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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 8828679" data-attributes="member: 42582">I've run a lot of RPGs, in a variety of settings. I don't think I've ever designed a setting's physics. I have sometimes considered a setting's sociology and/or theology and metaphysics, because to me these are far more central to RPGing than physics. But other times I have let those things emerge more-or-less organically via play; or have established them by reference to a known exemplar or paradigm (eg Let's play Vikings or Let's play Middle Earth or Let's play Victorian-ear Cthulhu).By gravity which of the following do you mean?Things fall to earth - which has been common knowledge for all humans for as long as humans have existed; or,

All things fall to earth at a uniform rate of acceleration if air resistance is disregarded - which has not been common knowledge and as far as I know isn't obviously true in any FRPG I'm familiar with, given that none of them involve detailed calculations about falling things, ballistics etc; or,

The same physical factor that explains how and why things fall to earth also explains celestial motion - which is actively false in many FRPG settings.I've seen D&amp;D module with magnetic effects that to the best of my knowledge are not explicable in terms of real-world magnetism (eg &quot;lodestones&quot; that pull and trap characters wearing metal armour).I just don't see any evidence that FRPG settings need the sort of detail or rules established in advance that you say they do.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 8828679, member: 42582"] I've run a lot of RPGs, in a variety of settings. I don't think I've ever designed a setting's physics. I have sometimes considered a setting's sociology and/or theology and metaphysics, because to me these are far more central to RPGing than physics. But other times I have let those things emerge more-or-less organically via play; or have established them by reference to a known exemplar or paradigm (eg [i]Let's play Vikings[/i] or [i]Let's play Middle Earth[/i] or [i]Let's play Victorian-ear Cthulhu[/i]). By gravity which of the following do you mean? [indent][i]Things fall to earth[/i] - which has been common knowledge for all humans for as long as humans have existed; or, [i]All things fall to earth at a uniform rate of acceleration if air resistance is disregarded[/i] - which has not been common knowledge and as far as I know isn't obviously true in any FRPG I'm familiar with, given that none of them involve detailed calculations about falling things, ballistics etc; or, [i]The same physical factor that explains how and why things fall to earth also explains celestial motion[/i] - which is actively false in many FRPG settings.[/indent] I've seen D&D module with magnetic effects that to the best of my knowledge are not explicable in terms of real-world magnetism (eg "lodestones" that pull and trap characters wearing metal armour). I just don't see any evidence that FRPG settings need the sort of detail or rules established in advance that you say they do. [/QUOTE]

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