Backgrounds are mandatory. They do not have to be long. They are not your personal creative writing exercise. Just the facts.

Your background must clearly answer the four questions below or it will be refused.

Some genres are required to provide more information than this, check the sub-genres rules pages for info.

Do not send us another game's background questions or forms, just because you think it answers these.

We want it in our format. Backgrounds that do not follow this will be refused.

Please don't send in your background until the character sheet is also completed. Please send them both together.

Also, please understand that Backgrounds are OOC. They are for the ST's use. Do not skip questions because your character does not IC know or remember some facts. Whether or not they remember the facts IC, we need to know and approve of what the facts are from an ST perspective.

Brief synopsis of how your character came to be what they are, from Childhood to now.

(e.g.: A Vampire's Embrace, a Werewolf's first change, a Mage's Awakening, or simply how a mortal was raised and why.) 

EXAMPLES:

• Where did you grow up? With who? Are you still in touch?

• How did this influence your character? Why are you not there now? 

• Who were your friends, family, mentors?

• How were you educated? What was school like, if your PC attended? If they didn't, why not?

• How were you Embraced (Kindred), Awakened (Mage), what was your First Shift like (Uratha), etc.?

• If you're a mortal, how did you end up wherever you are now?

[2] LEARNING (HOW DID YOU LEARN WHAT YOU KNOW?): 

Brief explanation of any dots you have in skills that would obviously have been taught, learned or earned. Also, provide explanation of SKILLS you have with 3+ dots. 

EXAMPLES: 

• Where'd you get streetwise from? Were you a runaway? A Thief?

• What exact languages do you speak? If you know more than 2, how'd you pick up so many?  

• Who exactly are your Allies/Contacts and what do they do for you?

• How did you learn to use weapons, and what kinds?

• What monetary source are your Resources from? What do you do to protect and grow that income?

• If you put Fame, where's it from? Are you known on sight, through reputation, or what? (Example: I haven't got a clue what Salvador Dali looks like, though I know and love his art.) 

• If you have a fake ID or fake Mortal Identity, what criminal do you know that got it for you, or what Gov't lackey do you control who edited your paperwork, Etc.)

[3] PURPOSE/AGENDA (WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING IN DC?): 

• Why are you coming to DC?

• Out of anywhere in the world that you could be going, why here in specific?

• What draws you here? And what's going to hold you here?

Mandatory Question: What is one short term (immediate) and one long term goal your character wishes to accomplish? (And steps to do so, if you think you already know them)

This question will set up the agenda your character should be up to at all times. This will also give you ideas for things to write in your downtimes. The purpose of this question is to make sure you aren't in a place where you have nothing to do.

There will rarely if ever be a time you will have absolutely nothing to do, if you go by the answer to this question. You should have a goal in mind at all times, even if you don't pursue it every day IC.

[4] USEFULNESS/SIGNIFICANCE (WHY SHOULD OTHER PCs CARE?): 

• What does your character do that other PCs will care about?

• Does he know someone here? Work somewhere local? Have a skill to barter with? 

• What makes your PC care to talk to other PCs?

• Where will you be hanging out, that other PCs might to run into you or seek you out? (An ST can help you with specifics, if you aren't sure what to say but can name the type of place)

This question will set the stage for the locations your character will use to enter the storyline.

Some PCs, by virtue of their design, can't begin play as already being residents of DC. So they must "arrive."

Not all characters will newly arrive in DC being "in the know" where certain important IC locations are. This especially applies to, for example, knowing where Elysium is, what territories belong to what supernatural group IC so you don't accidentally go where you will be attacked, what clubs are "supernatural-friendly", etc. This knowledge is bought on your sheet, explained in your background, or earned via RP, or you don't have it.

What you should know is expected to be addressed either in your PC’s Background (#4: why you came to DC & who you will hang out with), or through finding out IC from other PCs or your Allies & Contacts. If you do not indicate how you should know places or people in advance and have it approved in your background, you will be thrown into play blind and have to RP out combing the city IC to find a PC of relevance to yours.

You can find a description of the types of PCs we do not want to see in the game HERE.

You can find a description of Merits and other Powers that are restricted HERE.

However there are also certain background items that we may restrict on a temporary or permanent basis, for our own reasons.

You may encounter PCs who already have something from the below list in their background, because they did it before we decided to cap it. They could very well be the reason it is capped.

These restrictions are for all PCs in all genres. Any Genre-specific restrictions are listed on the rules pages for that genre.

Being Stuck: If you have problems writing a background, try just pasting these four questions into a text file and then answer them, putting the answers underneath each question like a quiz. 

If you get stuck, please ask your ST for hints and help on answers, but do not omit any questions or dawdle on it for weeks. Again, backgrounds are not a creative writing exercise; they are an ST and player tool to coach RP with. 

Length of BG: If you insist on writing a novel for whatever reason, PLEASE summarize the answers (as in approximately one sentence answers) to the "Big Four" someplace on the sheet. 

We don't give XP for long backgrounds. They are not useful to us. Backgrounds that are deliberately verbose, in hopes of sucking out extra freebies or XP, will be refused and sent back with a pair of scissors. Long is not always good. Short is not always bad. If you wish to write out additional information for your own use, then feel free, as long as you put the Big Four first, so we can get to what we need and skip the creative writing exercise.

Quality of BG: We know not everyone writes professionally or at that level, but we do expect some effort. 

BG's that are one large paragraph of babble, not spell-checked at least somewhat, or fail to answer ALL FOUR questions will be automatically rejected, so don't even waste anyone's time sending them.

The ST's have enough things they need to scrutinize it for, without trying to decipher incomprehensible grade school level scribble. Players here are at least 18 years old, and are therefore capable of that level of writing. 

You might catch an ST busy or sleepy when you DCC it, and end up overwriting someone else's when you send it in, by accident.