A review by ksbrennan
The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide: Prompts and Activities to Create the Most Interesting Story for Your Character by James D'Amato

4.0

"My ideal party is an eclectic group of surrogate family members who insist that they work alone while welcoming me into their lives."

I had fun working through some of the exercises while developing my latest characters. While the exercises were fun throughout, I found that the ones I found the most useful were in the earlier part of the book. Some of the exercises I thought were particularly compelling were:
- Across a Crowded Tavern, which asks you to manifest how your core character statistic is present and shows itself in your day-to-day life
- Well Worn, which helps you add depth to some of the standard inventory items
- Mountains and Molehills, which is a helpful reminder about how to build off your party to influence your own character and inspire meaningful role play

Probably a book I'll pick up and flip through for anything that catches my eye while I'm going through the character creation process, pulling a few relevant exercises.

I also really appreciate D'Amato's dedication to varying pronouns throughout the book.