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<blockquote data-quote="overgeeked" data-source="post: 9429352" data-attributes="member: 86653">That's exactly what I'm pushing back against. I disagree with that completely. I run player-focused games and it's never been a problem. &quot;Hey, what would I know about this ancient civilization?&quot; &quot;Okay, so it's like...&quot; It's literally that easy. Writing a thousand words of history on a civilization that might not ever be interacted with during the game is a waste of time. Handing that to players and asking them to read it is a waste of their time. It only matters when it matters in the actual game. That's when you tell them.Not having that information before it's relevant to decision making doesn't matter. When that information would inform a decision is when it's handed over. When the PCs are actually presented with a choice of civilizations to interact with is exactly the right time to impart the relevant info. When it comes up in the game, in the moment of making those decisions, is when the relevant info is given. This civ is like the Aztecs, this one is like the Maya, that one is like Sumer, the other is India during early colonialism, that other one is Spain during the reconquista, etc. Info dumps suck in fiction. And the suck worse in RPGs. You never have to info dump. It's a choice. And always a bad one. The thing most referees don't get is that the players don't care about the world as much as the worldbuildng referee does. The players only care if it actually matters in the moment. So that's when you tell them.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="overgeeked, post: 9429352, member: 86653"] That's exactly what I'm pushing back against. I disagree with that completely. I run player-focused games and it's never been a problem. "Hey, what would I know about this ancient civilization?" "Okay, so it's like..." It's literally that easy. Writing a thousand words of history on a civilization that might not ever be interacted with during the game is a waste of time. Handing that to players and asking them to read it is a waste of their time. It only matters when it matters in the actual game. That's when you tell them. Not having that information before it's relevant to decision making doesn't matter. When that information would inform a decision is when it's handed over. When the PCs are actually presented with a choice of civilizations to interact with is exactly the right time to impart the relevant info. When it comes up in the game, in the moment of making those decisions, is when the relevant info is given. This civ is like the Aztecs, this one is like the Maya, that one is like Sumer, the other is India during early colonialism, that other one is Spain during the reconquista, etc. Info dumps suck in fiction. And the suck worse in RPGs. You never have to info dump. It's a choice. And always a bad one. The thing most referees don't get is that the players don't care about the world as much as the worldbuildng referee does. The players only care if it actually matters in the moment. So that's when you tell them. [/QUOTE]

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