WARNING: Wiki content is an archive, no promise about quality!
20+ Questions (by Ron)
This is a list of questions that can be valuable to RPG game masters. It's loosely based on some questions in Shadowrun, plus some questions I found online.
Name
- What's the player's name?
- What was the character's birth name?
- What name does the character use now?
- Did the character choose his name, or was it a nickname or joke?
Description
- What is the character's gender? (male/female)
- What is the character's physical size and description? (i.e. skinny, short, average, etc.)
- What is the color of the character's...
- Hair?
- Skin?
- Eyes?
- How is the hair worn?
- Does the character need glasses?
- What is the character's Ethnic Origins? (game-dependent, obviously)
- What is the character's general appearance?
- What is the first thing people notice about the character?
- Where was the character born?
- What is the character's age?
Family
- Did the character even know his/her birth family?
- (if not, answer these about the surrogate family)
- What was the character's family?
- Who were the character's parents?
- What did the character's parents do?
- What were their means of support?
- Were the parents married, separated, divorced, widowed, other (explain)?
- What was family life like?
- What was the family's disposition? (street, squatter, Low, Middle, High, Luxury)
- Does the character have any siblings?
- Where are they now?
- What do they do?
- Does the character keep in contact with them?
- Is (or was) the character single, married, divorced, widowed, other (explain)?
- Does the character have any children?
- Name(s)?
- Descriptions?
- Current statuses?
Education
- Where or how was the character educated?
- Where did the character learn their skills?
- Did the character continue into higher education?
- If yes, where?
- Was schooling public, private, trade, tutored, homeschooled?
- Has the character ever done anything else for a living?
- Did the character enjoy it?
- Why did the character stop doing it?
- Would the character go back?
Political and religious beliefs
- Does the character have any defined political beliefs?
- What are they?
- Is the character religious?
- What is the character's beliefs?
- Was the character's family religious?
- Are they still?
- If they are (or were) which religion(s) did they follow?
- Has the character changed religions?
- Why?
Moral Code
- Will the character kill a human(oid)?
- When did the character decide that he could?
- Does the character think that killing human(oid)s is acceptable?
- Under what circumstances would the character kill a human(oid)?
- Does the character have any opinions on moral issues such as capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia?
- What are they?
- Does the character adhere to a personal sexual code?
Personality
- What special qualities does the character possess?
- Does the character get along well with people?
- Is the character skilled at taking care of business?
- Prioritizing tasks?
- Planning ahead?
- Are there things that the character just cannot do?
- Get close to people?
- Perceive himself realistically?
- Work well with others?
- Think clearly under stress?
- Handle money well?)
- What does the character hate?
- Certain people?
- Religion?
- Other adventurers?
- Orks?
- Politicians?
- Society in general?
- Obscene amounts of personal questions?
- What does the character love?
- The seashore?
- The view from tall buildings?
- Quiet times?
- Loud music?
- Art?
- Taking care of business?
- A specific person?
- A certain place?
Miscellaneous
- Is adventuring all the character ever wants to do?
- Does the character have any ambitions beyond the here and now?
- If yes, what?
- If not, why not?
- How did the character become an adventurer?
- Does the character do it for the thrill? Money? To make a statement? As part of a plan? To piss people off?
- Would any event or circumstances make the character stop adventuring?