Character biographies: Incentives?

[Ghost]

As mentioned in the BGTSCC Roadmap, Winter 2021 and 2022, we are looking at reintroducing character biography approvals. Here is the quote:

Restarting Character Bio Rewards
The DM team is looking at restarting rewards for character bios to better encourage players to create rich and developed characters that fit with the Forgotten Realms setting.

However, we are going a little bit deeper than the old ones. We are looking to make these biographies truly matter, and thus we also increase the reward for writing them. And with higher reward comes higher expectation and requirements for approval, of course. The idea is to encourage deeper character development, and thus deeper RP. These biographies will be optional, of course, but having them will make it easier for the DM team to support requests related to specific characters, such as requests involving a character's background.

We are still working on format and requirements.

However, for it to be a success, people must actually be willing to write and have their biographies checked and approved. And for that, we need incentives. Right now we're looking at a fairly high sum of XP (or gold).

So I come to the community to ask:
What would encourage you to write a biography for approval?

Feel free to give answers in PMs if you would rather not give them here. Also, I am not here to discuss the format, or whether or not we should support biographies. I am only looking for what incentives you would like. I am going to moderate strictly to keep it on topic.

[JIŘÍ]

Two points.

If concerning new Pc, then crossing the first five levels so character can actually do some minor adventuring.

Second, something that would support the background. Either some small random happening concerning some things tied to the biography (aka someone would list he is an outcast and wanted somewhere, and one day bounty hunters would come to get him).
Or an item that would be tied to the story as a heirloom.

[JIŘÍ]

And perhaps, to make a simple website database where they would be filled in, approved and added / or removed. With easy use of search of names for characters making work of DMs easier to find and pick what belongs to a PC.

[Xorena]

Two points.

If concerning new Pc, then crossing the first five levels so character can actually do some minor adventuring.

Second, something that would support the background. Either some small random happening concerning some things tied to the biography (aka someone would list he is an outcast and wanted somewhere, and one day bounty hunters would come to get him).
Or an item that would be tied to the story as a heirloom.

I actually really like both of these ideas. I suppose as a player you could make the item with the DMFI tool, like your grandfather's sword from the orc wars, but having that be blessed by a DM as legitimate would go a long way toward fostering RP.

[Almarea90]

To me, more than gold and exp, the biggest reward would be for the background to matter. I understand it might be challenging and therefore impossible to implement due to the large numbers of characters around, but it would be great if every now and then an NPC in some DM event could make a reference to a character's backstory or development or if things in the world happened related to it.
Alternatively it would be also great for the development plot to be personalized on said background and not just the request itself, if they aren't already.

I absolutely love Xorena's idea of the personalized item as well. Not something gamebreaking of course, but for the flavour of RP.

I also have a question: will the reward be for new characters only or will it be retroactive even for those who have a background already for their character and decide to submit it to the scrutiny of the DM team?

[Steve]

I know quite a few good/invested Role-players that are terrible writers, even more terrible at using the Forum to support IG RP.

I don’t know if incentivizing bios helps these players get “deeper” into RP, or provides them access to a reward system.

Just to say.

However, I’ve always seen bios as fundamental to an investment in role-play, and makes for a richer experience. But also having written umptine bios for my various characters over the years and seen 1% of that investment actually matter to anything DMs do/provide, I can’t help but be skeptical.

But yes, rewards, especially Big Rewards motivate.

[Ghost]

I know quite a few good/invested Role-players that are terrible writers, even more terrible at using the Forum to support IG RP.

I don’t know if incentivizing bios helps these players get “deeper” into RP, or provides them access to a reward system.

Just to say.

However, I’ve always seen bios as fundamental to an investment in role-play, and makes for a richer experience. But also having written umptine bios for my various characters over the years and seen 1% of that investment actually matter to anything DMs do/provide, I can’t help but be skeptical.

But yes, rewards, especially Big Rewards motivate.

Also, I am not here to discuss the format, or whether or not we should support biographies. I am only looking for what incentives you would like. I am going to moderate strictly to keep it on topic.

