Originally Posted by colinl8
Originally Posted by biomag
their stories have far too much background happening before you even touch them

Is this a fair criticism? IRL everyone you meet except babies has heaps of background before you meet them, and how much background they share develops as you get to know them. Hell, I worked with a dude for a couple months before learning he was minor nobility, but it was such a non-thing for him you wouldn't know it without being told.

That the backgrounds are too thematically similar is a criticism I understand, even if I don't share it, but I think "far too much background" pre-story might be a bit much

I think what biomag means by that is that some of them have a lot of EPIC stuff in their backgrounds. Like, you can have lived a full life and not banged and then attempted to usurp a goddess. Or been a storied, mighty monster slayer that's supposed to be way more powerful than you currently are now. Like, the half-orc paladin hireling they showed. Their background is simple and reasonable and more what a lot of people would have wanted from more of the companions.