A world without mutants?

[bigdamnhero]

Assuming that every player that would like to use that type of background is lazy or just not interested in the game is, in my opinion, just disrespectful of your would be player.

I agree with the rest of your post, but feel this is a bit of a straw man. Turn the arrow around and it's closer to what I was trying to say: IMX players who are lazy and/uninterested seem to have a higher tendency to use Mutant NFI* as their background.

 

* No Further Information

[Vanguard]

I agree with the rest of your post, but feel this is a bit of a straw man. Turn the arrow around and it's closer to what I was trying to say: IMX players who are lazy and/uninterested seem to have a higher tendency to use Mutant NFI* as their background.

 

* No Further Information

Sorry, don't fully understand the whole "straw man" reference. I looked into it but still don't fully understand it.

 

Anyway, I don't see how turning the arrow around changes things.  Other than pointing it right back at the player.  Who again, may or may not be as you described.

 

Which is what I was trying to get out.  Automatically ascribing personality traits to that player doesn't seem right.

 

I'm not trying to be pig-headed here. Honest . . . 

 

Edit: Wait I think I got it. It's the NFI part that is the key portion correct?  If they just want to say "Hey, I'm a mutant" and leave it at that, that's when it might be apparent that they just don't want to deal with background stuff and/or are just not interested.

 

Correct?

[bigdamnhero]

Re turning the arrow around, what I meant is: I am not saying everyone (or even most) who pick mutant origin are lazy/uninterested. I am saying most players who are lazy/uninterested seem to latch onto mutant origin because it allows them to do the absolute minimum. And yes, my beef is with the NFI part, and I feel the mutant origin can too often enable that cop out in some players.

 

I do 100% agree with your point that whether or not someone is interested in developing an elaborate backstory for their character doesn't necessarily correlate with them being interested in the game.

[Vanguard]

Gotcha.  And that I can fully understand.

[GCMorris]

I'm great at writing background for my players and will do so for them willingly. I only ask them to write a few interesting things they want their characters to have experienced and I will flesh it out for them. It's quite easy and it helps me to create plot devices against them

[Vanguard]

Why do they have to write it though? If you're willing to do the ghost-writing for them, why can't they just tell you those few interesting things and then you go to town?

[Tasha]

If you have problems with writing a background. Here's a Document that can help. It's not always possible to answer ALL of the questions, but thinking about them can help you have a better picture of your character. This wasn't authored by me, but I really respect the authors.

-----

The 100 Most Important Things To Know About Your Character (revised)

 

by Beth Kinderman and Nikki Walker

 

This list came about when, one day while struggling to develop a character for an upcoming Hunter game, my lovely roommate Nikki looked at me and said something like, "Wouldn't it be cool to have a list of questions you could go through and answer while you were making characters, so you'd make sure to consider all sorts of different elements in their personality?"  I agreed, and that very evening we sat down over hot chocolate and ramen noodles to whip up a list of 100 appearance-, history-, and personality-related questions (which seemed like a nice even number) to answer as a relatively easy yet still in-depth character building exercise.  Later on, we went through the list again, took out the questions that sucked (because there were a lot of them) and replaced them with better ones.  What you see before you is the result of that second revision. 

 

In the more recent past, we've also found that answering those annoying online personality quizzes in-character can sometimes lead to interesting revelations.  When you find yourself sitting in front of your computer screen wondering, "Hmm, if my character was a pair of shoes, would she be stiletto heels, Nikes, Doc Martens, or Birkenstocks?" you know you're really getting to know her (or that you've become an even bigger geek than you were to begin with).  Emode.comand TheSpark.com are good places to start.

 

And, because I've gotten flames about it: No, we do not mean to imply that slavishly following this list is the only way you will ever truly develop your character.  If you think we're boring, obnoxious, or presumptuous, just think about the questions you like, and you don't even have to consider the rest (yeah, we know it's kind of a long list).  Or better yet, ignore us entirely and find your own ways to develop characters.  Just don't email us specifically to tell us how much we suck.  That only results in cranky gamerchicks.

