Turn back the clock, if you will, all the way to the creation of your character’s backstory.
No, Tommy, not literally. It’s a figure of speech. Besides, Tommy, that’s an analog clock. You’d just be spinning…
You know what? Never mind, we’re moving on.
Let’s talk about how to write a great character backstory for your D&D, Pathfinder, or Starfinder character. With roleplaying games quickly shifting from a game played around a table into a game being streamed for others to watch or listen to, it’s kicked open the door of an idea that a player’s character can (and should) bring an interesting and narrative backstory to the table.
Good gravy, Tommy! Get your foot off my door. Again, figuratively, Tommy. Figuratively!
Anyway, while character backstories are getting more attention and interest, I’ve seen a lot of drifting about when it comes to tips and helps for creating a good character backstory. As a result, I’ve seen a lot of over-wrought, over-worked backstories that feel like more of a mish-mash of events than an engaging hook. Sadly, a 10-page backstory can provide a lot of details, while fully missing motivation or narrative structure.
Simple is almost always better.
From the Story Beats method, to Propps 31, to Joseph Campbell’s Heroes Journey, we fully know that stories have a structure, a shape that can help them go down smoothly into our grey matter. So why not use a really simple version of that to for the basis of your character’s backstory? Here it is:
Your character had a problem, then met a guide who gave them a plan that called them to action. That action results in…
Now let’s look at this simple formula expressed visually, so you can see how the beats rise and fall, yet keeps a clear narrative through-line:

Notice how just a simple few backstory touchpoints provide a clear narrative that provides high and lows that can hook you in wonderfully to pretty much any roleplaying campaign. While the problem is a definite down beat, the guide provides hope! While the plan has its challenges (down beat), the character is taking action (up beat)! And the wonderful thing about roleplaying games is the action that results is up for the table (and some dice rolls) to decide!
But let’s look at how this simple character structure can be plotted in popular films, then we’ll take go step-by-step, talking about how to execute it specifically for your roleplaying character.

The RED is Star Wars. Luke Skywalker had a problem in the evil Empire, yet met a guide in Obi-Wan Kenobi who taught him to trust in the Force, a plan Luke carried with him as he joined the Rebellion to destroy the Death Star.
The BLUE is Tommy Boy, the crown jewel of cinema (fight me). Tommy had a problem when his dad died. But Richard knew the business and would guide Tommy as he took over sales for Callahan Auto. Tommy is called into action as he went on a sales trip to save his dad’s business. Hijinks ensued.
So, this works, folks. It’s simple, yet effective, and brief enough to write in the margin of a paper character sheet. Now, let’s bore in more deeply into how this will work in creating a character backstory.

So bookmark this article and keep it in mind next time you are writing a backstory for a character. Complexity is the enemy of clarity, so keep a backstory simple.
Again, this is the only sentence that matters: Your character had a problem, then met a guide who gave them a plan that called them to action.
That single sentence allows you to create an engaging character backstory that clearly motivates the character, while providing some nice hooks to tie them strongly and easily into the narrative. Even better: it puts the emphasis on what’s ahead, not what’s in the past. As to where the action takes them? Well, that’s why we roll the dice.