Campaign World Problems/ Questions/ Considerations

[pogre]

Greetings,

My D&D campaign is moving along nicely, but recent developments are causing me to pause and ask some questions. Do me a favor and try to answer the following questions as a player -

1. Do unique calendars add to the game? Would you prefer a conventional calendar that reflects our own or something more fantastic?

2. Do naming conventions matter to you? Should different areas of the campaign world have consistent language naming conventions?

3. Is realistic geography important to you? Mountain, desert, river, etc. placement?

 

[Crothian]

1. Do unique calendars add to the game? Would you prefer a conventional calendar that reflects our own or something more fantastic?

Only if the DM use it. I've seen more then a few DM's that introduce a caleder and then it just lapses into the neat but never matters file.

2. Do naming conventions matter to you? Should different areas of the campaign world have consistent language naming conventions?

If doine well, yes. But again a DM can really screw this up and make it terrible.

3. Is realistic geography important to you? Mountain, desert, river, etc. placement?

Yes, but realistic to the setting and not realistic to Earth.

 

[Gold Roger]

On all these things: When they are done convincingly and easy. I'm kinda superfical about these things, so I prefer they are done that way.

They need to create versimilitude, but shouldn't be intricate.

 

[Masquerade]

1. Do unique calendars add to the game? Would you prefer a conventional calendar that reflects our own or something more fantastic?

It certainly can, but it is not always necessary. Knowing that it is "February 4th" in the campaign world can disrupt suspension of disbelief, but it is not usually an issue unless the date comes up often in-game. Also, it is only useful if the DM remembers how it is used.

2. Do naming conventions matter to you? Should different areas of the campaign world have consistent language naming conventions?

Not especially. I do not think it is something a novice DM should concern him/herself with, but it can add a bit of flavor.

3. Is realistic geography important to you? Mountain, desert, river, etc. placement?

Within reason, it does not matter to me in any significant way.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

1. Depends. It's hard for me to conceptualize a calendar vastly different from ours. It's not something I've ever personally paid attention to because time was often generalized and hand-waved.

2. Yes, but I'm a language nerd. I don't care about hard and fast rules (as language tends to break those rules anyway), but like-sounding names can add some unique verismilitude.

3. Not terribly important. Unique and interesting geography is way better than realistic counterparts, but if your rivers rown downhill I wouldn't complain or anything.

 

[Davelozzi]

Good questions, I am curious as to how my own players would answer.

When I created my world, I created a unique calendar, had regional naming conventions and tried to create realistic geography (though admittedly, I am a geography nerd).

If I was doing it over, I would likely drop the unique calendar but stick with the other two. The calendar seems nice in theory, but in practice, it means nothing to the players unless I follow the campaign date by telling them the approximate real-world equivalent anyway.

 

[Wolv0rine]

1. Do unique calendars add to the game? Would you prefer a conventional calendar that reflects our own or something more fantastic?

As a player I dislike unique calendars for the sole reason that if it’s February 4th in-game, then I know what that means. If it’s “Hakenn 4th” or “4thday of Red Eve” I’ve got to think about what that means. I have to learn the calendar specific for that world to a degree that I know all that Hakken 4th or 4thday of Red Eve imply as much as I do for February 4th.
That said, tinkering with the calendar is okay. I like the simplicity of 12 months, 30 days each. No leap years, no “30 days hath whatever save for whosits that has 31”. If you want to rename the months but we all know that Hakken is February, okay I’ll try to roll with it.

2. Do naming conventions matter to you? Should different areas of the campaign world have consistent language naming conventions?

Definitely. Names (of places, people, whatever) should fit phonetically into the region they’re a part of. Don’t name the town in the middle of the Egyptian-based desert “Gainsfjord” please, and don’t name the mountains in fantasy China “Ghilla Mountains”. I don’t expect the DM (or the writer, depending on whether it’s homebrew world or published) to invent actual languages for different regions (that just puts more of a burden on me as the player to try to learn this make-believe language in part or whole, and.. ahh, no). Just a little work to try to make things fit their surroundings.

3. Is realistic geography important to you? Mountain, desert, river, etc. placement?

It’s a big plus. Shows the world-builder gave it thought and planning. That (s)he went out and did some reading and research, because they cared.

 

[Woas]

1. No. A fantasy calendar would be sort of confusing if it was more than just the Gregorian calendar I am used to with different names of the week. So it would probably detract from the game over all. And even still, as a player I would not find much use in a calendar even if it was understand able. If as a player I need to wait till next Frompens-day, I'll just say "Ok, I just wait three days chillaxin at the inn till its time." Knowing that Smorges-day and Jortugo-day have passed really does nothing for me.

2. No. I hate fantasy names. If you, the DM want me, the player to really remember your game do not use wretched fantasy names like Xyfprple or other fantasy languages to name regions. It may be nice to have the proper elven city name in the elven language, but I would preffer if you just brought it down to the LCD and gave it a name "in common". I do better when I can actually understand and pronounce things like: Freeport, Pearl Bay, Cinderville. Personally I would enjoy going to Green Apple City, which is sort of a silly name, long before I head to Znhworrnb... because basically what that means is that Znhworrnb has no name and will be called "that place you purchase healing potions from"-city.

3. Yes, but not overly so. Just common sense stuff... rivers flow from high land to the sea. No jungles in the middle of the artic...

 

[Lanefan]

1. In my first campaign I used the conventional calendar (with each month having 30 days) and found myself far too often getting mixed up in my recordkeeping between game date and real date. So for my current game I went to a homebrew calendar - 13 months of 28 days each - and it's worked out OK. All you need to do is provide the players a sheet with useful things like the months, the moon phases, etc.; and in the list of months roughly indicate where the seasons fall (in the hemisphere where the campaign takes place).

2. Keeping names at least somewhat related to culture is close to essential; they're the first contact the players will usually have with said culture.

3. Geography needs to make sense, in that you need to be able to say why the mountains, deserts, etc. are where they are, whether by plate tectonics, divine influence, failed magic, or whatever; sometimes, this can become part of your storyline (the icecaps are melting because the divine watch on them has failed, and frozen into them is.....!) And then...and this is even more important...the climate has to reflect the geography; at least says me, the weather nerd...

Lanefan

 

[Cor Azer]

Greetings,

My D&D campaign is moving along nicely, but recent developments are causing me to pause and ask some questions. Do me a favor and try to answer the following questions as a player -

1. Do unique calendars add to the game? Would you prefer a conventional calendar that reflects our own or something more fantastic?

2. Do naming conventions matter to you? Should different areas of the campaign world have consistent language naming conventions?

3. Is realistic geography important to you? Mountain, desert, river, etc. placement?

In general to all questions - they're useful if used properly. Specifically, as a player, I shouldn't have to consciously acknowledge them - ie, they shouldn't catch me as incongruous to the surroundings. Giving pause generally breaks suspense of disbelief and versimilitude, so if those are important, consistent geography, naming conventions, and the like are important.

Personally, I prefer games that have the second and third. I do like calendars when lunar/monthly stuff is heavily involved in the game (like lycanthropy, or summoning a demon at the new moon, etc.) However, that rarely needs a unique calendar, just a consistent one.