AbdulAlhazred
Legend
Did you see my posts in the other worldbuilding thread about the Dream Game campaign? That was a game where the main drive (I think for all the players, certainly myself and Mark) was finding out what was really going on, or at least learning more. In one of the group discussions near the end of the campaign another of the players, Jamie, talks about how far we still have to go in terms of discovery (and it also gives a good overview of the campaign):
We've got to face up to the fact that we're still floundering in a major way. We just don't have a clue what 'their' objectives are, how they are pursuing those objectives. We don't even know who exactly most of 'them' are. We used to help patients with dream related problems. We used to intrude, find the malignant External, find its Achiles heel and defeat it. Then we'd see a subsequent improvement in the patient's health. The nightmares went away and the patient seemed to find a peace of mind. But with the Fallen it's different. We haven't clearly identified the problems being suffered, never mind the entities causing these problems. And as for why they are doing so or what their Achilles heel might be, we haven't a clue.
It was a game that featured an unusually wide range of elements - the real mundane world of Glasgow in the mid 90s, 'real' occult and paranormal inspired happenings, dream weirdness, superhero-esque action scenes in dreams with lots of bizarre powers flying about, horror scenes (usually in dreams), and group discussions about What's Really Going On. The players would even write essays about What's Really Going On and these are included in the campaign logs.
I don't think this was because we were all lore-seeking players, I think it's because of the sort of game it was and that produced certain behaviour on our part. The GM did ridiculously huge amounts of research and prep for it, which led to all the players taking it very seriously. It was a game that felt real, and also one where there were major obstacles to the unveiling of occult knowledge: the strange, unknowable nature of dreams; the fact that the spirit world (if it existed at all) was beyond our perception; the extreme secrecy of both our antagonists and the 'good guy' organisation we encountered.
Right, and I think the sheer unusualness of this campaign, as in there may not be another analogous to it which has ever existed (though again I would obviously not assume that is perfectly true) is my point. In 42 years of RPGing I have yet to encounter those who play in this way. Now, I HAVE encountered some VERY elaborate campaigns. I played in several that a particular GM created which featured upwards of 100's of distinct NPCs, vast mysteries which were never fully resolved, etc. Even in THAT game though most of those elements were, in some sense, 'color'. We all knew there was a big mystery at the heart of the campaign. Some characters knew more than others about it, but generally you went on 'doing your thing' and it only factored heavily in the immediate action 2-3 times in 20 years of play. I would still call that campaign (or super-campaign, it wasn't continuous) the closest to what you describe.
I would say that what the GM in the 'Dream Game' was focused on was a very specific genre and milieu. I mean, it doesn't seem as though it was necessarily detail in terms of specific events, but more in terms of a great depth of knowledge of the sort of 'modern paranormal mystery' genre. Including in this were probably things like modern theories of magic and occult terminology and theories, various conspiracy theory lore, etc. I'm sure a great deal of research can be done on these things! I'm sure it was used effectively to create a feeling of near-believability. I'd also note how specialized the game's procedures are, playing yourself as a PC (which must logically then include provisions to avoid PC death, I mean it isn't like you can roll up a new you) etc.
I think it is probably the exception that fairly proves the rule, and again you say that the players were NOT specifically TRYING to 'explore'. My assertion being that few players are really after digging up facts about the setting JUST FOR ITSELF, but will do so as part of some other goal.