper immersed into the game. But for others, just even creating a simple backstory for their PC can be a bit difficult even daunting. That’s where The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide comes into play.
The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide, written by James D’Amato, is a guide that helps players of all levels create a compelling backstory for their PCs. The way the guide does this is through various fill in the blank narratives, imaginative prompts and other activities. Now you may wonder what’s the difference between this book and the DnD Player’s Handbook, don’t they do the same thing? In a way yes. However the Player’s Handbook only gives you the ingredients to create a character. It’s up to you to put them together and bring that character to life. And as I mentioned before, for some people creating a backstory can be daunting, especially when given what seemed to be a infinite amount of info. But through the activities in D’Amato’s book, players are able to bring characters to life or enhance them further. It guides players on how to breath life into their characters all the while being flexible enough to go your own way. These activities are designed in a way that once players get an understanding of their character, they can use them to further develop them. They are also created easy enough for those who are making a character for the first time.
One example of this is deciding your alignment. There are three basic choices: evil, neutral and good. And each of them have three sub-alignments: chaotic, lawful, neutral/true neutral For most experience player they understand the differences say lawful good and chaotic good. Bur for a beginner might not understand the difference. Good is good in their eyes. And while true, the actions taken usually define those grey areas. To point the player in the right direction, the Guide uses the example of a cat stuck up a tree and gives you options on how your character will go about saving the cat based on on the three basic alignments. Another example is having enemies describe you. As an adventure, you’re sure to make some enemies or maybe even some rivals. Maybe you accidentally spent a night with a beautiful maiden, but then come morning find out that she’s a crowned princess and is set to marry a member of a very powerful kingdom. Or maybe during an epic battle you cross blades with a foe and he gives your skills praise. Its details like this that make RPGs even more fun, and its all possible with the Guide. These are just two examples that the Guide has to further your character’s backstory.
The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide is a great resource for those who love playing tabletop RPGs. It gives a ton of simple yet effective exercises and activities that help stimulate the player’s mind as they create their character, I highly recommend adding this guide among the other handbooks that are used to create adventures.