 

Some of these questions were stolen from the Character Questionnaire at www.roleplayingtips.com.  Check it out, it's a really great website.

 

- Beth

 

Part 1: The Basics

 

1.      What is your full name?

 

2.      Where and when were you born?

 

3.      Who are/were your parents?  (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

 

4.      Do you have any siblings?  What are/were they like?

 

5.      Where do you live now, and with whom?  Describe the place and the person/people.

 

6.      What is your occupation?

 

7.      Write a full physical description of yourself.  You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.

 

8.      To which social class do you belong?

 

9.      Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?

 

10. Are you right- or left-handed?

 

11. What does your voice sound like?

 

12. What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?

 

13. What do you have in your pockets?

 

14. Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

 

 

 

Part 2: Growing Up

 

 

 

15. How would you describe your childhood in general?

 

16. What is your earliest memory?

 

17. How much schooling have you had?

 

18. Did you enjoy school?

 

19. Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?

 

20. While growing up, did you have any role models?  If so, describe them.

 

21. While growing up, how did you get along with the other members of your family?

 

22. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

 

23. As a child, what were your favorite activities?

 

24. As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display?

 

25. As a child, were you popular?  Who were your friends, and what were they like?

 

26. When and with whom was your first kiss?

 

27. Are you a virgin?  If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?

 

28. If you are a supernatural being (i.e. mage, werewolf, vampire), tell the story of how you became what you are or first learned of your own abilities.  If you are just a normal human, describe any influences in your past that led you to do the things you do today.

 

 

 

Part 3: Past Influences

 

 

 

29. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

 

30. Who has had the most influence on you?

 

31. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

 

32. What is your greatest regret?

 

33. What is the most evil thing you have ever done?

 

34. Do you have a criminal record of any kind?

 

35. When was the time you were the most frightened?

 

36. What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?

 

37. If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?

 

38. What is your best memory?

 

39. What is your worst memory?

 

 

 

Part 4: Beliefs And Opinions

 

 

 

40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?

 

41. What is your greatest fear?

 

42. What are your religious views?

 

43. What are your political views?

 

44. What are your views on sex?

 

45. Are you able to kill?  Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?

 

46. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do?

 

47. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?

 

48. What do you believe makes a successful life?

 

49. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings (i.e. do you hide your true self from others, and in what way)?

 

50. Do you have any biases or prejudices?

 

51. Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances?  Why do you refuse to do it?

 

52. Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)?

 

 

 

Part 5: Relationships With Others

 

 

 

53. In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)?  Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?

 

54. Who is the most important person in your life, and why?

 

55. Who is the person you respect the most, and why?

 

56. Who are your friends?  Do you have a best friend?  Describe these people.

 

57. Do you have a spouse or significant other?  If so, describe this person.

 

58. Have you ever been in love?  If so, describe what happened.

 

59. What do you look for in a potential lover?

 

60. How close are you to your family?

 

61. Have you started your own family?  If so, describe them.  If not, do you want to?  Why or why not?

 

62. Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help?

 

63. Do you trust anyone to protect you?  Who, and why?

 

64. If you died or went missing, who would miss you?

 

65. Who is the person you despise the most, and why?

 

66. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?

 

67. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?

 

68. Do you like interacting with large groups of people?  Why or why not?

 

69. Do you care what others think of you?

 

 

 

Part 6: Likes And Dislikes

 

 

 

70. What is/are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?

 

71. What is your most treasured possession?

 

72. What is your favorite color?

 

73. What is your favorite food?

 

74. What, if anything, do you like to read?

 

75. What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, movies, art, etc.)?

 

76. Do you smoke, drink, or use drugs?  If so, why?  Do you want to quit?

 

77. How do you spend a typical Saturday night?

 

78. What makes you laugh?

 

79. What, if anything, shocks or offends you?

 

80. What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?

 

81. How do you deal with stress?

 

82. Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?

 

83. What are your pet peeves?

 

 

 

Part 7: Self Images And Etc.

