Post by DM Pax on Feb 1, 2019 2:58:02 GMT
Hello, fellow commoners and kings. I have a situation and a possible solution to it, but would like feedback from our little community to see what you all have to say.
The story goes like this: I’m a seasoned DM, and I’m running a game for a newer batch of players. They are all either brand new or have played once in college. I’ve got a bunch of newbies on my hands that are not accustomed to the creative process that is Dungeons and Dragons.
Within that same situation arises the issue of how their characters are connected. My simple idea was to say they are all childhood friends who grew up in the same town.
My lightbulb idea was for Session 0 to be an exercise in worldbuilding. Rather than me create the town, let them come up with the town’s industries, landmarks, local nobility and townsfolk, etcetera. This way, they become invested in their character by adding depth and giving them creative agency in their backstory.
Are the townsfolk racist toward a specific group of people? Why? What happened that caused the tension?
What is up with that mysterious wizard’s tower that overlooks the town? Does the river that run through the town have fish in it, or are there more magical denizens that lurk beneath its swirling surface?
You want to have the Cloisted Scholar background? Well, what’s the library like in your town, or the loremaster you studied beneath?
You’re a soldier? What conflicts arose that required you to be conscripted into the army? Perhaps your father was the town’s Captain of the Guard.
Do you want something dark and edgy? Take the Haunted One background, but tell me about what horrors you faced and the impact it had on the town. How does it define your outlook on the world?
The possibilities are endless. I personally like the idea, and I’m looking for constructive criticism to make it better before we start Session 0.
The story goes like this: I’m a seasoned DM, and I’m running a game for a newer batch of players. They are all either brand new or have played once in college. I’ve got a bunch of newbies on my hands that are not accustomed to the creative process that is Dungeons and Dragons.
Within that same situation arises the issue of how their characters are connected. My simple idea was to say they are all childhood friends who grew up in the same town.
My lightbulb idea was for Session 0 to be an exercise in worldbuilding. Rather than me create the town, let them come up with the town’s industries, landmarks, local nobility and townsfolk, etcetera. This way, they become invested in their character by adding depth and giving them creative agency in their backstory.
Are the townsfolk racist toward a specific group of people? Why? What happened that caused the tension?
What is up with that mysterious wizard’s tower that overlooks the town? Does the river that run through the town have fish in it, or are there more magical denizens that lurk beneath its swirling surface?
You want to have the Cloisted Scholar background? Well, what’s the library like in your town, or the loremaster you studied beneath?
You’re a soldier? What conflicts arose that required you to be conscripted into the army? Perhaps your father was the town’s Captain of the Guard.
Do you want something dark and edgy? Take the Haunted One background, but tell me about what horrors you faced and the impact it had on the town. How does it define your outlook on the world?
The possibilities are endless. I personally like the idea, and I’m looking for constructive criticism to make it better before we start Session 0.
