Conveying Setting Information

[GrimCo]

I'm lazy DM. I usually only have very crude, bare bones outline of the setting to begin with.

My process goes something like this.

Get together with guys for a coffee/beer. Give short sales pitch about idea for campaign. This includes brief description of the setting, this includes style and themes in game Then, depending on how interested they are, we discuss more, they ask questions, i answer them. They give constructive feedback. If we decide to actually play it, only then i do some more detailed world building, but not too much. I like to leave lots of space for things to evolve organically trough play.

 

[Anon Adderlan]

The best model I've found for conveying setting information are travel/tour guides. They're designed to be focused, inspirational, and avoid the kind of information overload which causes readers to shut down.

As a player I've gone into a d20 World of Warcraft RPG never having played the online game and just owning the monster book for my d20 games. My strategy for roleplay knowledge was for my jungle troll barbarian in character to not know the greater world and to come upon most things fresh as I came upon them.

You can apply exactly the same strategy with Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and I think both work better as a result.

 

[aramis erak]

As a player I've gone into a d20 World of Warcraft RPG never having played the online game and just owning the monster book for my d20 games. My strategy for roleplay knowledge was for my jungle troll barbarian in character to not know the greater world and to come upon most things fresh as I came upon them.

You can apply exactly the same strategy with Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and I think both work better as a result.

Only if your players are not closet lorehounds...
Or worse, wannabe-lorehounds... who once they start getting fed lore go buying the books to get more.

 

[Anon Adderlan]

Only if your players are not closet lorehounds...
Or worse, wannabe-lorehounds... who once they start getting fed lore go buying the books to get more.

Granted, but lorehounds at least take an interest in the setting, which along with lore itself is as rare as hen's teeth these days. Meanwhile both VtM and WtA are unique in that they don't require a player to know the setting in order to play, because it's essentially the world we already live in, which sadly might be why the current license holders feel it acceptable to strip so much lore from them.

 

[Voadam]

Granted, but lorehounds at least take an interest in the setting, which along with lore itself is as rare as hen's teeth these days. Meanwhile both VtM and WtA are unique in that they don't require a player to know the setting in order to play, because it's essentially the world we already live in, which sadly might be why the current license holders feel it acceptable to strip so much lore from them.

They also have a play experience set up where all special lore can be learned in play as you go from a normal person to being turned into a vampire and get exposed to the secret lore of the world.

 

[aramis erak]

Granted, but lorehounds at least take an interest in the setting, which along with lore itself is as rare as hen's teeth these days. Meanwhile both VtM and WtA are unique in that they don't require a player to know the setting in order to play, because it's essentially the world we already live in, which sadly might be why the current license holders feel it acceptable to strip so much lore from them.

There's also the issue that much of the old lore is offensive by modern standards.

 

[Micah Sweet]

There's also the issue that much of the old lore is offensive by modern standards.

Well, the old material is still out there at least.