 

 

 

84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you.  How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?

 

85. What is your greatest strength as a person?

 

86. What is your greatest weakness?

 

87. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

 

88. Are you generally introverted or extroverted?

 

89. Are you generally organized or messy?

 

90. Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at.

 

91. Do you like yourself?

 

92. What are your reasons for being an adventurer (or doing the strange and heroic things that RPG characters do)? Are your real reasons for doing this different than the ones you tell people in public?  (If so, detail both sets of reasons...)

 

93. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?

 

94. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

 

95. If you could choose, how would you want to die?

 

96. If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.

 

97. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?

 

98. What three words best describe your personality?

 

99. What three words would others probably use to describe you?

 

100. If you could, what advice would you, the player, give to your character?  (You might even want to speak as if he or she were sitting right here in front of you, and use proper tone so he or she might heed your advice...)

 

 

[Vanguard]

Thanks Tasha.

 

I think I've seen a list similar to that one before.  Answered the questions isn't the hard part.  For me it's trying to organize them into the story that tells my background.

 

I'm just not good at it.

[Duke Bushido]

Why do they have to write it though? If you're willing to do the ghost-writing for them, why can't they just tell you those few interesting things and then you go to town?

Because, as I recently came to realize in another thread regarding power costs from the very rule book I play by, none of us has perfect memory.

 

In the earliest days of play, it's nice for the GM to have a reference against which to judge who you say your character is versus who you play him as: a guideline for bonus "roleplaying" XP. It's also nice for a new player to have a sort of "bible" on his own idea upon which he can improve or change as the need of the character / his personal needs (the players) change.

 

Some campaigns go on for quite some time. In those instances, it's very handy to have a note or two on the early days of your character: there may be a plot hook or a story seed in there that has been completely forgotten about.

 

Some campaigns will occur in a "shared world" type environment: same players-- perhaps a few new ones-- but in the same world, possibly even concurrent to the events of a previous campaign. Not just a laziness thing, either: sometimes the players and the GM have crafted a world so thoroughly enjoyable that the group would like to revisit it. For whatever the reason, having notes-- even just a couple of sketchy sentences-- is an unparalleled boon to everyone involved.

 

As you noted above, not everyone can write stuff. That's why there's usually a Q&A-- usually short- about what's really important to the player before the game settles in. So long as you _have_ the information, someone else can record it. It's just important that you actually _have_ something.

[Tasha]

Thanks Tasha.

 

I think I've seen a list similar to that one before.  Answered the questions isn't the hard part.  For me it's trying to organize them into the story that tells my background.

 

I'm just not good at it.

I think that most GM's would be VERY happy to just get the questionnaire with lots of the questions filled in. Most GM's don't expect people to be novel writers.

[Vanguard]

I think that most GM's would be VERY happy to just get the questionnaire with lots of the questions filled in. Most GM's don't expect people to be novel writers.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking that that may have been/may be my biggest problem. I think I need to write out a story so i wind up choking when all I need to really do is just the the bullet points. . . 

[assault]

In the earliest days of play, it's nice for the GM to have a reference against which to judge who you say your character is versus who you play him as: a guideline for bonus "roleplaying" XP.

 

This is probably where I fall down in origin writing: I tend to develop my character's personality as I go along. There isn't a lot of "who (I) say (my) character is" in my origins.

[Duke Bushido]

I think that most GM's would be VERY happy to just get the questionnaire with lots of the questions filled in. Most GM's don't expect people to be novel writers.

That questionnaire is amazing, actually. I've got a ten-point list I give to players having trouble fleshing in their character, but I'm going to be completely honest here and openly admit that I'm stealing that list and using it instead.

 

Wonderful find, Tasha.

 

(and no; I don't expect all the questions to be answered. I'd like the ones _important to the player_ to be answered.)

 

This is probably where I fall down in origin writing: I tend to develop my character's personality as I go along. There isn't a lot of "who (I) say (my) character is" in my origins.

