Backgrounds & Backstories in OSR Campaigns

Most of this post is probably just re-packaging the thoughts of others that I forgot I stole - apologies if that's true!

It was originally going to be in Runaway Princesses, but I decided it was a page that didn't really need to be there for just a GLOG hack, and would probably make a better blog post.

Backgrounds
Backgrounds give an insight into the life a character had before they became an adventurer. Players should be encouraged to elaborate and embellish whatever ideas they come up with from the hook of their background.

A good way to do that is for everyone at the table to ask questions during character creation (and the game, maybe while around the campfire) about aspects of the character’s background that they are interested in.
For example, “How come you’re an adventurer when you had a noble upbringing, surrounded by luxury?”, or, “What breed is your dog? Do they have a name?”.

Backstories
Some players like to turn those little details of their background into a more developed, backstory. This can be a great way to create a more multi-dimensional, interesting character, but it is also a trap if approached the wrong way. When writing a backstory, make sure it is:

• Game-able.
• As short as possible.
• Non-heroic. 

Game-Able
The more game-able a backstory is, the more it is likely to be actually used in the game. One way of achieving this is to address the backstory to the GM. Write only the stuff you want them to know and the stuff you think they can use to make the game better. Also, make sure to link them to the world in some way - for example, through an ally, or being a former member of a faction.

As Short As Possible
Don’t go beyond 2 paragraphs, and try using bullet points.

Non-Heroic
Heroism is earned through play. It’s assumed that you are creating a character at Level 1. At this point, they’re nobody but a plucky rogue who’s beginning their journey as an adventurer. It would be disingenuous to have a backstory full of great deeds of glory and majesty - those will come - if they survive... 

The Writer's Trap
Beware if you're the type of person who relishes the excuse to write a grand narrative when it comes to writing a backstory. See you shouldn't expect your character to survive. They may even die in the first session, and that would suck. I mean if you enjoy it, go ahead and write pages and pages of detail, have fun! However, if you know you would be furious or devastated when your character died early because you invested so much time in the backstory, probably best to avoid doing that.