Jumping into the conversation ....

I don't like pregen characters normally, but I did use them once ...
I prepared a session, using a prewritten plot where there were main characters (not supposed to be used by players). But, the purpose of the game (a one shot, by the way) was to introduce the players to a new game, TSOY.
I didn't want to spend time to create PCs, as I knew we would spend already so many time explaining the rules. So, those main characters did the job pretty well. There was a prewritten plot, but what the hell, it was a one shot session, who cares what they would do (as long as everyone is having fun) ?

This didn't seem to bother anyone. But then, it was a single session scenario. I wouldn't use that in a "campaign" like game.

QuoteIt's not really an adventure, is it? Would this be more of a 'scenario'?

What's the difference exactly between the two, if I may ask ?

Quote from: blakkieOh I love to hear specifics. During the game.  But those premade detailed background stories? Ugh. Do you like writing them? Because they are the epitome of "alone on the computer" material.
EDIT:

Neither of which is a detailed background story. And look closely at the last, because THAT is what I'm looking for.  The first statement is about the past, shit that's happened already.  The second is about the future, conflict unresolved. Damn right that rocks! And during play we are going to discover and hear about the details. Her name, her family, what she likes, her old flame that becomes a 3rd suitor and the two PCs have to figure out whether they are going to put aside their differences to gank the interloper, etc.

I quite often disagree with blakkie.

Not today though, today I give a hearty amen.  I will read a paragraph tops of background material, I would rather a pithy sentence or two.  And the more of it that relates to stuff that isn't already over the better.

My guy met Bob while in the King's army is useful to me to a degree.  My guy met Bob while in the King's army, which he later deserted from is better yet.  My guy met Bob while in the King's army, he looked after Bob's wife while Bob was on a mission and has grown to love her, but knows Bob would never forgive him if anything happened actually gives me an instant plot and is even better again.

PCs should do the interesting things in their lives during play, not before play begins.

Quote from: Abyssal MawI'm serposed to answer John Kim here, so gimme a second.

I can't really put my finger on it. The adventure here is very close to the kind of thing I am talking about, but this isn't as egregious an example as the ones I was looking at earlier. It's similar. It's very similar. In a way I kinda like your example, because the character descriptions stop short of giving too much direction. Some of the other examples I looked at had detailed the pregens to have.. extemely detailed writeups, including what would presumably happen in the adventure, who was having an affair with whom, etc.

I couldn't offer you any suggestions on how "I'd do it", because this is very strange territory for me.  

It's not really an adventure, is it? Would this be more of a 'scenario'?

Hm.  I've always considered "adventure" and "scenario" to be synonyms as far as RPGs go.  So I'm not sure what you mean by that last part.  

However, I do understand that there are ways of setting up pregenerated characters so that they fit into a pre-written plotline -- which I dislike.  But (as I hope I show in the example), it's also possible to have pregenerated characters for an adventure which doesn't have a prewritten plotline.

I've only done anything like this for one- or two-shots, usually as an interlude for an existing campaign or as an introduction to a new one.  For all my long-term campaigns, players make their own characters unless for some reason they don't want to.  (Note: This has only happened once.)

Even when I'm pre-genning, I don't spend pages and pages on background.  I do give them an overview of what's been going on, basic personality (which they can ignore) and stuff they know about the others.  It's tournament-style, basically.  I keep my workload to a minimum, since making PCs for the players at least doubles my prep time.

I can't imagine why anyone would find this objectionable for one-shots, so I'll assume this isn't what you're talking about.

-O