[Steve]

I know quite a few good/invested Role-players that are terrible writers, even more terrible at using the Forum to support IG RP.

I don’t know if incentivizing bios helps these players get “deeper” into RP, or provides them access to a reward system.

Just to say.

However, I’ve always seen bios as fundamental to an investment in role-play, and makes for a richer experience. But also having written umptine bios for my various characters over the years and seen 1% of that investment actually matter to anything DMs do/provide, I can’t help but be skeptical.

But yes, rewards, especially Big Rewards motivate.

Also, I am not here to discuss the format, or whether or not we should support biographies. I am only looking for what incentives you would like. I am going to moderate strictly to keep it on topic.

Well then, the incentive that biographies would actually matter. Beyond the cheap “gift” or “bribe” that a chunk of XP or Gold represents.

[Alexander Holgart]

First of all, I love the idea of being more attentive to backgrounds.

Just that on itself for me is a reward to the whole community.

As long as they make sense lore wise I don't think the staff will be punishing anybody, this is mostly an answer to the objection about not particularly good writers.

I also believe that is a great tool for DMs to provide a better experience.

But anyway, to the main point of this thread... incentives.

I do like the ideas explained before my post, but I was also thinking... is it possible to give an xp bonus to one character in any sort of way? Like a +10% exp gain on characters that have provided an approved background. If you like the idea and it is doable, feel free to pick the percentage you prefer.

Other ideas like consequences in RP and signature items are something I would have proposed myself as well.

[DaloLorn]

Steve and Ed are probably right - the best option is to make the background somehow relevant to RP. I have doubts about the team's ability to do that consistently (if not because of how many PCs there are, then because I can still count my DM encounters on my fingers after two years! ), but I'm firmly convinced that nothing else you do will top that.

The "bribes", as Steve described them, will vary considerably in number and significance. You probably want something that'll encourage established PCs to get bios, but also something that's not too overpowered. You're likely to end up with some ad hoc mixture of these, possibly subject to player choice:

• A large bundle of XP or GP. Definitions of "large" will vary.
• A bundle of starter gear appropriate to the backstory. Probably +1 items, maybe a few +2s, depending on how generous you want to be.
• Alternatively, instead of starter gear, one "heirloom" or "artifact" item, that should remain reasonably relevant throughout the character's lifetime. Probably not on par with epic items, but still pretty respectable.
  
  I'd say it definitely should be a bit more special than "plain +4 item you can buy in Kraak Helzak for 10-20k", but this does not necessarily mean it should be a +4 as long as it has something else going for it. (The initial statblock could also be weakened, with the caveat that the PC should probably be able to somehow RP towards improving it. Sort of like the Greenhilt sword in Order of the Stick, though you're obviously not going to let them get a +5 weapon. )
  
  I could submit a few examples from Frin's campaign, of items which don't normally exist, aren't nearly the best in their item type (in fact, once I eliminate the fact that I gave them a few feat items, most NPC inventories were well within what I'd consider plausible RIG outcomes for CRs 15-25), but are still potent enough that many of my PCs would be unlikely to upgrade away from them for a good while.

Ideally, you want something that'll stick with the character for a good while, which is why the heirloom item and the RP consequences are among the best options so far. However, Alexander's proposal raises the option of long-term mechanical consequences. This could take a few interesting forms, too:

• Boost to character XP gains. Mundane, but practical. My biggest fear is that it'll help people outlevel me when they already do so, but... yeah. If you agree on a figure, I'm fairly confident I can implement it.
• Slightly increased CR range for looting? Alternatively, better odds of getting the good stuff when looting? This is a hard one to balance, and while I definitely know ways of coding it up, I'm not at all comfortable giving suggestions as to the finer points of such a system. Too many variables, too many ways for it to go wrong and flood the economy with stuff we don't want to flood the economy with.
• Pre-approved crossplay. This is a big one, and I don't think it'll be allowed, but there's probably the occasional character concept that would work better starting out of Soubar/Roaringshore (if UD) or Sshamath/Rockrun (if surfacer) than their natural spawn points. (Amusingly, Virin is not the sort of character whose bio would compel me to approve her for starting in the UD, but her early on-server days certainly would have gone smoother if she had been. I do have a few character ideas that could only work if they were pre-approved for crossplay, and I've actually played one such character on Ravenloft. I also know plenty of people with characters who would have made more sense with crossplay, and one or two that seem to be trying to be comfortable in both realms...)
  