That's not falling down at all. It's just another way to do things. But sure there are a few things you already have visualized for the character. Perhaps not everyone thinks about it overtly, but the fact is that this is HERO: you _have_ to already have _something_ in mind, because characters aren't generated randomly. There's no roll for Stats; no class-assigned skills; no roll to see if you died before you were done making your character.

 

Perhaps it was _only_ a set of powers or even just a theme for a character. But there was _something_. It's not too much to ask for you to share it with the GM so that he can try to help you get the most of your game, is it?

 

[Hugh Neilson]

I mentioned this in another thread but I really, really suck at writing down the background of my character. I can talk to the GM about it and everything but trying to put it on paper just has never worked.

 

So, does that mean I'm just disinterested in making a background or that I just don't care about the game?

 

On the flip side I have friend that will write up the aforementioned 40 page background but then doesn't expect any of it to be used and/or changed by the GM.

 

I also had a friend that would find out the details of the game world she was going to play in and then, deblierately, try and find the exact opposite of that for her background/origin/powerset.  (IE: If she was going to play in a highly technologically advanced world, her character would be from the middle of nowhere and possess mystical abilities).

 

So both of those two can create so much more detailed character backgrounds than I but which of us cares about the game?

 

Just because a player chooses a certain type of background "type" doesn't make them lazy or disinterested.  (Yes there are some exceptions to the rule but there always are).  Like Tasha, BDH and others have said, it could just be something they're familiar with.  It also might be they just don't understand what's expected of them.  It could also be that, like me, they have a general framework for their character but would like to play for a bit and then fill in the details once they've played a bit.

 

I would think, again as has been mentioned, that it would be GM's job to assist the player with the background and/or trying to find out why they just gave a one line background or the dreaded "I'm a mutant" background.

 

The player that gives the "mutant" background may also not have any intention of wanting to do the whole "marvel mutant" thing and just wants to say that, through the miracle of genetic mutation, he can shoot fireballs out his arse. (First found out about it when he ate a really good bowl of chili).

 

I have to agree with Tasha.  Saying you don't want "mutant" as a description on how/where you got your powers is one things. Assuming that every player that would like to use that type of background is lazy or just not interested in the game is, in my opinion, just disrespectful of your would be player.

I'll just note that you were able to write your reasons for not wanting to write down your background in a lot more detail than Duke's example of a background he would find OK for his game, if at the lowest end of detail. It's also missing, as I think of it, something I always remind myself to note: "What does the character look like?" as the other characters will see him early in the game, his personality will only come out in play, and any backstory may or may not ever come out.

[bigdamnhero]

Yeah, I'm thinking that that may have been/may be my biggest problem. I think I need to write out a story so i wind up choking when all I need to really do is just the the bullet points. . . 

One of my players is like that; he sets out to write this big epic novella, gets a page or two done, and then runs out of time/steam/whatever. Leaving me with more detail than I need in some areas while others are complete blanks. A list of bullet points hitting the highlights would be much more useful to me as a GM (and to the player I think), and can always be fleshed out more as you go.

 

The 100 Most Important Things To Know About Your Character (revised)

This is great, but I have trouble getting some of my players to fill out my current questionnaire, and it's only 22 questions long!

 

 

Character Concept Questionnaire

 

Name: _________________     Sex: ____    Age: _____     Nationality: ________________

 

Height: _______      Weight/Build: _________       Hair: ___________    Eye Color: ______

 

Distinguishing Features: ___________________________________________________

 

Social Status: ___________     Family: _________________________________________

 

Notable Friends: __________________________________________________________

 

Notable Enemies: _________________________________________________________

 

Briefly describe your character’s personality, motivations, etc:

 

 

Briefly describe your character’s abilities, powers, etc:

 

 

 “Origin Story” – Why do you do what you do?

 

 

What are the most important relationships in your life?  

 

 

When are you at your best?

 

 

When are you out of your element?

 

 

Describe an “iconic moment” for your character .

 

 

To you as a player, why is this character cool to play?

