Prequels to a familiar story are not just a cheap, Hollywood ploy to wring as much money as possible out of a box-office hit movie. When there’s a well-loved character involved, people are genuinely interested in that character’s past.
How many times have you read a novel, fallen in love with a character (or two) and then wondered what their whole story was?
A prime example of exploring a character’s past is the new Star Trek movie. The cast of characters appeared back in 1966 in a low-budget television show that by today’s standards would have been laughable.
Somehow, though, the characters captured the hearts and imaginations of generations – and they’re still going strong. Millions of people are familiar with the faces and names of characters from the show, and just as many are familiar with character quotes and specific episodes.
When the first Star Trek movie was released in theatres, fans flocked to catch up with characters as close to their hearts as old friends. They wanted to see what Kirk and Spock had been up to all these years. It was almost like a family reunion.
Explore Character History
Going back in time to explore a moment in your character’s history opens up new venues for the character’s present and future development. You can learn more and go in depth why certain relationships turned out the way they did, and why your character is the way he or she is.
In Star Trek, we saw how bonds formed between the crew of the Enterprise. Not everything was rosy in the beginning. There was plenty of conflict between characters, which made the story that much more believable and appreciated.
When you see the struggles of the past and know how the character overcame them, that character becomes more cherished. Who likes a hero who can do everything? That’s no fun. A hero that people know became a hero the hard way is far more enjoyable.
One way to do this in a role-playing game is to explore a friendship your character had in the past. If the two characters grew up together or have been together for a number of years, it’s fun to go back in time and poke around within that friendship and see how it developed.
Going back to the first time they met is always an adventure. Did they like each other right away? Did the sparks fly? How did they meet and what happened next?
Kirk and Spock had an explosive early relationship, for example. The television show had told us they were close friends, but how did they get to be that way? And what fun is a perfect friendship? The movie of their past revealed the struggles they shared, how they overcame the conflict, and how they earned the strong friendship.
No History? No Problem.
What if your character doesn’t have a history with any other character in the game? What if you’re stuck on creating an imaginary friend that won’t become part of the current game to act as a past friend? What if you’re bored stiff role-playing two of your own characters at once?
No problem. Grab a fellow player or a Storyteller. Tell them you want to explore a certain time in your character’s background, give them a specific character to play opposite you and let the fun begin.
All you need is the premise of the scene. Let the rest flow from there. Don’t be surprised if you get results you hadn’t expected, either. If you’re at the point where you’re diving into your character’s past, chances are he’s already taken on a life of his own and isn’t always predictable now.
Defining Moments
Not every exploration of the past has to do with a relationship. You can pinpoint a particular crossroads or event that occurred and define the moment with such clarity that it makes present playing a more enriching experience for you and your readers.
What part of your character’s history made such an impact it changed his or her life forever? What choices did he have to make? Does he regret any decisions he made then today? What would he have done differently, had he the chance to go back in time?
The beauty of revisiting these defining moments is that you can expand them far beyond the paragraph or two you wrote for your initial character concept. Some of these moments are whole stories in themselves.
And isn’t telling a story what it’s all about?
Since joining Escaping Reality, I have found that knowing more about your character’s past help with the writing.
Before joining ER, I would create my characters and give the a few past details but found that I was struggling for usable material about my character to writing about. I was stumped and my work would either get bored or I would just give up because I didn’t have a solid character base.
Now, I try to create my characters with a good solid background and I can use that as reference and be about to look at it when I come to writing character descriptions or their history. I am able to know where my character has been and why they act the way they do.
It’s awesome.
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