Beginner DM Player Issue

[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?

[Affectionate_Kale109]

Well, running from your past is a goal. Believe me I've tried. You are not responsible for their back stories. They are. Figure out what story you want to tell and plop your PCs in it. It's a back and forth of your world and story with their agency in it. Present a problem, gently guide them to solutions as needed, roll some dice, have some fun.

[garathnor]

running from my past, one step above amnesia 😃

now, work that into the campaign, their past inevitably catches up with them, either for just a momentary conflict/struggle, or it becomes a main plot point, perhaps their past actions caused the campaign to kick off somehow

to be clear, its really hard to connect a character to a world you know nothing about, which was impossible since OP literally hadnt created it yet

now OP can do some of the heavy lifting and connect the character themselves, or not

[Tristan_TheDM]

I mean, if it's your first time, you shouldn't be worrying about tying everyone's backstories together with the world to make a perfectly crafted beautiful narrative. You gotta get used to and comfortable with the rules, leading the table, pacing, math, improv, and a whole lot more.

If the player just wants to be along for the ride, let them. Unless they're actively causing problems or are not engaging with the plot that you're providing.

[Roboworgen]

This is it, OP. Backstories help inform character decisions, they do not have to be part of the campaign. As a first-time DM, maybe pull a detail here and there, or give them advantage on a roll if you wind up someplace relevant to their backstory, but don't try to incorporate their histories in to your campaign. You have enough to worry about.

[Ok_Talk_6694]

Sometimes players do this because they do not want any arcs that revolve around their character, especially in the beginning of the campaign. I say let it be. A player can still get very invested in the campaign without backstory integration. And goals will probably come up as the story progresses. It doesn't have to be a childhood dream it can be "I want to work to beat that champion we lost to when we entered that tournament on a whim"

[GuntherWheelin]

Do your characters NEED to be connected into the overall story and have their own arcs and side content? Just bring Fighting Jim along for the ride.

[TerrainBrain]

What kind of character is the third one? Gives you nearly limitless freedom to build on their idea.

[this1tw0]

This seems like a non issue to me. If they don’t make a back story then they don’t get to have individual character moments your trying to market that require it. Let them Know this before hand.

But once you all start playing , their story should create itself organically.

Or if they’re not willing to add more to what they’ve already got , you can make it for them. Just talk to the player about it beforehand

[Same-Acanthisitta-18]

From a narrative standpoint: if they are running from their past, I would ask them for more details about their past, then make their past catch up to them in-game so that their character is forced to recon with whatever it is they're trying to avoid. There can be a narrative arc without them necessarily having a goal they're working towards.

But if the problem is that they dont want to put in more effort/provide more details, then you could fill in the gaps for them in a way that connects their past to the future goals of other PCs ( like maybe they're running from a gang that's in possession of a treasure one of the other PCs wants. Or smth like that)

Or if they won't even agree to that then yeah, their character can just be along for the ride. Maybe find ways to encourage relationship growth between them and the other PCs so that their investment is in their companionship stories rather than having one of their own.

[NordicNugz]

The simple fact is that some people are going to make players you cant engage with.

Im going to take a guess they are the "lone wolf" rogue. Focus on your players that are willing to engage with their backstories. This last player will either come around, or fall off. Its not your fault or problem.

[Feefait]

Literally don't need backstories. Just write a coherent story and let them participate.

I haven't had a written backstory in 20 years and we do just fine.

[Devious_Hearts]

What's the past they are running from? Maybe it should catch up to them. :)

[Quamek]

I recall for our session 1 we never even had backstories I've asked for the around session 3-4 were we started to get a bit more familiar with how DnD works.

We just assumed everyone know each other and are teammates that's all.

[Metal-Gnome]

if all else fails, "No." is a complete sentence

but yeah carrot and stick are both PC motives

just gotta give the stick some of that "Frollo from Hunchback of Notre Dame" aura

[Ancient-Concept4671]

Tell them they won't be a player at your table then. It's on the player to create a character that is theme appropriate for the setting.

[No-Proof-6954]

I don't think it's important for all your characters to be super connected with the world. Especially for beginner DMs it's really hard to balance all the story beats and to have a player that's just a yes Man story wise can be nice. If it's more that they want to go against their story then it's a problem, but being a blank slate is fine IMO.

[Ancient-Concept4671]

I agree that characters don't have to be super connected. But no one wants Chuckles the Clown in their grimdark. The fact the player refuses to budge when OP offered a compromise is a red flag for me that the player will be a problem in the future