 

 

Why will the other players find this character memorable and fun?

 

 

Here's a thread from a few months ago where we talked more about getting background info out of the players' heads.

[bigdamnhero]

Back on the original topic: I'm realizing some of my feelings on mutant as an origin story may be colored by a bad experience I had some years back. I had just moved to a new town and was starting up a new Champions campaign with three players I had met at local gaming conventions. I talked with them about what they wanted to play, thought about what I was interested in running, and suggested a campaign where all the world's superhumans had been killed in a Massive Epic Crossover Event 10 years ago, leaving a world without superpowers. The PCs were to be the first of the "new generation" of supers. And I thought it would be fun to start out with the PCs as normal humans for a session or two and then play out the radiation accident that gives them powers (and incidentally reintroduces superpowers to the world). Everyone agreed that sounded fun. So I only asked the players for 3 things:

1. No mutants (because the point of the campaign was that everyone *gets* powers by some mechanism.
2. No teleporters (because teleportation was a significant plot point in the metaplot I was putting together), and
3. No mentalists (because my previous campaign had been all about mentalists and I was burned out on them.

Two of the players were fine. The 3rd gave me a draft of a character whose background was Generic X-Men Origin Story #1, complete with power manifesting during puberty, being estranged from his family, hunted by Genocide, the works. Oh, and the character's power set was built around teleportation. I carefully (re)explained that while I could maybe work with the teleportation angle if that was really important to him, there were no mutants in this campaign world and did you actually read the campaign notes I sent you? You would've thought I had cancelled Christmas. We spent over an hour on the phone with him whining about how I was unfairly inhibiting his creativity and "arbitrarily" shooting down all his ideas and basically killing his fun. I eventually talked him down out of his tree, he said he understood what I was trying to do and said he'd get me something else.

 

A week later I got a character draft with a completely different power set, but with essentially the same mutant origin story - the biggest change he made was changing the name of Genocide to IHA, because I had mentioned they had made that change in 5ed and he apparently decided that was my big objection. Oh and the character's powerset was - you guessed it! - a mentalist.

 

For some reason (mainly because I was new in town) I decided to try and work through it and we eventually got to a character who was a completely generic flying brick with no personality and no background story at all. We played one session and the guy never came back. We found a couple additional players and campaign ran for 3 or 4 without him. (Tho I did manage to work his PC in as an occasional recurring character.)

 

So yeah, none of that reflects on the merits/shortfalls of "mutant origin" per se, but it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.

[zslane]

I dunno. Filling out an extensive questionaire feels like overkill to me. I mean, if a player really wants to go to all that trouble that's fine, but most GMs I know wouldn't bother with pouring over and integrating that much character information. I don't think that the answer to the problem of "no information" is "too much information". There's got to be a happy middle ground somewhere.

 

Some folks seem to be getting hung up on the act of writing a character background, as if they are expected to write scintillating prose worthy of publication by Random House. As a GM, all I would ask is that a player imagine in their heads the scene (or series of linked scenes as with Dr. Strange or Iron Man) that caused their character to acquire their powers. If you can imagine the scene(s) in your head, then you are certainly capable of jotting down the bare basics of what is going on in those scenes:

 

"Talented surgeon is trained (for years) by ancient master in the mystic arts after losing the use of his hands in a car accident."

 

"Genius inventor/engineer builds first armored suit out of scraps and misappropriated weapons parts while held captive by terrorists."

 

These are just one sentence summaries of what I imagine was going on with two characters during their origin stories. This is not a writing contest, and nobody is going to grade your work. If you can write forum posts, you can write one-sentence summaries of scenes you are capable of imagining in your head. And I know you are capable of imagining scenes in your head because you are playing an RPG.

 

Most GMs aren't looking for anything more than the bones of an origin story, not a full story written in novel form. I don't know very many players who are good at writing fanfic, and no GM I've ever played with expected anyone to be. So let's not get hung up on an expectation nobody has of you. Just do something we all know you are capable of: imagining a scene (or set of connected scenes) and jotting down one-line summaries of what you see in your head.

