backstory for bro and sis 1st time player

[Xaryo]

i'll be DMing my first game soon with 2 kids ( 13yo, bro and sis)
they told me they wanted to play elven bard and rogue.
what could be a good team concept for a rogue and bard?

[Ventruenox]

Have one play the "Duke of Bridgewater" and the other be the "King of France?" They should have read enough Mark Twain at those ages. A rogue and bard together just begs for two-man con tactics.

[strangebloke]

The classic way to play with siblings is to make them similar, but opposites. It ensures that they aren't competing, but working together.

So, socially, the Bard is the chatty one, because that's what bards are. They're social manipulators of the highest order. But the rogue shouldn't feel like he has nothing to contribute in a social scenario. So have him look at the inquisitive rogue and see if he finds the idea of expertise in insight and perception to be interesting.

In combat, too, it works. The Bard helps the rogue feel awesome, and still has spells to spare.

From there, the backstory practically writes itself:

They're a pair of performers (or con men) travelling the world, making money whatever way they can.

The rogue is the the manager, the guy who decides when it's time to clear out of town or camp for the night. He/She's a suspicious and clever fellow with a curious nature and quick eye. He/She started travelling the world because there's a lot to see and do, but has grown a little wary of the world they live in.

The bard is the one who makes friends easily and makes money even more easily. He/She started on the journey because connecting with people and sharing his/her music has always been his/her dream.

Maybe they met on the road and saved each other from a pack of gnolls, and have been cooperating ever since.

[Knaight]

It could be fun to run a heist game - they're stealthy, they're socially competent (possibly with lying as a bit of a specialty), between them they have some useful magic and some fighting, but not enough for either to be a real focus (at least at low levels). Plus rogues in particular have a long tradition of being explicit thieves.

[sophontteks]

Wandering Gypsies that perform in the day but have a rather shadowy nightlife. Their antics are covered under the guise of their formal show. Great fun, good outfits.

[Grog Logs]

Wandering...that perform in the day but have a rather shadowy nightlife. Their antics are covered under the guise of their formal show. Great fun, good outfits.

I was going to suggest something similar. Alternatively, street performers. One weaves a tale of awe and music while the other person performs the tricks. "Come one. Come all..."

Also, many people consider the G-word to be a racial slur. I'm sure that you didn't mean it that way, but it's good to know. A few Google searches could educate you on the topic. Similar to how we shouldn't use the R-word for mentally challenged peoples or the M-word for little people (real life ones).

[Vogie]

They could be a fighting pair. The Swords bard is up front, using their bardic inspiration to parry and annoy the heck out of the target, all the while providing advantage so the rogue can hit sneak attacks reliably.

[sophontteks]

I was going to suggest something similar. Alternatively, street performers. One weaves a tale of awe and music while the other person performs the tricks. "Come one. Come all..."

Also, many people consider the G-word to be a racial slur. I'm sure that you didn't mean it that way, but it's good to know. A few Google searches could educate you on the topic. Similar to how we shouldn't use the R-word for mentally challenged peoples or the M-word for little people (real life ones).

The word has two meanings and only one use of it is offensive. When referring to the actual ethnic group it is not.
Gypsy as a racial slur would mean dishonest, shady.
Gypsy as a ethnic group refers to romani people.

Small rant. Ignoring one's heritage can be equally offensive. Gypsies are a real people that were the frequent targets of racial hate, but they survived that hardship and continue to have a rich and beautiful culture. To shun their name, in my opinion, is to blot out their history and their struggle.

South Park his the nail in the head last season when Timmy referred to himself as retarded and was called intolerant for doing so. Who was really being intolarant here?

[sithlordnergal]

Ever seen the movie The Road to El Darado? Miguel and Tulio are an excellent example of a Bard and a Rogue working together.

[Armored Walrus]

My first thought was Bo and Luke Duke. They need a pair of racing ponies, set it in a podunk town with a corrupt mayor and fumbling cops. For adventure ideas, you can probably watch episodes and run them straight out of the can. I bet that'd be an awesome game ;)

Otherwise I like the pair of duelists concept; a swords bard and a swashbuckler rogue I think would be fun. Sort of a "2 musketeers" vibe.

[Grog Logs]

When referring to the actual ethnic group it is not...Ignoring one's heritage can be equally offensive...To shun their name, in my opinion, is to blot out their history and their struggle...South Park his the nail in the head last season when...

While not stated explicitly, I was not ignoring the Roma/Romani peoples. It is simply my understanding that most of them strongly prefer to be called Roma/Romani and that most view the G-word as inherently offensive as that is not their "real" name. However a quick search of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum reveals that some actually embrace that word. So, I guess, like most things, it's complicated.

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/mobile/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005395

As for the South Park bit, I'd be careful about taking any sensitivity lessons from them. But, there is definitely a difference between someone WITHIN a community using a controversial term and someone OUTSIDE that community using a controversial term.

I'm going to bow out of this part of the conversation now, as I do not want to derail the thread (which I think is great) and it is hard to discuss without going into politics (which is against board rules; and a risky and often fruitless endeavor on the general internet).