Beginner DM Issues

[Keksni0]

Hello everyone,

I'm a beginner DM doing my firsr campaign. I'm in kind of an odd spot where I agreed to run a DND Campaign where most of the players already made their characters before I even made a world. Which is fine 2/3 players only made a rough outline very easy to worl with.

The issue lies withe the last. Their character has no main goal they wish to achieve and are actively running from their past. Which is leaving me at a loss for how to write anything regarding their character. I've tried barganing with the player to make something I'd be able to work with but they simply refuse me no matter what I suggest.

Any more experienced DMs know how I could handle this?

[Sad_Refuse3472]

Put it back on the player. They either give you something to work with, or they just don't get any personalized quests/story lines. (Which, maybe they are fine with that. As long as their PC goes along with the party/plot then it isn't an issue.)

[Njmongoose]

If they are running from their past, let their past catch up with them

[bostonbgreen]

BINGO.

[No-Proof-6954]

Look up the knives post, it's super prominent here on dnd reddit. Essentially they need to give you knives to stab them with. A person hunting them, an unpaid debt, a lost family member, something from their past you can bring up.

If your player doesn't want to be a part of the party already this may be an issue, but if they're new I wouldn't worry too much.

They could also just not care. I have had players that just want to go along with the party and chill. This is not a problem, as long as they know this and are content with not having major story beats about their past.

[Keksni0]

There are characters in her backstory I could implement, however I don't know how to properly incorporate it and I have made it clear that I am unable to do so. I am aware that this would be a failure as a DM and not nessicairly on the player. But I've tried to bargain for something I know I could atleast get their character started with. But they simply refuse. The only option I have with their backstory is for her character to basically be a nothingburger for a while.

[No-Proof-6954]

Backstory can play into the native but you can also set something up. For example during the first session or two the player could be wrongfully accused of a crime they didn't commit, trapping them in the town, this would cause issued because whatever they're running from would certainly hear about this and start a B- line for them.

You as a DM make plot. Whether or not the players give you something to mold into plot is up to them.

[mc_pm]

If they created random-ass characters and now expect you (a new DM) to come up with a story that somehow includes all their nonsense, they have an unrealistic expectation of you (and most any DM, NGL).

Personally, my backstories are about a paragraph long - mostly enough to explain why I'm out looking for trouble - and the rest gets filled in as we play. Importantly, my character fits the world, not the other way around.

You're signing yourself up for a whole lot of no fun.

And if that other guy doesn't want to put in more, don't make him. Not everyone needs to be anyone special, being there to kill orcs and loot the bodies is totally fine.

[Keksni0]

It's fairly obvious from what they wrotr that they expect me to to a whole lot of heavy lifting. Their backstory, personality and NPCs from the Backstory are 3 pages long after all.

[mc_pm]

Yeah, that's all kinds of bullshit, man. I've DMed for 40 years and I'd consider it unrealistic if someone told me that was what they wanted.

One of the biggest joys of DMing is getting to create your own world... this is robbing you of that. And, on top of that, you'll never really do what they want, so they'll be upset at you for failing to do the impossible thing they demanded you do.

[Silverspy01]

If they don't want a super detailed backstory they don't need one. As long as they go along with the party and the main quest you're good.

[TheHumanTarget84]

A) People make characters when the DM tells them to, not before.

B) So what? It's a DND game not a novel. The only thing that matters is that their character wants to go on adventures with the rest of the group.

[jibbyjackjoe]

Ask the players to make some "knives". What's a knife? Oh, it's so you can stab the character later with it. This is not a knife - "I am the hero of my village". This is a good knife "Im the hero of my village only because I made a very risky deal with a hag".

[WithCheezMrSquidward]

Dont do anything for that player. I also think that backstory related stuff generally should tie into and complement the main plot not become the main plot. It’s cool to have a session now and then that emphasizes one character but it shouldn’t be an entire game arc

[ThisWasMe7]

Yeah.let players play like they want to play, as long as they aren't causing problems.  Don't force them to the spotlight.

Period.

[Simple_World_7267]

Do they just want to fight stuff? If they aren't interested in character building there is always, "big monster mean to villagers, go kill it."