What is Depth in Worldbuilding terms? How to achieve it?

Odhanan said:

What makes a setting "deep"? What are the techniques allowing DM and players to achieve it as it relates to the games they play and beyond, obviously, to the setting in which these adventures take place?

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Depth in an RPG setting is the degree to which the setting's player-character changeable elements are related to each other. Thus, it's the ability for changes caused by player-characters to have consequences that cascade through the setting and thereby provide feedback or consequences for the players.

By my criteria, Ptolus is a very deep setting.

rycanada said:

Depth in an RPG setting is the degree to which the setting's player-character changeable elements are related to each other. Thus, it's the ability for changes caused by player-characters to have consequences that cascade through the setting and thereby provide feedback or consequences for the players.

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Good definition.

Well, interesting issue here. I think that depth comes from a combination of several factors:
- an 'abundance'(i.e. enough) little and big facts and figures which make up the world, to give the world 'body', ranging from history, cosmology, geography, culture etc.
- an internal logic to the world 'why things are as they are', ranging from 'physics' and 'magic' laws to politics and trade, the mechanism which can be used to extrapolate how things (should) work in the future
- an internal connectedness and impact from and on the players of unfolding events, in which the laws as descibed above are shown to work, and just now and then in some mysterious way not work, only to be explained at some later stadium why it all fits somehow anyway, whus uncovering more knwoledge about the world

To do this, enough (and this depends entirely on the inquisitiveness of the players and the ability of the DM to make things up consistently on the fly or needs to have everything prepared) bare bone facts and 'laws' of how things (supposedly) work need to be written down on the one side (the 'world building' stuff)

On the other hand, the DM needs to have the PC's discover stuff over time, and allow them to have 'aha' feelings, when they uncover something several sessions down the road, they suddenly understand why something did or did not work in a certain way several sessions earlier.

On top of that, it is important that events unfold regardless of the actions of the PC's. If the PC's decide not to confront the Troll army advancing on Littletown, next time the PC's visit littletown, it will be a smoking ruin... similarly, if the PC's decide to take down some major bad-guy, maybe this results in a sort civil war between thieves-guilds as the major supporter of one faction has been taken out and now another sees it's chance. Impact is a major factor. Not just the having of impact by PC's on the world, but also the other way around, of the world on the PC's.

Hope my ramblings are understandable...

I think depth is the ability to effect the players & their characters with "feeling" and "emotion", they become involved and attached to the world which they are playing. Maybe this is just background but it could be history, they see it grown and live in that growth. The players have an interest in the game, that they care about.

Is this detail, maybe, you can fill pages with details but without the players buy in, the world is hollow.

Raven Crowking said:

Good definition.

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Thanks! To respond to the second part (How to achieve it):

Focus on creating things your players can change, and relating them back to the other parts you've already created. For that, I recommend (as always) problems, threats, resources, and rewards - all broadly defined, but conceived in player-character terms. Add a little, and then iterate again.

Compare:

1) House Polrost is respected but politically weak compared to the more aggressive House Adstone.

2) The Baron of House Polrost needs help gathering information and rekindling the loyalty of his outlying vassals. The more aggressive House Adstone hopes those vassals will turn against Polrost. Hobgoblins in the eastern Polrost region are turning to dark magics.

3) The Baron of House Polrost needs help gathering information and rekindling the loyalty of his outlying vassals, who are under threat of hobgoblin raids. House Adstone looks to turn this to their advantage. The hobgoblin witch Jibigi has become leader of the hobgoblins of the Polrost region, teaching them dark magics.

4) The Baron of House Polrost is under threat from House Adstone's political gains, and badly needs to rekindle the loyalty of his outlying vassals, who are under threat of hobgoblin raids. Unbeknownst to the Baron, House Adstone is supplying hobgoblins loyal to the witch Jibigi using a mercenary as an intermediary. The hobgoblin witch Jibigi has become leader of the hobgoblins of the Polrost region, teaching them dark magics, and seeking information on the ritual to transform herself into a Night Hag.

5) The Baron of House Polrost holds one of 12 Hoardmasters, weapons crafted in the likeness of a gold dragon's head by the wizard Gorgoldand. These are granted to noble warriors, and the PCs may have picked one up as well in Gorgoldand's Gauntlet . If the Baron hears of the PCs' weapon, he will request their presence with the intent of buying the matching sword - but will likely decide instead to hire the PCs if they appear either competent or good-hearted. As it happens, the Baron's outlying vassals are under threat of hobgoblin raids, and rumour has it that the Adstone family has been trying to lure them away from the politically weaker - but more honourable - Polrost family. The Baron would like the players to track down the source of these hobgoblin raids - the only clue beyond tracking down a raiding party is that some of the hobgoblins appear to be members of a new cult. If the players investigate further, they can learn that the cult centers around the hobgoblin witch Jibigi, who has risen to become leader of the hobgoblins of the region, teaching them dark magics, and seeking information on the ritual to transform herself into a Night Hag. Meanwhile, House Adstone is supplying hobgoblins loyal to Jibigi using a mercenary as an intermediary, although as far as the Adstones know they are simply paying unnamed rabble-rousers. Meanwhile, Jibigi hopes to capture the PC's and the Baron's Hoardmasters for use in her ritual, but Gorgoldand's spirit, trapped within the swords, has different designs... and is willing to lead adventurers to his other hidden hoards to fight Jibigi and her dark patron, the demon lord Orcus.

Did I kill a thread again?