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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ExploderWizard" data-source="post: 5298010" data-attributes="member: 66434">These are all great bits of very important information. First of all, players will usually only be interested in what is fun for them which is perfectly natural. If the players just enjoy a series of combats then they might not care to bother with anything else. OTOH, a comment such as "all we seem to do is fight" might mean that there is a desire for more.  Caring about the campaign vs the setting: Is the intent here for your players to be more generally interested in Eberron or interested specifically in your Eberron campaign? There is a world of difference between an adoring fan of a published setting and a player who is energetically engaged with what is happening in the game world each session.  My campaign is set in Mystara but I have no expectation that my players will be hyper-excited just because of this. My job as a DM is not to try and get the players to take a more active interest in the game world as it is published, but rather in the campaign events that we create together as we play.  The game world as it exists before the players begin play is simply just some imagined place for their characters to romp around in. You can create ties and backstories and things but the place won't feel alive (especially to the players) until actual play begins. It's like walking through a house that you might want to buy. There is potential but not too much excitement for the house itself. The excitement comes from imagining your personal stuff in the space and thinking about actually living there.  Generating Campaign Interest:  Generating interest in the campaign is nearly impossible if the means of doing so are not fun and rewarding for the players. Interaction with an environment that has a noticeable effect is a great way to generate that interest. Be very free with information, especially information that is created as a result of in-game events. If the players are not getting enough feedback about their effect on the campaign and the goings on within it, they have little incentive to show much interest.  If the PC's just slog through the world killing things and the world just trudges along taking little notice then the action becomes very detatched from the world which will become little more than the scrolling scenery in a videogame. The PC's need more to interact with than just foes and obstacles.  What Hand of Evil mentioned above is the most critical part of the mix. The players need to know that their actions are having a very real effect on the campaign. This provides a sense of accomplishment and helps the players see the in-game events from an ownership perspective as opposed to mere observers.  Campaign Rewards: Nothing motivates a player like getting rewards. Active interest in the campaign should be rewarded by the kind of cool stuff that can't be found in a treasure chest. Special privileges, favors, connections, and reputation benefits can be more valuable than gold. The DM is responsible for making this stuff worthwhile though.  The PC's let a bad guy flunky go? Make sure he reappears later perhaps with valuable intel that would (at a minimum) save a ton of ponderous legwork. The PC's kill a major bad guy? Let their reputation work for them. Perhaps they can get invitations to exclusive clubs leading to more lucrative opportunities or mentioning the deed to a captive would be enough to get him to spill his guts without an interrogation.  These kind of rewards motivate the player to not only care more about the campaign, but about their own characters beyond the numbers on the sheet.</blockquote>

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