I usually start with a simple idea and let the games randomn events shape where it goes from there.
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I still do not know which side that character will ultimately land on . . .
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I still do not know which side that character will ultimately land on . . .
That's my general modus operandi too. Start with a simple backstory that gets you off and running with a sense of who your character is, and then let the character determine how it plays out via bouncing off random events in the world. I love it when something happens in the game that clearly seems to set a plot point or begin a new chapter for the character's mysterious, unfolding story.