Three Name Background?

[Who_Da_Halfling]

Ok, I've heard this idea before but I can't find it in these forums on the search feature (Google was useless too).

If your players aren't real good about developing a detailed background, you ask them to simply provide you with a few names that you can work into the story. For example, you ask them for 1) childhood friends 2) acquaintances 3) opponents, 4) etc. This lets you work in characters that have a previous relationship with one of the PCs.

I can't remember exactly how its supposed to go. Has anyone else heard of this/used it? How well does it work?

-JM

[Edge of Dreams]

I have heard of this. The way it went in one system (the name of which I don't recall) was that you ask each player to come up with a name and relationship for one ally, one enemy, and one love interest or relative. For example, you might have:

Ally - Gordan, the chief of my tribe who likes me
Love interest - Maria, my girlfriend back home with my tribe
Enemy - Jiles, my rival in all the tribal games and who thinks I stole Maria from him.

Very simple, easy to come up with, and lets the DM work those characters in if he feels like it. It gets even more interesting if you do this as part of collaborative character creation where one player's love interest might be another player's enemy or something like that.

[Prometheus]

There are many variations on the theme of a 10 minute background, one of the steps of which is like what you described. Here is one version of the 10 minute background, where you could be referring to Step 4:

Spoiler

Show

Here is something I use for my players that allows me to get a good background outline from my players to break the ice with. It gets people thinking, which is good, without overwhelming them with questions. It's based on the Minimus system.

The Ten-Minute Background

In an attempt to get all the information I need to create stuff from character backgrounds without having to continually push for information, I am asking that you create backgrounds the following way:

Step 1: write five things about your character’s concept and background, five things that you think are the most essential parts of your character. You don’t have to stop at five, if you like…this is just a minimum.

Example: Martin Tenbones

Spoiler

Show

1) He is a former pirate and retired adventurer and now owns a tavern in the city of St. Clarice.
2) He is outgoing and charismatic, and attempts to keep abreast of all the local gossip and juicy secrets that pass his way, because he believes that knowledge is power.
3) He and his former adventuring band fought against the forces of the pirate captain Craven, who was a major lieutenant for the current Dread Pirate Hellbeard. He used the wealth that he acquired to build his tavern, but he sometimes worries that the pirates may one day decide to find him and extract revenge.
4) Though he is still friends with most of his former adventuring mates, some of them parted the group on bad terms. His girlfriend went back to the sea to fight pirates once more, but he received word that her vessel was taken by Hellbeard and believes she was killed. He mourns her death.
5) Although he is retired, he can be convinced to adventure again if he hears that Sasha (his lost love) may still be alive, or if he is contacted by the White Foxes during a crisis (see secrets).

Step 2: List two goals for the character that you, as a player, think would be cool to see accomplished in-game. During any session in which you take positive action to achieve that goal, I will award you an action point that can only be used in scenes furthering that goal. These Action Points are separate from the action points you gain by resting and reaching milestones. You can change goals later, though you lose all the accumulated Action Points for the goal you abandoned.

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) I would like to see Martin reunited with his lost love and perhaps able to mend fences with some of his former adventuring buddies over the course of this campaign.
2) It would be cool to have Martin face and possibly defeat the Dread Pirate Hellbeard once and for all.

Step 3: List two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises!

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) Martin is a member of the White Fox Society, a secret society dedicated to keeping Coralton free of tyranny and evil, as well as keeping local governments honest. He provides information and rumors to them, but can be convinced to take a more active roll if
2) Sasha LeBell, Marin's lost love, is still alive. She was captured by the Dread Pirate Hellbeard and has been kept as his captive for all these years.
3) (Example of a secret I might make up about your character): Not only is Sasha alive, but also she has escaped captivity and killed Hellbeard. She has taken over his ship and crew, and has turned to piracy out of bitterness. She now IS the new Dread Pirate Hellbeard!

Step 4: Describe three people that are tied to the character though blood, romance or honor. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. All can do something useful for you, if you can get the situations to line up. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you.

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) Martin's friend Audric Cwellen was one of his adventuring mate. Audric, a holy warrior in the service of the Goddess of Love, is the leader of the local cell of the White Fox society, and provides Martin with information and adventure hooks.
2) Another of Martin's old traveling companions, Aubrey LeVaine, is not as helpful as Audric, because they quarreled over the love of Sasha, and Aubrey is still bitter about losing her to Martin. Still, he can provide some magical support if Martin can convince him to let go of his hate.
3) Yebin Thistledown is a strange little creature from the Feywild called a gnome. Martin met the gnome in the Shroudmist Forest and saved him from a pack of Howlers. The Gnome makes all sorts of alchemical items and gadgets, and loves collecting odd souvenirs and items, as well as "recreational herbs." He operates a bizarre patchwork shop in the Rue Angélique district.

Step 5: Describe three memories that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) Martin remembers growing up in a tavern as a young boy, helping his mother with the cooking. This started his own interest in the culinary arts.
2) Martin remembers the panic he felt when he discovered that the ship he signed on to was a pirate ship after a brutal attack on a merchantman. He vividly recalls the smell of blood and burning timbers.
3) Martin often recalls the goodbye kiss he gave Sasha when she left him. No kiss he's had since ever compares to that memory.

