Character descriptors

So, I'm looking into some stuff:
If a game has you write down some points about your character's background and personality, what sort of things do you think are the most fun to have there for use?
If you are a GM, what sort of things do you think are the most useful to learn of your player's characters?
Stuff like motivation, fear, environment of childhood, etc.

Their general personality, their motivations and goals and their connections to the world are the big ones that are important to know, at least from my perspective as a GM.

The general personality helps me get a feel for who they are, while their motivations and goals lets me plan for how to weave those into the game. Their connections with the world is perhaps the most important aspect, and it's one I sometimes have to chase players up on. I always want a PC to come into the game with pre existing connections to things in the world, and sometimes players find this hard to grasp or struggle to flesh it out. If a player is new to my group or doesn't click with the playstyle, I'll often take time to talk through their character with them one on one, going over their backstory ideas and figuring out the various ways their ideas can plug into the setting.

I also sometimes do this with the backstories of multiple PC's. If two PC's mention a cult or a paladin order in their backstories, I'll ask if the PC's mind me making them the same one, assuming there isn't a strong thematic reason for them to be distinct. Creating a web of connections to the world and to each other before the game starts makes my job as a GM a lot easier.

Stuff they fear is great, and stuff they like is even better. Players often seem to forget their characters' weaknesses and fears in my experience, and will often do a hammy phoned-in scooby doo tier reaction if I throw their worst fear at them. Conversely, they usually remember what they like because it's something the player themself likes. It makes a good reward for puzzles or dungeons to have their childhood friend swing by and hand out cookies. Everyone loves it, or I find out they didn't really like that thing much. If they did like it, I can have the BBEG take it away.

>favorite sandwich

Write down if they're a dog person, cat person, lizard person, or bird person.

>a lizard person

bumping in hopes of some more opinions

As a GM it is my favorite when characters have something they are ashamed of. Perhaps running away from their family or killing an innocent they didn't have to. Often times it allows for them to connect in-party or cause friction between them that doesn't come about if instead their flaw was that they are afraid of water or something of the ilk.

LOL xD

Taking away things players care about should always be used sparingly. It's a powerful dramatic tool, but overusing it just kills any and all investment players will have in the game or the setting and harm their ability to be invested in future- If they know everything in the setting can just be removed at whim, they won't become emotionally invested or care about any of it. Especially if you do so without any ability for them to intervene or try to oppose it.

Lizards a cute.

But the only correct answer to that is a little drow girl raised by dwarves

Yes Veeky Forums, a meme.

I meant take it away as in kidnapping or enchantment; something temporary. I don't think I've ever killed off a PC's loved one or removed one of their greatest wishes/desires from the game entirely. Like you said, it would just kill their motivation. I usually do it in the later phase of a story where everything hits the proverbial fan.

That's very fair. Just thought it was worth clarifying/contextualising since it's something a lot of bad GM's get wrong.

personally, i've never been able to get the pre-existing connections to work. i don't really want to declare something that defines my character that causes a massive plot hole later, I don't want to just make something up because it'll invariably clash SOMEHOW with the DM's setting and preexisting notions thereof, and most DMs aren't exactly giving me many details to work with in the first place.

my characters never have loved ones because so many GMs have done that to me in one form or another.

It's basically reliant on a dialogue between player and GM. Unless both sides are interested in discussing and negotiating for how the players backstory can be involved in the setting. As a GM I love building players backstories into my settings, although there are GM's who are lot more rigid and inflexible. Still, if they're not giving you a solid setting primer to work from they're doing something wrong.

It really is an endemic habit of shitty GMs.

It was a bloody good meme!

Actual sandwich discussions only end in recrimination and break ups of otherwise functional gaming groups, best to stick with meme-sandwiches and pizza.

>implying pizza discussions don't get that bad, if not worse

(OP)

Having a flaw and a fear is what I always recommend ppl start with. And the fear should try to be a lil more cognitive, like a "No, I'm not going to vegas. I just don't want to, fuck you!" instead of a "I'm is afraid of gamblung."

>wake up
>your thread is still up
I love you guys