Many players are disappointed or upset when their detailed backstories are not used in service of the game, and many DMs wish that player backstories were more table usable. I have found myself in this position as both player and DM, and after many different trials and experiments with my players I have found a solution that allows players creative freedom in their backstory while also giving DMs NPCs, locations, and other things to draw upon in their game. That is the Campaign Questionnaire

The Campaign Questionnaire should include about 5 questions with answers short enough to be completed in less than 30 minutes, ideally during a session 0. As the DM, you know the main factions, locations, and enemies in the campaign, so the questionnaire should focus on them. The goal is for each player character (PC) to establish at least one connection to an NPC, a location, an item, and a faction that the DM can use during the game. The questions should be flexible enough to fit your specific campaign—feel free to replace or remove any that don’t make sense. Below are the questions and explanations for each.

What is your name, species, and class? Who or what taught you the skills of your class, or how did you come to possess them?

This question focuses on the basics of the character while introducing an additional aspect for players to consider. Most characters should have an NPC or faction that taught or gifted them their skills. These mentors or benefactors make for experienced NPCs, deities, creatures, and factions that can serve as patrons for the party as they begin their journey. For other RPGs you can replace the species and class keywords with whatever your RPG uses.

You either grew up or spent a period of your life in **Insert Starting Town**, what was your favorite location in the town?

This question both tells the characters where they are starting and gives them a stake in the town. Players love to have a little bit of the world that is theirs so let them create a location in the town and give it some details if they want. On the DM side these locations work very well as starting points for session 1 or as home base for the players. With bastions introduced you could also see characters eventually turn one into their bastion.

This question also assumes that a smaller town will be used as the starting location for you game. It’s worth considering if you are using a larger city as your starting location to ask the players for locations bound to a specific district so that you can focus on that area at least for the beginning. For other starting points you can have players make landmarks in the general area or just ignore this question altogether.

A faction stole something from you. What faction and what was it?

This question gives the players an existing relationship with a faction in the game. Make sure to let them know that it doesn’t have to be an item but can be people or abstract concepts like “pride”. This can create a common enemy if players choose the same faction or dramatic tension if one PC is a member of a faction that stole something from another PC.

This can also be changed to focus on a specific faction if you know already the main bad guys of the game. I think that this question is important because it makes characters think about the factions while also often naturally forming a character goal because a lot of characters will naturally want to get back what was stolen from them.

You chose the life of an adventurer. What do you seek?

This is an important question. The most fun task as a DM for me is weaving a PC’s goal in and out of an existing campaign. However to be able to do that characters do need a concrete goal. Many will just say gold and that is ok because you can focus on the other goals. However it is important to try to have them make an achievable goal for your campaign length.

I think we also see many complaints of players playing the “reluctant adventurer” and forcing other PCs to drag them along to quests. This question tells them that they chose the life for themselves and sets up a boundary for the player if it wasn’t already on a campaign primer or discussed during session 0.

You have a connection to another PC. What is it?

I prefer my PCs to have a small web of connections before a campaign starts. It lets them have a bit of roleplay material to play off of immediately and makes sense for them to start in an already existing party because everyone will have at least 1 connection to another.

Alternate Questions

The 5 above are my favorites, but if you prefer to switch any out or add any extras I will include some more below.

• You named one of your weapons or your spellcasting focus. What is the name and why?
• Everyone has a guilty pleasure, what’s yours?
• Who was your childhood best friend? Where are they now?
• A faction aided you at your low point. What faction was it?
• What is a secret your character holds?
• What is the first thing someone notices about your character?
• What does your character order at a bar?
• There’s a magic item your character has dreamed of owning. What is it?
• What dnd experience have you always wanted as a player? To fight a beholder, get into a bar brawl, cast fireball on 30 enemies etc..
• If your character had one use of the wish spell what would their wish be?
• You left a faction recently. Why?
• You have a bounty on your head. What did you do?