This is the most important part of creating a character; finding out where your character is. This requires the DM to have a clear picture in his head of the campaign world, such as it's history and geography, and it's demographics. The player needs this information in order to begin the character creation process.
As an example, I am DMing a campaign (via PBeM) which is set in Semphar in the Forgotten Realms. I posted two separate advertisements for players on the net, purposefully including or excluding details of the campaign on each. The first was quite descriptive, giving a brief overview of Semphar, the geography (plains and desert), the climate (temperate to hot), the demographics (predominantly human, with Dwarves in the hinterland, and elves are extremely rare), and that much of the game will be spent in the desert or surrounding steppe. The second was very vague, just detailing what level characters I would accept, the name of the country (Semphar), and a very rough outline of the initial adventure.
From the first ad., I received some good PCs, extremely suitable for the game. They included such things as a retired soldier from the country's army, with a rich history, a local thief which was equally as good, and a nomad type character, which was equally appropriate to the setting.
From the second, I received an aquatic elf (in the desert!), more drow elves than I could count, and a plate-mail wearing sailor. None of these were suitable for the campaign, largely because I did not give the players enough detail to create the characters. The DM must give the player a very clear picture as to where the game begins. I believe it is vital that long-term games begin at first level , and that the player creates the character with the DM. This helps create characters that are both believable, and that are able to 'fit in'.
So, here are some pointers for the first step, aimed mainly at DMs to give to players. They should answer some basic questions about the setting, the campaign, and establish some norms for players to build on:
� What is the country you are in?
� What is the climate like?
� What are the predominate races?
� What are the relationship between the races?
� The history of the area/country/world.
� The main types of industry (ie mining, agriculture, commerce, slavery)
� Is the country at war?
� What is the social structure? Feudal, Caliphate, Monarchy, Democracy?
� How does the populace view different character classes? Wizards, thieves, etc?
Example Campaign World Overview: 6'4" Dwarf's Version of Semphar
Area: Semphar is a country halfway between the western Realms and Kara-Tur. The capital, Dhantazar, lies on the edge of Ghob-Nor, a large inland sea, and has a thriving seaport. Dhantazar is the beginning of the Silk Road, the main trade route
between Shou-Lung and the West. Semphar is predominantly made up of grassy plains and steppe, with desert and wastelands further away from Ghob-Nor. The climate varies greatly throughout the year, going from great heatwaves, to stifling humidity, torrential rains, and mild winters. Further away from the coast varies from desert heat to frozen steppe.
Society: It is ruled by the Caliph, the Lion of Semphar, Abu Bakr. He rules via a bureaucratic autocracy, and the regional alignment is Lawful Neutral. The main races of people are human (90%+) with the occasional Dwarf. Dwarves are also rumoured to live in a great mountain to the North, though none ever speak of it. Within cities, there are large guard forces, and the main occupation for a Semphari is in the army or as a merchant. Though there are thieves present in these cities, their activities are not tolerated and harshly punished. The Caliph sponsors many artisans and scholarly pursuits, and is well thought of as a patron by these sectors. Amongst the general populace, wizards are thought of indifferently, and the Caliph is seen as an oaf. This is contrary to the image of the benevolent warrior-lord that Abu Bakr believes he portrays. The Caliph is not particularly well regarded, and has made many overly zealous bureaucrats during his reign. Slavery is commonplace in Semphar. Dhantazar houses almost half a million people, with the other cities between 10 and 200 thousand.
BRIEF History (modern): Semphar began as a collection of city-states spread mainly along the coast of Ghob-Nor and the Tiagar River. Each was ruled by an Amir or Caliph, and had their own army and merchant guilds. Twenty years ago, a man named Abu Bakr, Amir of Dhantazar, the largest of the cities, began to conquer his neighbours by military force or commercial pressure. After ten years, he now rules all of Semphar, and is known as the Great Conqueror (as well as the Lion of Semphar). There has been relative peace in Semphar ever since, although each city still has a large standing army, especially Dhantazar. Part of the reason for this is the Caliph's desire to keep order in his capitals, and also because of his neighbours; the mighty Shou-Lung, Ramashan, and Thay. There are also regular raids from the Tuigan horse-nomads, which the Caliph desires to stop.
Although the above is not enough detail for a DM to create and run a whole world, it is enough detail for a player to read, and feel that he can 'see' the campaign world. If the player knows where he is, he can begin to create a character that is suitable for the campaign.
So, the thrust of this first step is to get a concept for the range of characters that you can create.
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