Hi guys I was in the middle of creating another character for a playthrough and creating a backstory that without realising ended up expanding to a couple pages.
I was wondering how many of you create backstories for your characters and how in depth you get with their stories as I myself enjoy creating the backstories with some of mine being like a short story.

I tried creating a backstory for my character every time I create a new one...

Spoiler:

Depends on the playthrough, I guess. Right now my character has a backstory which I've posted about two times already (don't want to annoy anybody by copy-pasting it third time - it's just a short thing about a female soldier working for a secret organization). I haven't thought of it deeply, maybe I will, maybe not. But none of my Fallout characters had any deep story or character development (probably because I'm a TES guy). But I might improve, I think. It is exciting in its own way. If I'll come up with anything longer than three sentences - I'll let you know.

Hey, I always make back stories for my characters that are quite in depth. Being able to role play is one of the key reasons I love Fallout.

Yes, I always give my character a deep backstory as I go playing the game. This gameplay is the one I've given more detail since I'm playing TTW. It would take me a LOT of time explaining my backstory, but I always have a backstory for my Fallout playthroughs.

I tend to give my character a straight forward comeupance and origin and let the game begin with whatever i feel appropriate for my character to be doing at the time. Whether it be being a prisoner at the Correctional Facility shortly before the power gangers overun it. Or being a survivor of a Legion raid on my caravan. Thats usually what i go with and i tend to be loyal to no one faction wise in my playthroughs because i like playing the scorned wastelander who family has had run ins with every faction the wasteland has to offer. I also like to make the game really difficult and unforgivable, mainly because im a sadist and play a lot of Dark Souls. xP

Whenever I am creating a new character for Fallout I use a template to write out the details of the character. As I also am a writer I use a similar more detailed template for writing my characters to making it easier to write.

__________________________
Fallout Character Details

Race:
First Name:
Middle Name:
Last Name:
Gender:
Age:
Hair Colour/Style:
Facial Appearance:
Eye Colour: Brown
Body Appearance:
Profession:
Armour/Clothes:
Primary Weapon(s):
Secondary Weapon(s):
Miscellaneous Item(s):

Backstory:
__________________________

This is a shortened version of my current roleplay.

>Carson McCarthy is a NCR ranger who was stationed at Camp Searchlight near where he lived with his sister Elisa Mathews and her family (Mathews Animal Husbandry Farm).

> Carson (along with many other troopers form Camp Searchlight) are ordered to eliminate the large Khan Raiding Base of Bittersprings. Carson initially refuses though Elisa is able to convince him to go.

> Legion Scouts report that the NCR presence around camp searchlight is greatly weakened and Vulpes Inculta initiates his plan of releasing dormant radioactive waste creating a massive wave of death and ghoulification. Elisa and her husband are present and turned to ghouls ( you'll need to read this page from the wiki here http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Matthews_Animal_Husbandry_Farm)

> The Searchlight incident is kept from the Troopers at Bittersprings to avoid desertion and the events which would later be named The Massacre of Bittersprings play out.

> The Massacre leaves Carson with post traumatic stress disorder and alcoholic tendencies.

> Carson gets to Trading Post 188 and is told about the Camp Searchlight incident and races home to find the ashes of his past life and the chilling notes left by his nephew.

> Carson harbors strong hate for both the NCR and the legion.

> (Where I'm now up to) Carson is now a heavy drinker and turns to the odd courier/bounty hunting job to support his addiction and to get a roof over his head. Carson is all but devoid of emotions.

Pretty much were I'm going from here is that he is able to some what recover with the help of his companions: Boone, Cass and Hope.

I go hecka deep lol its so fun doing so because i make it so that instead of playing a game i am watching my own TV show

Like Cody this is a shortened version of my characters backstory.

Isaac Sevchenko is an ex commonwealth operative turned bounty hunter who has a was wife who works in the mormon fort as a follower of the apocalypse and he has a daughter who works with her mother.

Isaac goes on a job tracking his target across the wasteland until he located the man in the El ray motel where he killed the man.

When he got back home he discovered his wife had been killed by a group of NCR troopers who had raped then killed her.

Gabriel filled with anger tracked the men to camp Mccarran, he then orchestrated a plan where he ambushed them when on patrol making it look like they were killed by fiends.

Gabriel then kidnapped the troops torturing them and killing the leader of the group by torturing him to death, he then met with a Legion contact selling the rest of the troops to him.

