Apathy Games

Why I Write In-Character Fiction

Written by Tyson J. Hayes on 2010/01/20 – 00:00 -

When I started roleplaying I was never one to write in-character fiction. The thought never really occurred to me. I create a story for the character by playing him; why do the extra work? It wasn’t until I started playing a character named Theodore that writing character fiction even came to me. Paul and I had come up with a build point system for D&D 3.0/3.5 and were in the process of changing over the characters we were playing to the new system. Seeing the chance to do a bit of munchkin-ing I set about giving my cleric a high spot and sneak attack. Then I thought to myself, “Why would this character have these abilities?” That was the moment the character became a real person instead of stats on a page.

I came up with a flurry of ideas and a detailed background story explaining everything about the character: how he was a bodyguard before almost dying during an assassination attempt, and how he turned to his god for healing. These things would have never happened through normal roleplay. To craft a great character requires more time then just sitting at the table playing; a little thought must be put into it.

Think of Them as Real People

It may sound weird to some people, but hey we are roleplayers right? To get the best roleplaying experience, we need to embody the character in such a way that we think of them as real. Why are they taking those edges or raising that die? What have they been doing for that to make sense? Character advancement became much easier once I started considering these questions. I didn’t take spells that I wanted but the ones Theodore would choose, given what he knew of the road ahead.

Share the Story

Hillary is known amongst our group for coming up with some of the most intricate backstories for her characters, but the problem is that most of them involve something that must be hidden. I vividly remember her venting her frustration at no one taking interest in the back story that she had written, but then lamented that she hadn’t given any one any reason to be interested. Don’t make this mistake. If you write great in character fiction, give your fellow players a reason to know about it. Share a story around the campfire. Or perhaps when gearing up at the local shop, let slip a bit of history about your character. Likely the other players will respond in kind.

What I Learned

The more time and energy you spend on a character the more you grow to love them. The emotional investment is a paid off through every up and down your character has. I played Theodore from level 7 to 27, and it wasn’t until the epic levels that all of it began to pay off. In the end, when Theodore ascended to godhood, I found myself a bit sad. The person I had helped create had flown the nest only to be remembered in fond memories.

What is your favorite character story, or how did it change the character for you?

Tags: backstories, characters, tyson j. hayes, writing
Categories: Players |
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