  Surface UDers would probably mostly be limited to half-drow born and raised on the surface (I did that with Aeryn on Ravenloft), or I guess Vhaeraunites/Eilistraeens from Cormanthor. There might be one or two other ideas I'm not considering, I dunno.
  
  UD surfacers would probably be escaped slaves, since we have no drow settlements where starting out as active slaves would be viable (even if it were permissible within the server rules). There may be a teensy bit of wiggle-room for other options, but not a lot that I can think of. (Then again, the figures in the Sshamath lore thread indicate that there are approximately 500 elves, 3000 humans, and 1000 miscellaneous people living free in the Darkwoods...)
• A free backstory-appropriate feat. If not carefully supervised, this could backfire in ways more horrible than the heirloom items ever could (someone already mentioned silly things like wizards with Extra Skill: Tumble), but it'll definitely stick with the PC!

[Ghost]

So I'll give you a little bit of insight into the numbers we've been looking at for XP/gold rewards: We were thinking somewhere between 10000 to 20000. The current draft is 20000. I hope this gives you some ideas about what kind of standards we are expecting in biographies.

For context, if 20000 xp was given to a level 1 character (ECL 0), they would be 1000xp away from level 7. If given to a level 20 character, it would bring them to level 21. So we're talking a fairly significant reward here.

I want to stress though, that we may just scrap XP/gold entirely (or leave it low and symbolic). Instead, several DMs - including me - are enjoying this heirloom idea. I have some thoughts on it, but I won't share all of them here until I have something solid. However, for this item to be significant and RP important, it would be completely tied to the character. No giving it away to others (except explicitly by DM approval) and no muling it through RCRs to different characters.

It is going to take me a little bit of extra time to codify a system for these heirlooms, though. But I very much like the idea.

Nothing is set in stone. I'm not promising anything here.

[Whirlwind]

I like this heirloom item idea too.

Item upgrades / modifications would be nice too - if possible.

This is assuming the character is pre-established and wants something they already have tweaked slightly.

[Xorena]

… several DMs - including me - are enjoying this heirloom idea. I have some thoughts on it, but I won't share all of them here until I have something solid. However, for this item to be significant and RP important, it would be completely tied to the character. No giving it away to others (except explicitly by DM approval) and no muling it through RCRs to different characters.

It is going to take me a little bit of extra time to codify a system for these heirlooms, though. But I very much like the idea.

I like this spin on the idea. For players who are interested in medium to high-RP this will be great.

Imagine:

A smith with his daddy's hammer that gives him +x to craft armor/weapons and 2 fire resist (because he works at the forge all day and is somewhat used to the heat).

A young woman departs her village with her martyred aunt's bloodstained bible.

Mechanically:

If you are going to make it something that a player would carry with them always it ought to have little weight. That way they are not tempted to stash it in a bank (if you can even do that). It would probably have to have some kind of unbreakable curse? Going to PM Ghost an idea...

[yyj]

The biography is a character is very important and an integral part of rp.

The reward should be that it matters and roleplay comes out of it.

I disagree with exp, item or heirloom reward because it happens the same as with the outpost system, it makes roleplay a medium for power and mechanical progress rather than a storytelling medium.

[Rain]

The biography is a character is very important and an integral part of rp.

The reward should be that it matters and roleplay comes out of it.

I disagree with exp, item or heirloom reward because it happens the same as with the outpost system, it makes roleplay a medium for power and mechanical progress rather than a storytelling medium.

I 2nd this. To ensure that people feel an incentive towards their RP story the main showcase for this should be similar to what steve promoted and that will come from the DM team ensuring those who make these bios have atleast some symblance of their bios being incorporated into their character / guild / or server plot weather that be in a minor or major way.