"Your backstory is factually incredulous..."

So its coming round to that time when people probably have at least a concept, and in the case of most people I've talked to a group concept, for the characters they want to play in the new chronicle. With the planned stating session fast approaching it's time to start looking at what I would like from people prior. What I want to do with the Changeling slot of the statting session is for players to generate character ties, form motleys or group concepts (as I'm expecting players being players to already have started statting characters).


Before the statting session:

1. If you haven't yet I would suggest reading my blog posts; 'From National to Local Level' and 'The Changeling Courts of Norwich' posts are the most important for getting the getting the tone of the game I am running.
2. Could you please email me at norwich.lost.lst@islesofdarkness.com with the seeming, Kith and Court you intend to play as well as a one sentence character concept.
3. If you are planning on having anything at beginning of chronicle that might require an approval (I would use the old chronicle Lost addenda as a reference for that) could you also include that in the email.
4. Have a think about the answers to the Character questionnaire below

For people who are in the process of statting you have 160xp as per the addenda (150xp plus two months cap due to Requiem restarting earlier). No trait can start at five with the exception of Wyrd (if you really want to put all your xp into it) and the attribute selected for Arcadian body (in which case you cannot raise that attribute to six at character creation). This gives players something to aim for as a character goal. On top of that characters may earn a one time award of 2xp for submitting a background (to earn this you will need to submit a completed character questionnaire) and a further one time award of 1xp for providing an IC biography for distribution to all players.


As per the universal setting document, If you also want a secondary Lost character they will have to belong to a different domain.


The Character Questionnaire
So rather than a traditional backstory that narrates what has happened to a particular character before the Chronicle start I would like players to answer a series of questions about their character (a la God Machine Chronicle). The reason I am doing this, and the reason this post is titled, is because Clarity is how a Changeling sees and responds to reality. Being broken down in Arcadia and attempting to rebuild themselves, Changeling's don't have access to any sort of objective reality and more than most people have to seriously question their own memories. Therefore instead of telling me what happened to your character tell me what your character believes.


Below are 25 questions that I would like you to answer about your character. Not all of them may be applicable to your character and its cool for you to answer some with 'no one' or 'nothing' but try to explain that as the more you put in the more I can take out. Fell free to answer some IC and others OOC. I would suggest reading the four subheadings below first as they detail what I'm looking for in a backstory and might help you answer some of the more left field questions.


For people who still want to write a 'traditional' backstory I would suggest writing it as the IC biography (just remember everything in that biography is easily obtainable IC knowledge).


The Duality of Changelings
So pretty much everyone I have already spoken to about what they are intending to play in the new chronicle has only mentioned their 'Fae' persona with no reference to their 'Human' life (which to be honest is fair as no one ever got enthused about playing a guy struggling to hold down a menial nine-to-five job...especially when you can play a dragon). However one of the core themes of Changeling is navigating the thin tightrope of this duality, even the most dogmatic Spring courtier's actions are informed by the person they perceived they were. What I want is for players to think about the mundane challenges their characters face and the dissonance between their lives before and after Arcadia.


Motive Vs. Circumstance
I'm going to be honest here, as an ST tool I don't like player backstories. The backstories I have read have all been really enjoyable reads  and have provide insightful, but when you have to periodically go over them looking for plot worthy details it can be time consuming and sometimes, in the context of the plot you want to run, unproductive. What I really want is the answers to three questions: 'what can I bait your character with?', 'what can I do to harm your character?' and 'where does your character want to go?'
Therefore, by asking for a background in the form of this Character questionnaire I have a quick reference for various circumstances that might come up in play. From a player perspective, this also puts the emphasis on a characters reasons for doing something rather than simply reporting stuff that has happened; I've tried to make the questions as open ended as possible so players can put their own spin and emphasis on them. After all, how you define a question can be as insightful as the content of the answer.


An Anthology of Memories
Most Folkloric characters don't have an established chronology of action and consequence, instead there are usually multiple episodic tales attributed to them. In my own experiences playing with an established and ordered background makes it less likely it will come into play for fear of going 'too far down the rabbit hole': everyone usually has that one skeleton in the closet from their backstory that they simultaneously want to come up in game but don't want other characters to use against them. This makes players less likely to openly draw on their characters experiences because this can lead to unwanted scrutiny. By breaking up a backstory into a series of questions you can make each answer a self contained story which is easier to offer up on the alter of good roleplay.


'Trigger Warnings'
Everyone has things that make them uncomfortable in a roleplaying environment for various reasons: although I am pitching Lost as an Urban Fantasy WOD in general is a horror game and as such there should be times when there is tension and unease. So with that in mind, using a questionnaire instead of a traditional background players can give me things they are comfortable with but will freak their characters out. (As an aside if there is something you are uncomfortable with coming up in play feel free to drop me a discreet message and it won't turn up).
Moreover, from an in character perspective Changelings will only vaguely remember the rules of Faerie and undoubtedly have forgotten the rhyme or reason behind them. As such the Lost harbour many superstitions which they believe either ward off or attract the Gentry.

1. Who are you?
2. Who were you?
3. What are you?
4. What is the worst thing you have done?
5. What is the worst thing you could imagine yourself doing?
6. What is the worst thing you can imagine someone else doing?
7. What did you endure?
8. What have you forgotten?
9. What brought you back?
10. What have you lost?
11. What do you intend to (re)claim?
12. What three rules will you never break?
13. Who doesn't know, but suspects you are not exactly 'human'?
14. Who could give you up to the Gentry right now, if they really wanted to?
15. Have you ever considered working for the Gentry?
16. What will you protect at all costs?
17. What are ‘acceptable losses’?
18. What keeps the wolves from your door?
19. What is your sweetest dream?
20.  ...and your most chilling nightmare?
21.  What do you bring to the Freehold?
22.  What does the Freehold do for you?
23.  What’s that in the corner of your eye?
24. "That you can only see me because you are mad, does not mean that I do not really exist". Who said that?
25. 'Freedom is Slavery'. Discuss.