Now That's Character Building
Jak Charles
Intro
In this article, we will explore a homebrew rule that encourages your players to flesh out their characters, develop their backstories, and present you with potential plot hooks to customize your game for your players and the characters they play.
If you're like me, then you're probably wanting more than just a board game out of your tabletop RPG. It’s in the name: Role Playing Game.
Image: Victor Adame /Wizards of the Coast
I'm an actor at heart – taking joy in discovering and playing out a character's wants, whys, and how they go about getting it. I find it easy, and fun, to decipher what goal my villain is pursuing and why, what their values are, what they will and will not do in pursuit of their objectives. The majority of tabletop players and GMs are not actors, have never been (and probably never want to be) on stage, and understandably find it daunting to figure out “how does my character react/think about this in-game situation?”
If you are running a game for new players, who are likely learning the rules of the game and how to play their characters, then there's a good chance that they haven't thought about how their character might act and think differently to them.
I used to find these players frustrating to run a game for – “How dare they not engage with my game! With the world and plot I've created!” I realized just how unfair my opinion was when I had a turn as a player – and found myself stumped when my GM asked me for details about my character's backstory and motivations. I was lacking motivation and inspiration, but also felt as though my GM was putting me on the spot. I simply didn't have enough context to answer their questions.
The worst thing you can do to this player is demand that they speak and act in character – this will rarely be an enjoyable experience, and will more likely result in that player feeling overwhelmed and deciding that “These games aren't for me.”
Instead of expecting your players to craft a fully fleshed, distinct personality inspired and situated in your setting (which they may not be familiar with in the slightest), start small.
And give incentive.
Try an experiment the next time you're getting ready to run a game for your players.
A few days before you're set to meet up and run the session, send your players these five prompts:
What is your character's favorite colour?
What does the colour blue make your character think of?
What does your character's name mean to them?
Describe a typical birthday for your character
What is your character's favourite beverage?
Image: Victor Adame /Wizards of the Coast
The questions above are taken from a resource named “365 Character Questions for Writers and Roleplayers” written by Heather Grove. It is what it says on the tin: A series of questions, one for each day of the year, and you can download it for free from her blog, “Errant Dreams”.
First, make it clear that these questions are about your players' characters, not about the players themselves – some players, especially new ones, will play a character with the same general personality. That's ok – but we've planted the idea that a character's personality might not match exactly with the player's.
Second, make it clear that answering these questions is not required. They are purely optional.
However, the more questions a player answers about their character, the greater the reward.
Let's say that you're running 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons for your players.
If a player answers any one of the questions you've sent them, their character gains a 1d4 inspiration die, which can be used to increase an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. It could also be used to reduce an enemy's attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.
If a player answers any two of the questions, they instead gain a 1d6. If they answer any 3, they gain a 1d8. 4 questions answered and they gain a 1d10. Answer all 5 questions and their character gains a 1d12. Of course, if they so choose, or simply don't have time in the coming days before the game session, they don't have to answer any of the questions. The only thing they will miss out on is gaining that inspiration die.
Over the course of several weeks of play, you can send more sets of five questions, giving your players the chance to accrue up to a maximum of 3 of these inspiration die for answering questions.
Why 3? Because if your players are only ever allowed one at a time, they will hold onto that inspiration die like a miser coveting gold, holding onto it and never using it for fear of not having it “when I really need it!”
You want a situation where your players have this resource, are encouraged to use it, and will continue answering questions in order to gain more. Over time, you and your player will organically learn more and more about their character.
Eventually, you may begin coming up with custom questions to ask your players, or include questions from a wide range of resources. Questions such as “Who does your character trust/distrust most in the party and why?” or “What were your character's initial thoughts after meeting an important NPC for the first time?” can be useful tools in the later stages of your game once your players are more comfortable.
This system can be adapted as you wish, and for different games. Instead of handing out inspiration dice, perhaps your player earns a one time “bonus”, equaling a positive modifier equal to the number of questions they answered before a given session.
Ultimately, figuring out who a character is and how they differ from you as a player can be a daunting task, especially for newcomers to the hobby. As a GM, you may be the authority figure to introduce someone to fleshing out a character – so use whatever tools you can, and be creative when encouraging your players to roleplay. But most importantly, be understanding, and remember that you and your players are at the table to have fun.
This piece comes from one of our talented storytellers Norman.
If you would like Norman to run your very own private adventure you can book him over on his profile here.