You know when a big action scene in a movie freeze-frames and you get a flashback that adds layers of depth and meaning to what would otherwise be a basic rock'em sock'em shoot-em-up? Tabletop role-playing games need more of THAT.

See, a few weeks ago, my regular group tried out an indie TTRPG* that used the "Ask 1 question to the left and 1 question to the right" mechanic during  character creation. We did it twice, because it's a troupe game where each player has two characters. We had enormous fun coming up with our characters and weaving an intricate web between all the PCs.

* I'm not here to critique or call out any specific games. I just want to offer a small tool that some players might enjoy.

Then we started playing the game, and we really struggled to bring those bonds into the story.

It's happened to me before: charged chargen, anemic followthrough. And I think the problem is front-loading the relationship mechanics.

So here's what I did about it: keep drawing that beautiful story arc beyond session zero into the game itself. Make relationship twists something you can play during the game -- maybe during downtime, but maybe during a climactic showdown. Imagine the fighter reaching her hand down to pull the rogue from the spiked pit and then playing the question: "What did I do to cause you to mistrust me?"

As of today I've only made one card, because it's for a one-card game jam, but I'll be making more, and I'd love to hear what personality archetypes you'd like to see. Let me know in the comments!