 

Given how simple and straightforward that is, there is just no excuse for writing (or saying), "mutant; born with fire powers," and leaving it at that.

[InfiniteKarma]

Banning mutant as an origin story, to prevent players from skimping on background, seems like begging the question to me.

 

Are you intending on forcing players to write a backstory, in spite of their inability or unwillingness to do so? A player who wants a backstory will create one, even if his power origin is "mutant", and a player who doesn't want to write one, will find a different low-effort origin to fill in the blanks with.

 

I personally find backstory to be a great part of most RPG characters, I'm just saying that this is kind of creating an in-character rule for an out-of-character problem. Engaging players directly to say they need a richer backstory seems like the better thing to do.

[bigdamnhero]

With supers games, because you often have the whole dual identity thing, there's also variation between what I think of as the DC-vs-Marvel approach. I.e. some players are better than others at envisioning their characters as people who have powers, whereas other players see their characters as a set of powers first and any SID or personal life tends to get tacked on as an afterthought.

[zslane]

It is understandable to a point. The majority experience is with systems like D&D where the character "build" is determined for the player. For a lot of DMs, the player's choice of class and race is sufficient to place the character into the game world. The player isn't asked to come up with more background detail because it is already known, for instance, where Mountain Dwarves come from, who their racial enemies are and why, etc.

 

The thing is, Champions is a whole other ball of wax. It places a pretty heavy burden of creativity on the player's shoulders. If you are playing Champions, a number of assumptions are generally made:

 

a. The player likes the superhero genre and understands its conventions/tropes.

b. The player knows what sort of character they want to play and has learned the building-block system sufficiently to build that character.

c. The player has a strong enough grasp of basic, elementary school mathmatics to make sense of the various point systems and how to employ them.

 

When any of the above is missing/lacking, the GM will be faced with extra challenges. Not the least of which is shepherding players unable or unwilling to assume the responsibilities listed above. At some point, though, I kind of feel that players need to step up and become active HS players, not just reluctant D&Ders dabbling in the superhero genre.

[Tasha]

I dunno. Filling out an extensive questionaire feels like overkill to me. I mean, if a player really wants to go to all that trouble that's fine, but most GMs I know wouldn't bother with pouring over and integrating that much character information. I don't think that the answer to the problem of "no information" is "too much information". There's got to be a happy middle ground somewhere.

 

Some folks seem to be getting hung up on the act of writing a character background, as if they are expected to write scintillating prose worthy of publication by Random House. As a GM, all I would ask is that a player imagine in their heads the scene (or series of linked scenes as with Dr. Strange or Iron Man) that caused their character to acquire their powers. If you can imagine the scene(s) in your head, then you are certainly capable of jotting down the bare basics of what is going on in those scenes:

 

"Talented surgeon is trained (for years) by ancient master in the mystic arts after losing the use of his hands in a car accident."

 

"Genius inventor/engineer builds first armored suit out of scraps and misappropriated weapons parts while held captive by terrorists."

 

These are just one sentence summaries of what I imagine was going on with two characters during their origin stories. This is not a writing contest, and nobody is going to grade your work. If you can write forum posts, you can write one-sentence summaries of scenes you are capable of imagining in your head. And I know you are capable of imagining scenes in your head because you are playing an RPG.

 

Most GMs aren't looking for anything more than the bones of an origin story, not a full story written in novel form. I don't know very many players who are good at writing fanfic, and no GM I've ever played with expected anyone to be. So let's not get hung up on an expectation nobody has of you. Just do something we all know you are capable of: imagining a scene (or set of connected scenes) and jotting down one-line summaries of what you see in your head.

 

Given how simple and straightforward that is, there is just no excuse for writing (or saying), "mutant; born with fire powers," and leaving it at that.

While the questionnaire is very through, it doesn't need to be filled in completely. I like players to use it was a springboard for ideas. BTW the Lifepath that appeared in Champions New Millenium is also a great starting point for building backgrounds.