Gabriel become's even more cold hearted trying to forget by killing targets on the bounties he takes or getting drunk.

He hates almost all factions but tolerates the Legion only to use them for his own benefits but has a hatred for the NCR.

He no longer likes to spend time in the company of most people preferring to be around animals or people that dont waste his time with Rex or EDE being the only ones he travels with.

This is just a bit of the backstory and I will be working on more as this character interests. The character will eventually run into other companions but I haven't gotten there yet.

I love to give my characters backstories so it helps with immersion, reasons for the quest choices and even which quests to accept. They may or may not be deep backstories or something heroic.
Mostly when I make a new character I decide WHY would they come to the Mojave.
Running away from debts? Ex-convict? Con artist that needs a new target? Merc looking for job?
The one detail the stories I think of have in common is lack of connection to the worlds lore.
I dont make them part of anything bigger or a member of any faction unless I can find a way to make it work in the Mojave.

Haha I actually got Dragbody's Armor Pack 3, and started a new Deathstroke Playthrough.
Slade Wilson tearing up the Mojave was fun to watch.
And when ever i felt bored i'd whip out the katana and chop people.

Slade Wilson approves.


I actually think that taking a character from a different medium might be fun. Will think about it after I watch Gotham.
Kudos sirvm.

On topic of character roleplay and immersion, if anyone knows underrated, not widely known mods that increase immersion and introduce interesting features I would be very grateful for a PM.

Meanwhile I will stick to my vanilla faced wasteland farmer ^^

Thanks @raze4573!
And word to the wise : don't expect a lot from Gotham.
I didn't watch until ep 8 as they were introducing most of the core villains very early.
Then I gave it a try, it was pretty good but now they're just rushing things

sirvm wrote:

Thanks @raze4573!
And word to the wise : don't expect a lot from Gotham.
I didn't watch until ep 8 as they were introducing most of the core villains very early.  
Then I gave it a try, it was pretty good but now they're just rushing things

Yeah it's a pity about Gotham, it started getting good but has been going downhill and it just feels boring at the moment with the only interesting parts being Falcone and the penguin and even they can be boring sometimes.

I'm just waiting the Penguin's transformation from tall and thin to short and fat.

Thats it, making a topic about Gotham so we can talk there.
Best we keep this topic all about character ideas or immersion stuff ^^

Sure, don't need to stray too far off topic.

Mine always tends to be a vengeful back story, the whole Benny scenario being the one that tips my character over the edge, although it doesn't stop there.

I play as a generally good character to begin with and complete all possible quests for all possible factions before making any enemies; my first enemy tends to be legion.

After defeating legion and siding with NCR I end up turning on them as well due to their greed for more land.

Then I pick off the smaller factions for one reason or another, khans due to their drug inflictions on the mojave, the brotherhood for their potential threat with such advanced technology, the Boomers due to their arrogance and carelessness-bombing any faction you pick because they can without any thought.

And also because every faction just uses you to do their dirty work, everybody jumps to the opportunity to throw you into dangerous scenarios for their own gain, so I don't hold consistent loyalty to anybody...wow sorry for the rant!

Good question though! haha

I always create a backstory for my  character, it's too explain his motivation's, his reasoning and of course the items that I introduce through mods. I love futuristic looking energy weapons, guns and armor but if you want to stay immersive you have to think to yourself how a courier working for the mojave express could have such items, or skills perhaps. For the character I'm currently using I've devised an probably not quite entirely lore friendly story.
He's a 200 year old special ops specialist who fought in the liberation of anchorage, China, Europe and many other places in the world during the resource war's. He got infected with an highly modified strain of the FEV virus during the start of the great war. This left him with many of the same abilities that the supermutants posses except their less than stellar appearance or lowered form of intelligence for some. The virus killed all the other scientists and personnel except him and one other leaving him with an assortment of technology and a genius who suffered his own interesting brand of mutation. This scientist now helps him by developing technology and weapons while he travels the wastes. Immortality has left him cynical, morbid and disgusted with humanity as a whole, nevertheless he has a good heart and can't help but help the people he meets in wastes. He would say he has no faith in humanity and avoids human contact, but he always ends up being surrounded by people. In the end though he always travels onward, Because they die eventually and he's practically immortal. not wanting to see them age and waste away he keeps wandering sometimes visiting his old friend the scientist for some new stuff, but generally willingly alone because War, War never changes.