All video game RPGs owe a lot to Octopath Traveler 2 reminded me of how tabletop campaigns focused on character goals and backstories can be truly great but, at other times, a unique kind of trainwreck. The Octopath Traveler series pays homage to Square Enix’s niche SaGa franchise, with its combination of multiple selectable protagonists and nonlinear gameplay options. Octopath 2 is entirely focused on the stories of its individual heroes for the bulk of the game. DnD campaigns can follow this format, but Octopath 2 highlights the pitfalls of the approach.

The 5e DnD rules include Backgrounds as part of character creation, each of which has tables to generate goals and character traits. These are an excellent starting point for new players, but veteran TTPRG hobbyists will likely prefer to create their own custom backstory and character aspirations and ideals.

Though Octopath 2 sured the first game, with its expanded interactions between party , for the most part, the game repeats the mistake of making each character’s story feel like a solo mission where their allies are just there to provide extra muscle. There are a few side missions that involve two characters, and party can weigh in with commentary on another character’s story events, but each character’s quest is distinctly their own, not a shared goal. Making player character goals central to a campaign is an excellent tool for a Dungeon Master, but it can sometimes go awry.

Individual Characters Goals Are Not Enough For D&D

Without A Common Goal, Player Characters' Drives May Not Sync Up Well

Experienced players may create complex and flawed DnD characters with rich backstories, while newer players may lean into familiar tropes and archetypes. Regardless of the group’s level of experience, the DM’s skill will determine whether those backstories add to the game or ruin the campaign. As enjoyable as it is, as a JRPG video game, Octopath 2 provides an example of an entirely incoherent tabletop campaign. If a DM asked players to come up with aspirations and backstories and based the campaign entirely around those, without any sort of guidance, like mandated shared goals or history, the results would be messy.

While Octopath Traveler 2 has compelling gameplay, and its individual character stories are a step up from the first Octopath title, the fact that the party works together feels more forced and inauthentic than ever. The tone and subject matter of the quests vary wildly, which keeps things fresh and interesting for the player. A few might conceivably work together, such as Throne’s quest to slay her assassin parents and Osvald’s Count of Monte Cristo-style revenge narrative. Others feel entirely alien in their contrasts, such as Temenos’ intrigue-heavy investigation of the church, compared to Ochette’s Pokémon-inspired legendary monster collection story.

It is entirely fine for a DM to make mandated motives a part of character creation.

As proven by truly strange DnD character background memes, some character histories are well outside the norm. Even more conventional narratives can lead to a disted and incoherent campaign if the DM makes them the game’s sole focus without any unifying elements mandated in character creation. One player might portray a Rogue who wants their thieves’ guild to become the leading crime syndicate in a major city-state, while another might be a Paladin spreading knowledge of their chosen deity. Such characters might work together on a shared mission, but they have little cause to aid one another’s personal goals.

A Strong Story Lets D&D Characters Bond Naturally

Heroes Can Build Bonds Of Camaraderie And Then Each Other's Dreams

Without an experienced DM guiding the story, evil DnD characters killing each other is entirely likely, and there is little rationalization for good-aligned characters to them. Even with a shared moral alignment, some character goals might be too personal or too unique to the character’s archetype to involve the whole group. There are ways a DM can create challenges that require a full party, of course. A Scholar Wizard who wants to unearth an archaeological find to ensure their tenure at a university might need a full party for an expedition. This makes Player Character into a quest giver.

This still does not ensure that the entire party will feel truly involved when dealing with one character’s backstory goals, however, just that they are needed. The whole party can tag along to aid the high society Courtier Bard in their games of palace intrigue, but it might not offer much for an Outlander Barbarian to do. Like Octopath 2’s handling of character quests, the Bard might take center stage, and the rest of the party is truly involved only when violence is called for. Typically, a shared goal is better, with individual character goals addressed along the way.

A Dungeons & Dragons campaign shouldn’t follow the Octopath Traveler 2 model, where the backstory is the only story.

Whichever Octopath 2 character you start with, to see the true ending, the player must complete all eight of the characters’ stories first. This format works poorly as a framework for a DnD campaign. Making disparate characters’ individual plots the sole focus gives the party less reason to work together. Having a shared quest from the outset helps the party develop bonds organically, letting the DM work the individual goals and quests into the mix of a shared adventure. This gives the party more reason to care about seeing their allies accomplish their goals once camaraderie has been firmly established.

D&D DMs Can Impose Mandated Character Elements

At Minimum, Player Characters Must Be Inclined Toward The Campaign's Premise

I’ve come to recognize that imposing certain requirements for Player Characters will make a campaign stronger, and most mature players will not balk at the limits to total freedom in character creation. A DM can mandate that every character must be truly loyal to a particular religious order or government organization. This can still allow for a variety of alignments, as some might believe in the values of the group, while others might see it as a “means to an end,” but it ensures some group cohesion. Simply requiring Good alignments can compel the party to stand against true Evil.

Inexperienced DMs may feel it appropriate to allow any character archetype and alignment, have the party meet in a tavern, and hope for the best, but this framework is less functional for a dedicated, long-term DnD campaign, as the characters might have incompatible goals and ideals, and no rationalization to work together.

Applying an “anything goes” approach to character creation is a bad idea for DMs. Some players might lean into strange DnD lore in their backstories, as half the party might want to go to the Shadowfell or sail the stars in a Spelljamming vessel, while the other half might just want to help a local kingdom in its war effort. It is entirely fine for a DM to make mandated motives a part of character creation. If the game’s premise involves exploring some strange new frontier, the DM can simply state that all characters must be interested in exploring it.

While I won’t go back to beat the recent patch’s new Octopath 2 bosses, I enjoyed my time with the game. The suspension of disbelief required to rationalize why the JRPG’s characters work together is easy enough in the context of a video game. I would never put myself, or a group of players, through a campaign structured like Octopath 2. Every DM should create a story of their own and ensure the players build appropriate characters to engage with that premise. A Dungeons & Dragons campaign shouldn’t follow the Octopath Traveler 2 model, where backstory is the only story.