I can kind of understand the point behind not being able to edit your history once set though... we have some impressive science/magic in Lusternia, but rewriting your own past is, afaIk, beyond us.

Writing your own past in whatever manner / view / lies one could desire should technically be beyond us, as well.

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I don't know that encouraging background writing for novices who have only a tentative grasp on the world is a very good idea. It can also encourage developing a background that is overly dramatic/includes a great many of what most people would deem rp flaws.

Then people can feel uncomfortable or trapped in something they no longer wish to have as a background/run into trouble because they find a family and this conflicts with their orphan background status.

indeed, I do think of it more as an accomplishment which should be geared more towards characters with a bit more solidly established RP than "I made it out of the portal and did some bashing in newton and isn't really cool about me?". Or even just fresh from the portal with a great character concept, because that can certainly change. Not all of the accomplishments are aimed at newbies, though. And appropriate warnings and such can be put in to help make sure they've been warned.

Though I do understand the concern, and it may be a valid one, I think it could be done.

You shouldn't write it until you've been around long enough that, when you ask "what should be in it," you don't have to wrack your brain but have a single answer come clearly to you. Lendren's didn't get written until he was in his 60s or 70s or so, I think, and there was a whole big whack of roleplay I did around then that built up to it. Definitely shouldn't expect any novices other than alts to be writing one.

I can see why one would be nervous about writing it since it can't be changed, but not writing one is just as wrong as having one that's wrong, in my opinion. So just get someone to proofread it before you commit it, that's all. Get five people to. Whatever.

I don't know, I feel sometimes that's something someone should ask me, not read on the website. :/

Didn't intend for writing a background to be a typical newbie achievement alright. Demonnic and Lendren had the right of it.

@Diamondais: You're right, they should ask you, and it would be bad if they somehow knew what you've done without asking. I just see backgrounds as a useful tool in shaping your character for yourself.

I can send a message back in time to tell me to do things different, easy.

I used to review histories on an old MUD. A good 70%+ of them followed this form:

's home is by .

is overlooked and is found by kindly old hermit who teaches them in the ways of .

Hermit is wanders/travels by various means to to start a new life.


Sometimes, you got some deviation. I remember one who was the son of a chieftian, and proceeded, as a toddler, to kill every last member of his tribe before wandering off to be a hero. Sadly, this one was accepted.

About 5-10% were actually fun to read. When we would congratulate the person and suggest that others take a look at it, there would invariably be someone who couldn't just read the thing, and would have to say, on a public channel, "that's not so great, I've seen better." or some variation thereof.

So yes, I don't really think backgrounds are super necessary, especially early on in character development.

Zayden and Aeral's histories (which are unpublished) didn't get written until they were in their 30s-40s, after I had an idea as to what they would do and be.

Arel's history would be boring: He grew up in Celest. Can't remember anything about his life before the portal besides that he liked the kitties in Celest. Knew from an early age he wanted to devote himself to knowledge. Quit Celest and went to Mag because Celest was getting the crap kicked out of them at the time and became a black robed priest of manipulation and evil. Voila.

Shuyin was born to a happy Serenwilde family, until evil Xavius of the Blacktalon seduced Butters to kill poor weak Sojiro and took his honeycakes. Then a burning hatred started.

Sylphas actually used to be really into gambling and drinking as problem solving skills, but that fell by the wayside eventually as he grew up. Which is kind of ironic, being first Brewmeister now and all.

In my opinion, I think public backgrounds give information that they shouldn't. But that's just me.

I also think backgrounds are hardly important in improving RP. You should roleplay your story for other people, not regurgitate it into a lite novel. That just makes people RP -less-.

Always thought of backgrounds as people recording their story for the Hall of Records, and when you looked up someone's history you were seeking it through that venue. It is sort of how I view looking at someone's HONOURS.

I like having my background there especially because there was a long period of time I went inactive. In the back of my mind I know I didn't completely disappear from Lusternia.

Yeah. Not only do I want to commit to writing something like that down generally, but I'd much rather have it vary depending on who I'm telling it to.

I don't think anyone was suggesting "it should be mandatory for everyone" so much as "it can be a tool that can help encourage roleplay" -- naturally it's not the only one and there's situations where it's not the right one. Generally, the people giving good reasons not to use it are not the people who needed advice on how to foster roleplay in the first place.

I prefer writing down stories in the form of journal entries about my character in the personal journal/other journals. Much more fun and then you can go back and look at them later or share them with others IC!

Fair enough. Although I do feel that encouraging background development is something that comes better from interaction with other players, than from having creating one be an achievement, which, while raising awareness of the possibility is a good thing, will likely not do anything other than cause people to encourage each other to just write something terrible in order to get whatever reward the achievement gives,

The people who develop a background are going to develop a background. Making it an achievement will just mean that some people will throw any old thing up just so they can get the achievement, without really stimulating any growth in rp, and it'll cause people who have no desire to create a