How to write a good bio.

[enots 0]

Whether your new to the whole RP scene or not this tutorial is a good guide on where to start your characters biography.

Firstly, A wordy history that is well written is much appreciated, but were not all literary geniuses like Tolkien and Lewis so try to keep it between 1-3 paragraphs.

Three paragraphs should be more than enough room to layout a good history. Your also not going to run around just telling random strangers your whole life story so it doesn't have to be a dazzling or drawn out, but still needs to be concrete.

Second, put some time into it. You want to get accepted right? Dont just throw some random junk that pops into your head the second you start typing. Brainstorm a bit. Ya sure you could play on here and do what you do on any other MC server. Or you can create a history that gives meaning and direction to your actions in Aegis. Start with - Where your from? What has made you who you are today? Why have you decided to venture from your home town or to to settle into a town? What are your traits/?(Fears, Likes, Dislikes, Are you hot-headed, calm and quiet, ect.) These things are important to look at because they give your character a goal and a personality. Say your goal is to bring all those nasty bandits to justice. Don't just make this your goal because bandits are bad. Figure out what in your past could have caused this to be your main focus. (By the way the bandit scenario was just an example which is used way to often by people. Which brings me to my next point...)

Originality. To some this is a foreign concept. But if you're looking to play on this server I would hope you have some form of this, along with an imagination. Many a biographies center around bandits and monsters wiping out characters villages or homes, and the death of their family. If everyones history is like this how are you being original? And is that really what it takes to make your character want to go out and explore the world? You can have a good history without making it all to dramatic. It doesn't matter if your parents were farmers or merchants. That doesn't necessarily make you any more or less of a good fighter or politician because you are going to shape who you become through your actions. Also try not to stretch it too far for example: Your not going to be able to walk into Oren claiming to be a long-lost bloodline that Deserves the throne. They'll call you a lunatic. And you're not going to be the best elven marksman around because your still new to aegis. So try to keep it simplistic in that sense. Also go into the mundane. Talking about your childhood hobbies or friendships is also a good idea. It helps bring who you are into shape while also adding a unique feel to your biography.

Your personality can be shaped by your past. As i stated above you should include your traits somewhere in your biography. You dont have to give a detailed list of every trait. Just try to add it into the story itself.

For example say your mother sheltered you as a child. This could make you a some what shy and timid person. Or you could have had a father who couldn't quite ever keep his mouth shut so you run yours even more. It doesn't matter what it is just try to tie it all together in your background. regardless if no one else reads it but you and an admin it gives you a concrete foundation on how your character will interact with the world, and give you an idea on how your going to respond in certain situations.

One of the biggest mistakes people make outside of their actual biography itself is not proof reading. Hopefully you said yes to the above question about having a good grasp of the english language, so why would you not stick to that and proof read your work?

So in a nutshell...

Things you SHOULD write into your character history:

- Any important people in your character’s life, and their names, places of residence, possible current activities, etc

- Any formative experiences that have shaped your character into who they are today

- Any places or people or interest in your character’s past,

- A variety of caveats, loopholes, “unsolved mysteries”, strife, etc. Missing relatives ( not dead ), broken ties, that sort of thing. ( makes for good RP )

- The series of events that led you to do the things you do.

- Keep it Original.

Things you SHOULDN’T write into your character history:

- Authority over peasants, players, or land (etc)

- A strange secret race you belong to, or similar. keep it within the bounds of reality.

- A background or concept you have used in another game, be it a online, DnD, etc -- try something new!

- Having powers that supercede what you can actually do. ( as far as your stats go )

I hope this was helpful to you all.

Also if anyone has anything they think i should add just let me know and ill put it in here. ( With due credit and perhaps some minas for you too XD )

[Alex_Pan 112]

I'd also like to add that your parents don't have to have been brutally murdered when you were a child in order to be an adventurer; there is literally nothing wrong with having living parents. Another thing is that if were talking about mideval times, people died at young ages from natural causes. Every bio I see depicts someone's parents having been killed by someone else.

That's just a trend I noticed in Aegis. 90% of the population over the age of 30 is dead, and yet the population increases.

[enots 0]

i agree completely and its not just a trend on here. I LARP and i cant tell you how many people whose first char backgrounds include their parents dying.

[Availer 681]

I'd also like to add that your parents don't have to have been brutally murdered when you were a child in order to be an adventurer; there is literally nothing wrong with having living parents. Another thing is that if were talking about mideval times, people died at young ages from natural causes. Every bio I see depicts someone's parents having been killed by someone else.

That's just a trend I noticed in Aegis. 90% of the population over the age of 30 is dead, and yet the population increases.

So so true!

[Jarkarll 314]

ok like seriously the parents dying thing all started after batman came into existence.

[Rhia 936]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.