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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark Plemmons" data-source="post: 2078063" data-attributes="member: 1287">Actually, "fluff" includes these kinds of details.  And they don't really affect the rules set(s).  They're just background detail.Personally, I've found that you have to have the facts/background first, before you can explore the possibilities.  For example, if you want to start a war, you need to know the terrain, the political allies, the military strengths, the attitudes of the people in each land, the imports and exports, and so on.  If your players want to travel from one land to another, they need to know what peoples/lands they'll be passing through, and how friendly or hostile they might be to the PCs.  Otherwise, you find you end up having to invent it yourself later, when the subject arises.  Ignoring this works too, but I think that it leads to a more generic campaign, where every land feels the same and the people seem mostly identical.  You need that detail to make your setting feel like a real place.I certainly wouldn't try to memorize everything about a region.  I don't think most DMs do.  Just note the parts relevant to the current situation, and you can reference the rest when you need to.</blockquote>