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FreelanceWizard · **08-22-2013, 10:16 AM**

(08-22-2013, 07:33 AM)Moondoggie Wrote: So how do you normally approach characters in MMORPG? Do you prefer a deep storyline and a "this is who they are" approach or do you shape some of your characters personality by how they experience the world and their interactions with other characters? Do you ever feel limited by your characters back story?

Can't it be both? Smile

As you can see from my wiki page, I have a fairly detailed backstory that covers the time from L'yhta's birth to around when the game opens. That backstory explains a lot of how she came to be and the sorts of behaviors she exhibits. The way I see it, it's easier to tell where a character is going if you have an understanding of where they're from. Additionally, a good backstory offers hooks for other characters and opportunities for RP as it's disclosed little by little over time.

That said, while her backstory informs her personality, it doesn't dominate it. Her "voice" has already changed a bit in RP (I've turned down the "crunchtastic" elements of her speech, for instance, as well as made her a bit less overtly egotistical), and I fully expect for her to grow and change even more over time. Her backstory sets up how she is when the game starts; it's the interactions with other characters that define how she'll be going forward. As a young adventurer, she has a fairly mundane backstory, as all of the heroic stuff is in her future.

I don't generally feel limited by my backstories, since they're just that -- stories of the past. Characters can change from the circumstances that created them, so your backstory shouldn't forever dominate your character's RP. The important things are to have a reason why your character's changed and to do it over a reasonable period of time.

Is there any such thing as "too much" when it comes to a back story?

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes