How much time do you spend on character backgrounds?
How much do they affect plot over the course of a campaign?
I have put some samples here: http://zhalindor.com/4e/info/Sample_PC_Backgrounds/].
In service,
Rich
Www.zhalindor.com
How much time do you spend on character backgrounds?
As a DM I put some effort into backgrounds for PCs. Mainly adding to or helping flesh out the background of a PC. This would translate to maybe a few hours of real time I guess.
As a player I put much more effort into my PCs personality and how he relates to people and his environment than I do in his background. If a DM demanded a background from me it wouldn't amount to much more than place of birth, names of immediate family members and some motivation for why he is adventuring.
How much do they affect plot over the course of a campaign?
Very little. This is by choice. I tailor games to my players but I don't want a game to revolve around the 1 or 2 players who give me a 6 page background (hell - I don't even want to read your 6 page background!). In play actions count for way, way more imo. An example in my current game (Kingmaker AP) is that the least likely PC has taken the reigns of power as ruler - this came about solely because of how the PC was played. If I had gone by the background that was given for him he likely would have never been considered for the role of ruler.
tl:dr version - backgrounds, to me, are overrated. I have asked for them in the past but will not in the future. Let the narrative you are creating drive the story.
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It depends on the way the GM is running the game - if he is running a published scenario / campaign, or running a campaign based on his own plot ideas, I will likely do only a basic outline sketch of a background - where he was born, major life events (e.g. fought in war) and maybe mention of a family member or two. The reason being that it is unlikely that background will be relevant.
However if the GM is doing collaborative campaign creation (as I like to do) I will create a bit more of a detailed background with more goals and motivations too, I will also create that with other PCs' backgrounds in mind to make a cohesive group etc. The GM will then hopefully use my background to mine for plot hooks, allies, rivals etc.
This is why I am not the biggest fan of published campaigns - unless the GM does quite extensive rewriting, or gives us enough information (perhaps bordering on spoilers) to get us to make backgrounds that fit the pre-written plot, the characters can feel divorced from the plot.
This is true for any game - whether D&D, Traveller or Doctor Who.
I generally add a subplot section to each adventure where I put in material for players based on things like their backgrounds. Usually I'll work on between 3 to five 'scenes' based on the players. If I have good backgrounds I go with that as a starting point and with players that have given me less to work with I try and put in material that would give them more of a background - in this case I might check to make sure the background material I'm adding does not bother the player in question by double checking the material with the player in question by email.
Since we play with themes I generally use the theme as a starting point with players that don't otherwise give me a lot to work with.