If that's not it, well, it's close

[Who_Da_Halfling]

There are many variations on the theme of a 10 minute background, one of the steps of which is like what you described. Here is one version of the 10 minute background, where you could be referring to Step 4:

Spoiler

Show

Here is something I use for my players that allows me to get a good background outline from my players to break the ice with. It gets people thinking, which is good, without overwhelming them with questions. It's based on the Minimus system.

The Ten-Minute Background

In an attempt to get all the information I need to create stuff from character backgrounds without having to continually push for information, I am asking that you create backgrounds the following way:

Step 1: write five things about your character’s concept and background, five things that you think are the most essential parts of your character. You don’t have to stop at five, if you like…this is just a minimum.

Example: Martin Tenbones

Spoiler

Show

1) He is a former pirate and retired adventurer and now owns a tavern in the city of St. Clarice.
2) He is outgoing and charismatic, and attempts to keep abreast of all the local gossip and juicy secrets that pass his way, because he believes that knowledge is power.
3) He and his former adventuring band fought against the forces of the pirate captain Craven, who was a major lieutenant for the current Dread Pirate Hellbeard. He used the wealth that he acquired to build his tavern, but he sometimes worries that the pirates may one day decide to find him and extract revenge.
4) Though he is still friends with most of his former adventuring mates, some of them parted the group on bad terms. His girlfriend went back to the sea to fight pirates once more, but he received word that her vessel was taken by Hellbeard and believes she was killed. He mourns her death.
5) Although he is retired, he can be convinced to adventure again if he hears that Sasha (his lost love) may still be alive, or if he is contacted by the White Foxes during a crisis (see secrets).

Step 2: List two goals for the character that you, as a player, think would be cool to see accomplished in-game. During any session in which you take positive action to achieve that goal, I will award you an action point that can only be used in scenes furthering that goal. These Action Points are separate from the action points you gain by resting and reaching milestones. You can change goals later, though you lose all the accumulated Action Points for the goal you abandoned.

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) I would like to see Martin reunited with his lost love and perhaps able to mend fences with some of his former adventuring buddies over the course of this campaign.
2) It would be cool to have Martin face and possibly defeat the Dread Pirate Hellbeard once and for all.

Step 3: List two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises!

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) Martin is a member of the White Fox Society, a secret society dedicated to keeping Coralton free of tyranny and evil, as well as keeping local governments honest. He provides information and rumors to them, but can be convinced to take a more active roll if
2) Sasha LeBell, Marin's lost love, is still alive. She was captured by the Dread Pirate Hellbeard and has been kept as his captive for all these years.
3) (Example of a secret I might make up about your character): Not only is Sasha alive, but also she has escaped captivity and killed Hellbeard. She has taken over his ship and crew, and has turned to piracy out of bitterness. She now IS the new Dread Pirate Hellbeard!

Step 4: Describe three people that are tied to the character though blood, romance or honor. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. All can do something useful for you, if you can get the situations to line up. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you.

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) Martin's friend Audric Cwellen was one of his adventuring mate. Audric, a holy warrior in the service of the Goddess of Love, is the leader of the local cell of the White Fox society, and provides Martin with information and adventure hooks.
2) Another of Martin's old traveling companions, Aubrey LeVaine, is not as helpful as Audric, because they quarreled over the love of Sasha, and Aubrey is still bitter about losing her to Martin. Still, he can provide some magical support if Martin can convince him to let go of his hate.
3) Yebin Thistledown is a strange little creature from the Feywild called a gnome. Martin met the gnome in the Shroudmist Forest and saved him from a pack of Howlers. The Gnome makes all sorts of alchemical items and gadgets, and loves collecting odd souvenirs and items, as well as "recreational herbs." He operates a bizarre patchwork shop in the Rue Angélique district.

Step 5: Describe three memories that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.

Example

Spoiler

Show

1) Martin remembers growing up in a tavern as a young boy, helping his mother with the cooking. This started his own interest in the culinary arts.
2) Martin remembers the panic he felt when he discovered that the ship he signed on to was a pirate ship after a brutal attack on a merchantman. He vividly recalls the smell of blood and burning timbers.
3) Martin often recalls the goodbye kiss he gave Sasha when she left him. No kiss he's had since ever compares to that memory.

If that's not it, well, it's close

That is pretty much exactly what I was looking for! Awesome, thanks a bunch.

Any advice as to how to implement the Action Points thing? (I'm running D&D 3.0/3.5, we don't have any action point system or anything similar)

This is definitely going to be helpful, I think. My group is a lot of fun, but we're like 10 sessions in and still have no background (granted, this isn't really their fault since it started as a one-shot, so no background was required). Hopefully this will be easy enough to do over Christmas break and I'll have a lot more material and characters to pull from.

-JM

[RTGoodman]

Any advice as to how to implement the Action Points thing? (I'm running D&D 3.0/3.5, we don't have any action point system or anything similar)

The Eberron setting introduced action points for 3.x. Basically, you get a certain number per level, and once per round you can use an action point to add 1d6 to any d20 roll. At higher levels you get to add either more or bigger dice (2d6 or 1d8 or something), I think, and there are a handful of feats that augment your action points.

If you don't like that, you you could just use the 4E system or something similar, where you get one per day/level/whatever that PCs can use to take one extra action or have an action automatically succeed or something.