Making A Character

Let me open with - I totally get it. I've played a lot of games and none so large as this. Well, okay, maybe a few, but this is truly a massive game that can and will go in a lot of unexpected directions. When you sit down to think of a character, you might be tempted to make "the strongest fighter" or "the most clever witch" or someone who you fully expect to take from the very first session of this game to the very last. I'm going to tell you something a little strange...
Don't.
Think of a character whose story you would like to explore. With no knowledge of the setting, it's still very possible to say you want to explore the idea of a failed soldier who joins up in the expedition to the Stolen Lands to wash away some of the horrible deeds he's done in the past. Maybe a former cleric who has stopped hearing the calling of their god and is throwing themselves into increasingly more dangerous situations as a way of getting closer to what they lost? What if your family passed through the Stolen Lands and were never heard from again? Don't worry about the specifics, we can work on those together.
Now, of course, you may want to know a bit more about the setting. Understandable! That's part of the reason why this website exists - for me to put all the readily available knowledge at your fingertips. You won't sift through and find any secrets, but you'll get a good idea of what sort of world you're stepping into. I'll include some helpful, relevant links at the bottom of this page. But there's also something quite important that you should take a look at if you haven't already: The Kingmaker Players' Guide. This absolutely massive guide will give you way more detail than you need right now, so let me make things a little easier - you don't need most of that at the beginning. Pages 4 to 9 detail character creation and give a little insight into the world. I'm going to focus specifically on the final two pages, 8 and 9.
These are the Backgrounds of the game and are tailored to help your character fit into the story without you having to know everything about the setting right away. These include a pioneer already suited to the wilderness, a member of one of the many noble houses of Brevoy, a forgotten or disgraced noble, a member of the northern lands looking to protect the country's interests from usurpers, a member of the southern lands looking to take back your country, a practicing swordsmaster, or even a local thief. Of course, if none of these spark your interest, there are plenty more.
With a background in hand, you can start thinking of a story about what brings this character here. A few things to keep in mind:

1. The characters are fighting to tame a dangerous land and establish their own kingdom.
2. The Stolen Lands have remained unsettled for centuries, making it something of a legend.
3. There are numerous interests that would like to see The Stolen Lands become a part of their holdings, you do not necessarily have to be a lone agent.

Now that you've got a character concept, it's time to make the character itself! I think the easiest way to do so is using Pathbuilder, but unfortunately, the Kingmaker Backgrounds haven't been added to it yet. Our first start day is quite a ways away, so it may have them up before we begin, so as long as you find a Bakcground that somewhat matches up (or choose a different Background entirely), you're good to go! If you want to go at this the old fashioned way, with a pen and paper, don't be scared! Just remember the A, B, Cs!
Ancestry, Background, and Class.
Once you've done those, and assigned you abilitiy boosts, you're... pretty much done! The rest is just filling in the math and purchasing starting equipment. With your character in hand, you can share it with the group (either in Line or in the new fancy Discord that I've set up for the campaign). This is a great way to start to get to know the party that you'll be working with and you can even start building relationships - good or bad - that you have before the game even begins. Who wouldn't want to be the brother of another character? Or perhaps a forgotten rival, forced to work together? There's plenty of room to explore, so go wild!