Author James D’Amato offers RPG tabletop gamers and quick, easy and fun way to expand their hero’s legends with the Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide.

As a person who loves playing Role Playing Games but has little time to flesh out my characters these days between work and raising children, it is great to have a book that can help me add depth and a backstory to my next mage or dwarven warrior. Luckily writer James D’Amato has made that easier for all of us with his new Ultimate RPG Character Back Story Guide. That may sound like a mouthful but the book itself is packed with information and possibilities for gamers.

The Writer

D’Amato is not only a writer but hosts a role-playing podcast called One Shot where he plays different RPGs with his friends. James is also a graduate of Chicago’s Second City where he honed his improvisational skills.

The Ultimate RPG Character Back Story Guide is a trade paperback sized book coming in at 272 pages making is portable enough to add to your bag when going to your local role-playing event. The book leaves the user with plenty of space to pencil in the information that they need to edit together either main characters or NPCs. The layout is a workbook which is clean and easy to use. Game/Dungeon Masters will find the Ultimate RPG Character Back Story Guide very useful as well when they are trying to add flavor to non-player characters. In fact, that may be where this book is used most effectively.

The book is broken down into three main segments: Humble Beginnings, Veteran Heroes and Myths, and Legends. Each of these segments is for characters at different levels. Humble beginnings cover levels 1-7, Veteran Heros Covers 8-14 and Myths and legends looks at levels 14-20. You can also use a D6, D10 and D20 die to help randomize character traits within the structure of the workbook. The book offers 100 different exercises and minigames that are accessible for new users but challenging enough for salty veterans.

My Thoughts

What I like about the Ultimate RPG Character Back Story Guide is that it is completely non-linear and you can make of it what you will. Even if you are not currently in a campaign The Ultimate RPG Character Back Story Guide is a fun workbook for any fantasy or RPG enthusiast. It may also be a great way to teach your children how to begin to establish their own role-playing characters and make for a fun night of creativity and adventure for the whole family. Longtime gamers know that having a character with a full and fascinating backstory makes for compelling gameplay and The Ultimate RPG Character Back Story Guide helps you do just that. Did I mention it was extremely affordable? You can pick up a copy on Amazon for a tick over $10. That’s less than almost any RPG accessory!